Astra Ploiesti v Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt
Football: Romanian Liga 1
Venue: "Astra", Ploiesti
Friday 25th November - Kickoff time: 20:30 GMT+2

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Astra Ploiesti (7th W-6 D-5 L-3)

Astra obtained an important away win against Concordia Chaijna in the previous round, which allowed them to climb to the 7th place on the table, just above Steaua Bucuresti.

It can be said that Astra have been inconsistent when playing at home, despite only losing one game this season when playing in Ploiesti. That one loss came in the first match of the season against newly-promoted Vointa Sibiu.

Since then, Astra managed to beat better rated teams like Steaua Bucuresti (2-1) or Vaslui (1-0). However, they’ve lost points against at home against so called smaller teams like Sportul Studentesc (2-2) or rivals/newly promoted Petrolul Ploiesti (1-1).

Coach Tibor Selymes declared that his team is aiming a Europa League spot at the end of the season, but he’ll need to make 2-3 transfers in the winter break. A striker is much needed, despite their good position on the table, Astra only scored 17 goals in 14 games, which is not a great average.

Astra’s home form:

05.11.2011 Liga 1 Etapa 13 Astra Ploiesti 1 - 1 Petrolul Ploiesti
24.10.2011 Liga 1 Etapa 11 Astra Ploiesti 1 - 0 FC Vaslui
30.09.2011 Liga 1 Etapa 9 Astra Ploiesti 2 - 2 Sportul Studentesc
17.09.2011 Liga 1 Etapa 7 Astra Ploiesti 2 - 0 Gaz Metan Medias
27.08.2011 Liga 1 Etapa 5 Astra Ploiesti 0 - 0 U Cluj

Ceahlaul (10th W-5 D-4 L-5)

Ceahlaul can be considered a surprise this season, they are the best positioned newly promoted at this moment, being 10th in the league. The next newly promoted team on the table is Petrolul Ploiesti in the 13th position, with 6 points less.

The team from Piatra Neamt kept the headlines in the previous stage after pulling off a great result at home against Steaua Bucuresti. Daniel Stana’s superb second half finish earned the home side a prestigious victory and allowed them to build a difference between them and the danger zone.

Despite only scoring 13 goals which is an average of less than one goal per match, Ceahlaul is one of the best teams on the road, they already won 3 away games which is impressive for a newly promoted.

Ceahlaul’s away record is actually better than their home results, they’ve collected 11 points from their travels compared to only 8 from the home games.

Ceahlaul’s away form:

04.11.2011 Liga 1 Etapa 13 Dacia Mioveni 1 - 2 Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt
22.10.2011 Liga 1 Etapa 11 CFR Cluj 2 - 1 Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt
03.10.2011 Liga 1 Etapa 9 FC Brasov 1 - 1 Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt
24.09.2011 Liga 1 Etapa 8 U Cluj 1 - 0 Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt
12.09.2011 Liga 1 Etapa 6 Petrolul 0 - 1 Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt

The betting verdict

Astra has always been a solid home team, they don’t lose many home games thorough a season. They also draw a lot, in the previous season they have registered 15 draws in 34 games, which means that 44% of their games ended undecided. This season the percentage is 36%, still high.

My point is that 1.8 is not an attractive price for a home win, even though it’s the most likely result. Ceahlaul have been impressive on their travels and the victory against Steaua may have boosted their morale.

Ceahlaul scored in 6 of their 7 away matches and 5 of those ended with both teams scoring. The price for both teams to score at bet365 is 2.2, which is great value in my opinion.

The Pick :

Astra Ploiesti 2-1 Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Take Both teams to score at 2.2 Bet365
Confidence: 6/10