Sepsi are expected to line up in their usual 4-2-3-1, a shape built on a double pivot that shields a back four and lets the full-backs push on. They will sit in a mid-block, invite Farul to play through them, then spring with quick transitions through the half-space runners. The 2-1 win over Farul already showed the blueprint: stay compact, hit on the break, win the second balls. At home, with the crowd behind them, they will press higher and trust their structure.

Farul, predicted in their 4-3-1-2, will try to dominate the midfield dogfight. With Alibec dropping deep and the two strikers stretching the pitch, they will look to knife through the lines. But that shape leaves them exposed wide — Sepsi's full-backs can overload the flanks. The key battle is in the middle: Sepsi's double pivot vs Farul's three-man midfield. If Sepsi win that, Farul's front two become isolated. Set pieces are another layer — Sepsi are physical, and with the captain Matei suspended (doping), they will need others to step up, but the home crowd will carry them.