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Steaua Bucharest will take on FC Viitorul in a match that only matters for the hosts, in their quest to at least finish second in the Romania Liga 1 playoffs.
Steaua is in a bit of crisis right now. The hosts lost on Saturday to Astra, a match that pretty much ended Steaua’s title hopes, as Astra is now 6 points in front with three rounds left to go. As if that was not enough, Steaua was knocked out of the Romanian Cup semifinals a few days ago by arch rivals Dinamo, 0-0 away and 2-2 at home. Steaua must now secure the 2nd place in order to qualify for the Champions League qualifiers and can improve their chances of doing so with a win over Viitorul – Pandurii and Dinamo are both 2 pts behind, but play each other this round. Of course, Steaua also wants to play their chances for the title until the end.
Viitorul is currently on the 5th place in the standings and the visitors have clearly given up on this season. Their performance in the playoffs was very poor and manager Hagi decided to start giving chances to very young players in the last few rounds, preparing for next year. This out of form, experimental Viitorul side doesn`t seem to pose any threat to anybody in these playoffs. The visitors lost their last three games and claimed just 2 points in 7 playoff matches.
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Team news: Both managers will watch the game from the stands. Steaua misses three first team regulars, Bourceanu, Marica and Stanciu, but only Stanciu is a serious loss. Viitorul will probably use mostly youngsters again, though manager and owner Hagi insted that he wants his team to win.
The Head 2 Head between Steaua and Viitorul is one of the most peculiar in world football. Bear with me for a second. Back in 2013, Viitorul won 5-2 on the road against a Steaua team that already secured the title at that time. That match saved Viitorul from relegation and Steaua’s owner Gigi Becali virtually admitted that he gave the match to Viitorul, a team owned by Romanian legend Gheorghe Hagi. Becali is Hagi’s godfather, so they are related.
Well, after that match, Steaua won all 9 meetings against Viitorul with a goal difference of 19-2! Not only did Steaua win all those matches, but the result was NEVER in question in EITHER of them. Viitorul never posed any kind of trouble to Steaua and the 2 goals they scored were meaningless, late in games. Sure, Steaua is a better team than Viitorul, but Viitorul is a very capable side as well and frustrated all top sides in Romania over the years.
Steaua also won all 4 Head 2 Head meetings this season (3 of them on the road), including a 3-1 victory a few weeks ago. The previous 3 meetings were won by Steaua with 1-0 scorelines, but back then Viitorul was playing arguably the best football in Romania, while Steaua was in crisis.
I am very reluctant about categorizing any match as being fixed, those kind of matches are not happening every day like some punters suggest. I will not say this one will be fixed either, even though in Romania most people do believe that Viitorul is selling matches to Steaua. I don`t think things stand that way, but I do think something is going on, because the results are simply to one sided to be coincidental. I tend to believe that Gheorghe Hagi inspired his players with some kind of inferiority complex in front of Steaua, willingly or unwillingly.
Even if we leave aside all the above, fact is that Viitorul has given up on this season, they are losing match after match and experimenting with a lot of youngsters. Steaua might not be in its best moment, but they are still playing decent football and are definitely much better than this current Viitorul outfit. The hosts have much more to fight for, as they are desperate to keep their title chances alive and more importantly to keep the second place, which sends to the Champions League qualifiers.
All in all, Steaua should claim a comfortable win here in the current circumstances, without Viitorul giving them the match. But knowing the history between these two teams, presented above, I reckon it provides an excellent safety net. My tip will be Steaua to win with a 1,25 goal asian handicap. Odds are going down. Prediction: Steaua Bucharest – FC Viitorul 3-0.
Pick: Steaua (-1,25 Asian Handicap)
Odds: 1.69 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 10
Possible profit: 6.90
Event date: 23 April
