Article by David Marinescu – Published Sunday, December 14, 2025, 3:34 p.m. / Updated Sunday, December 14, 2025, 3:38 p.m.
The oil – U Clujthe first match of the day in the Super League, is being played NOW, in Ploiesti. The duel on “Ilie Oană” is liveTEXT on GSP.ro and live on Prima Sport 1 and Digi Sport 1.
Again with a chance for the play-offs, after an inconclusive start to the season, the “Red Caps” come to capture a point or points from the trip from Ploiesti. With three wins and a draw in the last four games in the championship, “U” is also the bookmakers' favorite for a triumph in the Prahoven fiefdom.
Today's hosts, on the other hand, are not going through the quietest period, with the “yellow wolves” still trapped at the bottom of the table. Eugen Neagoe's “Găzarii” are in 12th place, with 19 points.
LIVE » Petrolul – U Cluj 0-0
Petrolul Ploiești – U Cluj, starting teams:
Ploiesti Oil: Krell – Ricardinho, Papp, Roche, Sălceanu – Dulca, Dongmo, Jyry – V. Gheorghe, Chică-Roşa, Grozav
Reserves: Bălbarău, Onguene, Araujo, Dumitriu, Tolea, Hanca, Boţogan, Doukansy, D. Paraschiv, Doumtsios, Mateiu
Coach: Eugene Neagoe
U Cluj: U Cluj: Gertmonas – Mikanovic, I. Cristea, Capradossi, Chipciu – Murgia, Codrea, Bic – Macalou, Lukic, El Sawy
Reserves: Lefter, Cosa, Chinteş, Cisse, Toşca, M. Silva, Simion, Drameh, Gheorghiţă, Fabry, Postolachi, A. Trică
Coach: Cristiano Bergodi
Stadium: “Ilie Oana”, Ploiesti
Referee: George Gaman
ASSISTANT: Cristian Ilinca and Ionuț Bobe
VAR referee: Marcel Bîrsan / AVAR Referee: Valentine Pigeon
Cristiano Bergodi wants to triumph in Ploiesti: “We want three points!”
We are ready, we want, as always, to try to get all three points, but it will be a very difficult game. From what I have analyzed, Eugen Neagoe's team is a good team, and since he came, Petrol have only conceded four goals, won and drawn with good formations. He won with Argeș and with CFR, with FCSB he got a draw. Since Neagoe came, he settled the team very well and is uncomfortable.
Statistics are also made to try, at least once, to win. I repeat, it will be a difficult match. All the teams coached by this coach, who I know very well, are hard to beat. The results speak for themselves, because in nine matches they only scored four goals. Each team has certain technical-tactical characteristics, as a game system, but I think first of all about my team, let's play a good game, let's play football.
When you play well, sooner or later, the wins come anyway. I'm thinking of making an important match, we're on a big trend. We all want three points, even if we play in a very difficult stadium with their fans, who are passionate.
Since I have been here, it seems to me that the players are training very well, they are professionals and it would be the biggest mistake to think about the holiday. (…) We have to try to get the maximum, and that would automatically mean three points with Petrol, who have experienced players. Lottery problems do not exist, except in situations where we have to recover 1-2 players. We have no big problems.
– Cristiano Bergodi, U Cluj coach, according to fcucluj.ro
The updated ranking of the first league
Petrol – U Cluj | The key data of the game, presented by GSP statistician Liviu Manolache
– Prahoven lost in the previous round, 0-1 in Arad, the failure coming after a streak of invincibility consisting of three wins and four draws.
– November 1, 2025, Universitatea Cluj-FCSB 0-2 was the only defeat suffered by the “Red Caps” in the last six stages, during which they recorded four more successes and one draw.
– The two teams will face each other in the main domestic competition for the 82nd time, the track record of the previous matches in the Super League including 41 victories of Prahoven, 23 successes of Cluj and 17 draws.
– Records with the host Petrol: 40 matches – 28 victories Petrolul – 11 draws – 1 success U Cluj.
– The only victory scored by the “Red Caps” away: April 16, 2023, Petrolul-Universitatea Cluj 0-2.
– The biggest score difference on the first stage was 5 goals and was recorded twice in favor of Cluj: May 21, 1961, Ştiinţa Cluj-Petrolul 6-1 and July 10, 1966, U Cluj-Petrolul 5-0.
– The most recent direct Superliga match: August 9, 2025, Cluj-Petrolul University 1-1 (scorers: Jovo Lukic / Bogdan Marian).
– Eugen Neagoe vs. Cristiano Bergodi in the championship: six games – one victory Neagoe – one draw – four successes Bergodi.
– The current Prahoven coach coached Cluj University in 2022/23 (19 games in all competitions).
