Otelul Galati vs CS Mioveni
Football: Romanian Liga 1
Venue: "Otelul", Galati
Friday 23th September - Kickoff time: 21:30 GMT+2

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Otelul Galati (10th W-3 D-1 L-3)

Otelul was struck by the news that president Marius Stan stepped down and his duties were reassigned to the board of directors. Coach Dorinel Munteanu (who was brought to Otelul by Marius Stan) said that it is possible that he will leave as well. Stan is the man who made things happen, he is the man behind Otelul’s recent success, so we might see some repercussions on long term.

This is Otelul last match before the Champions League game against Benfica Lisbon, a game that will be played on the brand new National Arena. Coach Dorinel Munteanu will have a hard job motivating his team for this match against one of the weakest sides from the league, but a team that showed some signs of improvement recently.

Otelul held an impressive record at home in the previous season, not losing any of their 17 games played at home, winning 12 of them. However, this season Otelul already suffered a home defeat, more like a humiliation, losing 0-4 to CFR Cluj.

Romanian champions have qualified for the round of 16 of the Romanian Cup, eliminating Oltchim Ramnicu Valcea from Liga 2. Their previous league game also ended with a success, collecting all three points from the travel to Sibiu.

CS Mioveni (16th W-2 D-0 L-5)

Mioveni had some disastrous figures in the beginning of the championship, losing four games without scoring a goal, which was an obvious sign that they will not survive more than a season in the first league.

However, Mioveni showed some signs of improvement lately, winning their previous two home games in which they’ve scored 6 goals against Gaz Metan Medias and Sportul Studentesc. These results allowed them to leave the bottom of the table, they are now 16th, but they still have the worst defense from the league and they are the only team not to collect a point from away games.

There is no stability whatsoever on Mioveni’s bench, believe it or not, Mihai Stoichita is their third coach this season and we are only at the 8th stage.

The betting verdict

Mioveni lost all their away games only scoring one goal in the defeat against Pandurii Tg Jiu (5-1) and conceded 11. Otelul on the other hand with relatively the same squad only conceded 12 goals in 17 games last season, not losing any of them. These are facts that cannot be overlooked, so I expect Otelul to get back on track and secure a victory against one of the weakest teams from the league.

I can’t see Mioveni getting away with a draw, they don’t have the defensive discipline required to hold back Otelul Galati and it’s obvious that they have problems scoring goals when playing away from home. The -1 AH should be a solid pick, but I will go with Otelul to win to nil at prices above evens.

The Pick :

Otelul Galati 2-0 CS Mioveni

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Take Otelul to win to nil at 2.05 Bet365
Confidence: 6/10