Preview: Dinamo Bucuresti vs. Farul Constanta in Cupa României

BUCHAREST, Romania (Interstat) — Dinamo Bucuresti hosts Farul Constanta on Thursday in a Cupa României knockout match, a fixture that recent history suggests will be a tense, low-scoring affair.

The two sides played to a 0-0 draw in Liga II just over two months ago, on Dec. 3. Their last three meetings have failed to produce a winner, highlighting the defensive parity between the clubs.

Dinamo, the home side at Stadionul Dinamo, enters with momentum from a 1-0 league victory over Oțelul Galați on Dec. 20. That result snapped a brutal five-match winless streak across all competitions, a stretch that included four losses and a draw where they were outscored 12-1.

Farul Constanta carries a longer unbeaten run. The coastal club has not lost in its last four matches across all competitions, dating to late October. Its most recent result was a 1-1 draw with Botosani on Oct. 30. Prior to that, Farul secured consecutive 1-0 victories in the cup against FC Corvinul 1921 Hunedoara and CS Corvinul in August.

The statistical service Interstat projects a narrow 1-0 victory for Dinamo Bucuresti in this cup clash. A single goal would be a departure from the recent head-to-head trend of shutouts.

For Dinamo, this match is the first of a congested schedule. Following Thursday’s cup tie, the club is slated to play three matches in three days, facing Hermannstadt in a rescheduled league fixture on Friday before a two-legged cup encounter with Argeș Pitești on Saturday and Sunday.

The winner of Thursday’s match will advance to the next round of Romania’s primary domestic cup competition. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. local time at Stadionul Dinamo.