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After the surprising 3rd place finish last year Pacos disintegrated. Some players left and all the good form is gone. Pacos is playing very poor this season and is last in the league, just 1 win, 1 draw and 4 losses. But they are improving lately, taking 4 points in the last two games. In european competition the portugese team was abysmal, they lost 2-8 aggregate to Zenit in the UCL playoffs and recently they lost 3-0 at Fiorentina in the Uefa League. Still, you have to considered the power of the opponents Pacos met so far. Team news for Pacos are saying that three players will not make the game: Jailson, Romeo and Carlao.
Pandurii is one of the best 3-4 teams in Romania and they had a superb campaign in their european debut. Pandurii got past Levadia Tallin, Hapoel Tel Aviv and Braga in order to reach the group stages, where they lost 0-1 at home to Dnepr. An interesting fact is that Pandurii performed much better away from home, winning against Hapoel and Braga. In the Romanian Liga 1 Pandurii sit on 6th place but they are right up there with the top teams – just 5 points from the leaders. The romanians have striker Matulevicius doubtful and Nicoara unavailable but overall they can be happy with the health status.
Pandurii lost a couple of important players before the season but they always discover ways to find adequate cover. They signed influential playmaker Eric who is a difference maker and can trouble even the best defenses. Pacos also lost their best players but for them it seems that the replacements are not at the same level.
Pacos is starting to improve but they have yet to prove they can be a reliable team. Pandurii is very motivated and confident, they beat better teams than Pacos this year (see Braga) and they can make an upset here. The hosts usually like to play attacking football and this is where they could get hurt, because Pandurii is great on counters with Eric as a brilliant passer and some very fast wingers. I reckon Pandurii will take advantage of Pacos’ struggles and get at least a point, but a win is also in their reach, without a doubt. They are in better form, better coached, have more confidence, play great away and the quality gap in favor of Pacos is rather small. My call is 1-1 or 1-2.
Pick: Pandurii (+0,25 Asian Handicap)
Odds: 2.05 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 6
Possible profit: 6.30
Event date: 3 October
Editor Facts
- Ocean won 13 out of 16 tips in September
