Burkina Faso
Nigeria
South Korea
United Arab Emirates

Corvinul Hunedoaravs.Paksi SE

sportsmole.co.uk, 16 July 2024, 09:45
Corvinul Hunedoara will be looking to get over the line in the second leg of their Europa League second qualifying round tie with Paksi SE on Thursday evening.

The Romanian side emerged victorious by a 4-0 scoreline when the two sides squared off in Hungary in last week's opening fixture.

Match preview

There have been some unusual occurrences across Europe in recent years, but the story involving Corvinul Hunedoara is one that may have passed you by.

As a result of being owned by a comunal department, the Ravens are unable to earn promotion from the second tier of Romanian football, leaving their second-placed finish in 2023-24 effectively meaningless.

What was far more relevant was their shock Romanian Cup triumph, the first in their history, and it has resulted in just a second-ever appearance in European football.

On paper, Corvinul Hunedoara may have been viewed as the underdogs against a team who finished in second position in Hungary's top flight in 2023-24.

Instead, they stormed to an incredible 4-0 win at the Fehervari uti Stadion, Sergiu Bus opening the scoring before Marius Lupu's hat-trick.

While Florin Maxim will stress to his players that the job is not done, they are on the brink of edging closer to a first-ever outing in the group stage of a major competition.

Paksi are also minnows on the European stage, their solitary appearance ending in a Europa League third-qualifying round defeat to Hearts back in 2011-12.

Having finished as runners-up to Ferencvaros and being presented with a winnable tie, there was optimism of a deep run in this competition.

Gyorgy Bognar's team will instead likely have to concentrate on attempting to negotiate three rounds in the Europa Conference League, the consequence of bowing out in the early stages of this second-tier competition.

Corvinul Hunedoara Europa League form:

W

Paksi SE Europa League form:

L

Team News

With Corvinul Hunedoara midfielder Denis Hrezdac going off injured during the closing stages of the first leg, he may not be risked here.

Ionut Pop was introduced in his place on that occasion, but Marius Chindris is another option to deputise in the engine room.

Meanwhile, Paksi will have to make do with forward and captain Balint Szabo, who was sent off during the closing stages last time out.

Barna Toth looks most likely to come into the attack as a direct replacement, although Bognar could tinker with his formation given the deficit that needs to be overturned.

Goalkeeper Peter Szappanos went to Euro 2024 with Hungary without making an appearance as his nation were dumped out in the group stages.

Corvinul Hunedoara possible starting lineup:

Lefter; Bradu, Lica, Manolache, Iacob; Chindris; Lupu, Neacsa, Roger, Pirvulescu; Bus

Paksi SE possible starting lineup:

Szappanos; J.Szabo, Kinyik, Lenzser; Osvath, Balogh, Windecker, Papp, Silye; Toth, Konyves

We say: Corvinul Hunedoara 2-0 Paksi SE (Corvinul Hunedoara to win 6-0 on aggregate)

In theory, this tie feels as good as over, and it may lead to the home side going through the motions to a certain extent. Nevertheless, we still expect the Romanian outfit to earn a comfortable victory on Thursday evening.

Previews by email
Show more

Top News

20 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni will be looking for someone to step up in Lionel Messi's absence in Friday's 2026 World Cup qualifying clash against Uruguay. 20 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina have confirmed Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez has withdrawn from the squad due to injury. 20 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have reportedly identified Inter Milan centre-back Alessandro Bastoni as a possible replacement for Virgil van Dijk. 20 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk As part of their preparation for the World Cup Qualifiers, Northern Ireland are set to host Switzerland at Windsor Park for a friendly match on Friday. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni will be looking for someone to step up in Lionel Messi's absence in Friday's 2026 World Cup qualifying clash against Uruguay. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Paris Saint-Germain have been touted as a possible destination for Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk, who is currently set to leave the club for free in the summer. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina will resume their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign when they travel to Montevideo for Friday's clash against Uruguay. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly interested in the signature of RB Leipzig attacker Xavi Simons, with the club having failed to impress in the final third under Ruben Amorim. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Poland will hope to get their World Cup 2026 qualification campaign off to a strong start when they welcome Lithuania to Stadion Narodowy in their first group stage game on Friday. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has been handed another potentially concerning injury scare, as Ryan Gravenberch has been forced to withdraw from the Netherlands squad. 19 March 2025 talksport.com Crawley Town have sacked Rob Elliot ahead of their final nine games to secure League One survival. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk In their first group stage game of their World Cup qualification campaign, Malta will host Finland at Ta'Qali National Stadium on Friday. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Algeria will aim to go a step closer to securing qualification for the 2026 World Cup when they clash with Botswana at Francistown Stadium on Friday. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Following in the footsteps of Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello as England's third permanent foreign manager, Thomas Tuchel takes charge for the first time when Albania stop over at Wembley on Friday. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Ecuador will welcome Venezuela to the Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado in Quito for Friday's 2026 World Cup qualifier. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Officials from Manchester United and Real Betis will reportedly meet next week to discuss Antony's future, with another loan move for the 2025-26 campaign believed to be a serious option. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona are reportedly considering making a move for Feyenoord defender Givairo Read during this summer's transfer window. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Galatasaray chief Abdullah Kavukcu has said that Victor Osimhen will inform the Turkish giants in April whether he is open to joining them on a permanent basis during this summer's transfer window. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing Lille midfielder Angel Gomes on a free transfer this summer. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Wolverhampton Wanderers are allegedly among the clubs who have made an offer for Corinthians attacker Yuri Alberto. 19 March 2025 talksport.com Gateshead's potential takeover reportedly involves a former Premier League striker. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal are reportedly prepared to offer new contracts to Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri following their first-team breakthrough this season. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United will reportedly scout Ipswich Town's Liam Delap and Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike on Friday evening, as the pair prepare to go head-to-head for their respective national teams. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid defender Raul Asencio is reportedly on the verge of signing a new deal with Los Blancos. 19 March 2025 talksport.com Alan Shearer believes he would 'absolutely' make the current England squad in his prime. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Meeting for just the seventh time, England and Albania will clash in World Cup qualifying this week, as both take their first step on the road towards the 2026 finals. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr are reportedly prepared to launch a move to sign Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes. 19 March 2025 talksport.com Manchester United have identified their 'most likely' striker target for the summer. 19 March 2025 talksport.com Chelsea and England hero John Terry was in the talkSPORT studio on Wednesday morning to tackle a wide range of topics in football. 19 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Romania will be aiming to make it seven straight wins in all competitions when they open their World Cup 2026 qualification campaign with a home fixture against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday night.