FC Vaslui v Steaua Bucuresti
Football: Romanian Liga 1
Venue: Stadion Municipal, Vaslui
Sunday 22th August – Kickoff time: 20:00 GMT+2

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FC Vaslui

Vaslui are not having a great start of the championship despite everyone considers them one of the favorites for winning the league this season, they failed to deliver so far.

With a record of one win, two draws and a loss, Vaslui are currently 10th on the table. The clash against Steaua could be considered the most important from a season, one of the few when tickets are sold-out.

Vaslui still have chances to accede to Europa League group stages, after a goalless draw in the first leg against Lille. It may not have been the best game Vaslui ever made, but the result is quite satisfactory, they still got two options in the second leg, win or draw. The French team did not managed to create danger in front and let the initiative to Vaslui, probably thinking that they will pull off a comfortable victory at home. However, a Vaslui goal in the second leg could decide the winner of this tie.

Central defender Gladstone suffered a knee injury in the first half against Lille so he will probably not be recovered for this game. Beside him, coach Lopez Caro have a full squad at his disposal.

Steaua Bucuresti

Manager Victor Piturca’s resignation was a shock both to players and supporters but fortunately for them, Steaua’s results after he left stayed on a positive trend.

Steaua played two games at home since he left, both won but with no more than one goal margin, 2-1 against Victoria Branesti and a 1-0 victory against Grasshoppers Zurich in the first leg of Europa League play-offs. If Steaua wins this game, they will accumulate 13 points, enough to get them on the top of the table among their rivals Dinamo Bucuresti.

The match against Grasshoppers was not a walk in the park as many supporters thought before the game, despite creating many goal opportunities, Steaua showed their weakness in defense, especially in the central area where they have two slow defenders that can deal with long balls but can easily be put in difficulty when the ball is played on the ground.

Attacking players Bogdan Stancu and Cristian Tanase are in good shape, but Steaua will be without their top-scorer in the previous season, Greek international Pantelis Kapetanos who suffered an injury against the Swiss. He will miss for at least three weeks, this being a major loss to Steaua who does not have a player with the same profile to replace him. Another absence is captain, Banel Nicolita who will be replaced by newcomer Radut.

Head to head

10.05.2010 Liga 1 Etapa 32 FC Vaslui 2 - 1 Steaua
30.07.2008 Liga 1 Etapa 1 FC Vaslui 1 - 0 Steaua
30.03.2008 Liga I Etapa 26 FC Vaslui 0 - 1 Steaua
04.03.2007 Liga I Etapa 21 FC Vaslui 1 - 0 Steaua
07.06.2006 Liga 1 Etapa 30 FC Vaslui 0 - 4 Steaua

The Betting Verdict :

Despite of their far from exceptional form, Vaslui are one of the strongest teams from Liga 1 when playing at home and I find it very unlikely to lose this game. The difference between a draw or a win could be made by Wesley Lopez, their top-scorer from last season and playmaker Lucian Sanmartean who can deliver great passes from time to time.

Steaua’s defense will be overtaken at least once, they cannot hope for keeping a clean sheet when having mediocre central defenders like Geraldo Alves and Abrudan.

It will be interesting to see how Steaua will manage in front, with the injury of Kapetanos they don’t have a natural striker, both offensive players, Stancu and Surdu gave better performance when are used as a 2nd striker.

I would recommend taking Vaslui for a home win but the ones who feel safer taking a precaution, they can find Vaslui DNB at 1.85 at Pinnacle.

The Pick :

SC Vaslui 2-1 Steaua Bucuresti

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Take Vaslui to win at 2.68 Pinnacle
Confidence: 6/10