Group Stage Factfile: Young Boys, Cluj & CSKA Sofia

CFR CLUJ
Romania

League position 2019-20: 1st in Liga 1
Last season in Europe: Europa League R32
Best Europa League finish: Round of 32 (2012-13, 2019-20)
Head coach: Dan Petrescu
Key players: Camora (captain), Ciprian Deac, Gabriel Debeljuh

What to know: While Roma have featured just twice prior to Thursday’s Europa League draw, Cluj have already racked up nine games so far this season.

That includes two Champions League qualifiers (where they eventually dropped out on penalties to Dinamo Zagreb in the second round), two more Europa League matches and another five league outings.

Their most recent fixture saw them ease into this stage of the competition with a 3-1 win over Finland’s Kuopion Palloseura, with Debeljuh and Mario Rondon (two) providing the goals.

It means that other than the aforementioned penalty loss - a game that ended 2-2 in normal time - Cluj have won six and dran twice during a fine start to the campaign for last season’s Romanian champions.

Coach Petrescu will be a familiar face in the dugout for many people, having played in Serie A for Foggia and Genoa during a fine playing career during which the 52-year-old lifted the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, Super Cup and was capped 95 times by Romania.

The club’s latest league crown was the third in succession under Petrescu - sandwiched with a brief stint in China for the tactician - who has flitted between formations so far this season.

Petrescu has already rolled out versions of a 4-2-3-1, 4-1-4-1, 4-1-3-2, 4-3-3 and 4-4-2, with his back-four the most consistent feature of how Cluj set up.

In midfield, 37-year-old Romania international Ovidiu Hoban or compatriot Mihai Bordeianu tend to provide the base in central midfield alongside Damjan Djokovic, while a three or four-man combination of Deac, Debeljuh, Alexandru Paun and Rondon shape the front line.

Deac has already provided three assists in Cluj’s two Europa League matches and will be one for Roma’s defence to keep an eye on whether the versatile attacker lines up on the right, left or in a central attacking midfield position.

Summer signing Debeljuh is the club’s current top-scorer with three goals in all competitions, while Rondon’s brace against the Fins on Wednesday night were his first goals of the new season.

Roma have faced Cluj four times in the past (W2, D1, L1), with all of those games being played in the Group Stages of the Champions League across the 2008-09 and 2010-11 editions of the tournament.

CSKA SOFIA
Bulgaria

League position 2019-20: 3rd in Efbet Liga
Last season in Europe: Europa League 3rd round qualifying
Best Europa League finish: Group Stage (2009-10, 2010-11)
Head coach: Stamen Belchev
Key players: Valentin Antov (captain), Younousse Sankhare, Ali Sowe

What to know: If Cluj’s nine-game run so far seems a lot, you’ll excuse CSKA from scoffing at that number - with 11 fixtures already under their belt.

Wednesday night’s victory over FC Basel was their fourth in the Europa League alone, while they’ve won three, drawn three and lost once in the league after seven games to leave them seventh in the table.

Sofia went into the fixture with the Swiss side having lost their first match of the season to Lokomotiv Plovdiv on Sunday, and they were trailing 1-0 until the 70th minute before a rousing late fightback.

Portuguese substitute Tiago Rodrigues levelled with a stunning first goal before his deflected free-kick put his side in front and fellow sub Ahmed Ahmedov killed it off at the death.

It was a fine turnaround from Belchev’s men in reserve and a fine call from the 51-year-old who returned to the club in July following a 20-game stint at rivals FK Arda Kardzhali that lasted just six months.

Belchev was previously at the Sofia helm from 2016 to 2018, during which time the club were absent from European football.

It means that this season is Belchev’s first taste of a European club competition and - with four wins from four - he so far has a perfect record.

A former striker himself, Belchev is a stickler for 4-2-3-1, with Geferson and Amos Youga combining in deep central midfield roles to allow the likes of Jules Keita, Sankhare, Sowe and Georgi Yomov to express themselves further forward.

Some fans will remember Sowe from his five-year spell in Italy from 2012-17, where he turned out for Chievo, SS Juve Stabia, Pescara, Latina Calcio, Modena, Lecce and AC Prato and he has found his feet in Bulgaria, scoring three times in four Europa League matches so far this season.

At the back, Antov is a name to remember, captaining his side at the age of just 19 and the Bulgaria international - who made his senior debut for CSKA at 14 - is tipped for big things.

Roma have taken on CSKA a total of four times and boast a perfect record of four wins from four, without conceding a single goal.

YOUNG BOYS
Switzerland

League position 2019-20: 1st in Super League
Last season in Europe: Europa League Group Stage
Best Europa League finish: Round of 32 (2010-11, 2014-15)
Head coach: Gerardo Seoane
Key players: Fabian Lustenberger (captain), Nicolas Moumi Ngamaleu, Jean-Pierre Nsame

What to know: The reigning Swiss champions have been the least busy of Roma’s Group A opponents in the early stages of the 2020-21 campaign, but have still chalked up five runouts (W3, D1, L1).

Their sole defeat came in the third round of Champions League qualifying by Danish outfit FC Midtjylland, while Young Boys dispatched KF Tirana 3-0 to secure their place in the Europa League group stages.

Seoane has been in charge since July, 2018 and last year’s title made it back-to-back Super League trophies for coach and club.

The 41-year-old has a preference for 4-4-2, with Meschack Elia and Nsame leading the line as his two strikers.

Nsame scored twice in the victory of Tirana, taking the Cameroon international to three goals from his first five appearances of the season in all competitions.

Fellow Cameroon international Ngamaleu is a real threat from the left side of Young Boys’ midfield and the 26-year-old has been similarly productive so far, writing up three assists for his teammates and getting on the scoresheet himself once already this season.

Usually a centre-half, captain Lustenberger has recently moved into the centre of midfield, with summer signing Jordan Lefort - typically a left-back - taking up position in central defence to good effect as their side have made an unbeaten start to their league campaign (W1, D1), while conceding just once.

It is Young Boys who Roma have the least history against in this trio and, in fact, these two have never met before in their history.

Young Boys have, however, take on Italian sides six times and have a decent record against Serie A outfits: winning four and losing two.

Their most recent meeting with a club from Italy saw them beat Juventus 2-1 in Group H of the 2018-19 Champions League campaign, while Roma have also claimed six wins (D2, L3) in 11 matches against Swiss opposition.