Steaua – Dinamo

Steaua Bucharest will take on the Red Dogs of Dinamo Bucharest at National Arena in another episode of the biggest derby in Romanian football. With 5 rounds left to go in the Liga 1 playoffs, Steaua is 4 points behind league leaders Astra, while Dinamo is 9 points behind. Astra does have one more game played, so both teams will want to close the gap.

Steaua is not playing particularly great right now, but they are in good form and won 5 consecutive matches in all competitions. Even without impressing, Steaua is racking up the wins and seems to be the most in form team at the country right now, which is not good news for their opponents – as Steaua is also the team with the most quality in its ranks.

Dinamo had a very good first part of the season and even seemed like the favorite for the title at one point, but since the playoffs began, the Red Dogs have lost all their form. Dinamo was on a run of 7 matches without a win before defeating Viitorul 2-1 last round, but it was a poor match against the worst teams in the playoffs – and Viitorul also did not have a number of important players. Dinamo’s decline is not necessarily surprising, as the squad is not very strong and they seem to have reached their physical limits after fighting so hard this season.

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Team news & lineups:

Steaua continues to moss its main striker, Marica. Dinamo has a full squad available. There are some questions regarding the fitness of Bicfalvi and Corbu, but both should be ready to start if the coach decides.

Steaua Bucharest: Nita – Enache, Tamas, Varela, Tosca – Bourceanu, Pintilii – Popa, Stanciu, Hamroun – Chipciu

Dinamo Bucharest: Cerniauskas – Corbu, Puljic, Mevlja, Filip – Anton, Palic – Rotariu, Kortzorg, Lazar – Gnohere

Dinamo has not lost against Steaua this season (1 win, 3 draws), but the Red Dogs seem to be on the decline, while Steaua is playing its best football of the season. The two teams met twice in 2016, both times with Dinamo as hosts. The games finished 0-0 and 1-1, with Steaua being the better team each time. Also, Steaua has always gotten the better of Dinamo Bucharest when the two teams met at National Arena. In 9 matches, the stats say 8 Steaua wins and 1 draw.

50.000 people are expected at the game and this should help Steaua – even though their supporters don`t create a great atmosphere and the 9000 Dinamo fans will probably be more vocal. But, if Steaua puts pressure, the public will get excited and that always helped the hosts at National Arena. The stadium really gives Steaua an edge, they always play well here, while Dinamo had rather poor results at this venue.

I think Steaua will finally win against Dinamo in the 5th meeting this season. They are the better team in better form, while Dinamo seems on the brink of collapsing. I don’t trust the Red Dogs in these last few rounds, they are playing worse and worse. Steaua is also the more motivated side here, Dinamo is more focused on the Cup now – though the Red Dogs will probably be up for it in such a massive derby.

All in all, my tip on this derby is Steaua Bucharest to win. Odds are dropping on this bet. Prediction: Steaua Bucharest – Dinamo Bucharest 2-0.

Pick: Steaua
Odds: 1.75 @ 1xBet
Stake: 7
Possible profit: 5.25
Event date: 10 April