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Steaua Bucharest needs to overcome a crisis in confidence and results when the Romanian champions take on in-form Rosenborg in the Europa League playoffs first leg.
Steaua is in a real bad spot right now, being knocked out from the Champions League by Partizan and sitting 6th in the Romanian Liga 1 with just 2 wins in 7 rounds. The team did not win in the last 4 matches and did not win at home in the entire season, regardless of competition. Steaua obviously lost a lot of quality in the last year, but the big problem is not just talent – there is plenty of talent in the squad, the problem is coaching (Steaua has a horrible rookie coach) and defense. Steaua allowed at least one goal in 6 of the last 8 matches in all competitions, which is really bad for a team that should be the best in Romania. They also allowed no less than 8 goals in the last 3 European games against Trencin and Partizan.
Rosenborg is on absolute fire right now, posting 10 consecutive wins in all competitions, leading the league by 7 points and seemingly scoring at will. Just once in these 10 games Rosenborg scored less than 2 goals and they scored 3 or more 7 times. Granted the level of opposition was lower than Steaua, but form and confidence are high for Rosenborg. They got to the playoffs by knocking out KR (4-0 aggregate) and Debrecen (6-3 aggregate).
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Team news & lineups:
Steaua will miss two key defensive pieces – captain Varela (CB) and Breveeld (DM). On the bright side, best offensive midfielder Stanciu returns. He`ll probably play in the second half.
Steaua Bucuresti: Cojocaru – Alcénat, Papp, Toșca, Guilherme – Muniru, L. Filip – Ad. Popa, Hamroun, Chipciu – Tadé
Rosenborg: Hansen – Svensson, Eyjólfsson, Bjørdal, Skjelvik – Jensen, Vilhjálmsson, Midtsjø – Helland, Søderlund, de Lanlay
Steaua is defensing very poorly lately and they should be very careful against a Rosenborg side that is playing some fantastic offensive football. I trust the visitors to score at least once against a Steaua side that is in poor form and can`t stay safe at the back – but on the other side I don`t think the Norwegians are good enough to escape with a clean sheet, Steaua has better quality and is a superior level of opposition compared to what Rosenborg met lately.
An x2 bet on Rosenborg could also be a good choice, I reckon they will get a good result, but my tip is both teams to score. The absence of captain Varela will hit Steua hard, as he`s one class above all other defenders. Regular defensive midfielder Breveeld missing will also be a blow, while Stanciu coming back (even for 30-40 minutes) will give them more options up front. Prediction: Steaua Bucharest – Rosenborg 1-1.
Pick: Both to score
Odds: 1.91 @ 10Bet
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 7.28
Event date: 20 August
