Romanian League
2012-09-29 - CFR Cluj vs Gloria Bistrita
A Sports Betting Pick by ROzsolt
Football : Romania : Liga 1
Venue: "Dr. Constantin Radulescu", Cluj-Napoca
Saturday 29th September – Kickoff time: 19:00 GMT+2
CFR Cluj (8th W3 D4 L2)
CFR lost their second match of the season last weekend in Targu Jiu against Pandurii and they are now 9 points behind Steaua Bucuresti which makes them outsiders in the title battle this season.
The team from Cluj won the title three times since 2008, but they’ve never been able to defend their title in the upcoming season and it seems like they won’t be able this year either.
In four home games CFR only managed to collect all points from the most difficult fixture against Vaslui (3-0), but they’ve inexplicably failed to beat teams like Gaz Metan, CSMS Iasi or Petrolul Ploiesti (all draws).
Coach Ioan Andone will be using his best players against Bistrita, this match is considered just as important as the upcoming one against Manchester United in the UCL.
Matias Aguirregaray is the player to watch, he had excellent performances since his arrival from Palermo this summer and he’s also been capped to Uruguay’s national team for the games against Argentina and Bolivia.
Gloria Bistrita (15th W1 D3 L5)
With only six points in nine games and a 6-14 goal balance, Gloria will be travelling to Cluj to face champions CFR without much confidence or hope.
The last time Bistrita won here was back in 2005, but a lot have changed since then. This season Gloria lost three of their four away games, conceding 7 goals in the process and only scoring twice.
Bistrita is a team with a lot of financial problems, they are always late with paying the wages and that can’t be good for the atmosphere within the squad.
Coach Nae Manea is trying to do his best with this squad, but the fact is that if they’ll manage to survive in Liga 1 for another season that could be considered a huge surprise.
The Betting Verdict
After their latest defeat on the road (3-1 against Rapid), coach Nae Manea declared that the result is not that bad, he expected a worse defeat given the substantial difference between the two sides.
I expect a solid performance from CFR, even if their recent home record may be worrying. Gloria Bistrita is the best opponent for them to face at this moment, they should record a comfortable win that will boost their confidence ahead of the Manchester game.
CFR can’t afford to lose any more points and despite taking anyone on handicap in Liga 1 is probable a losing tactic on the long run, I can’t see Bistrita capable of an upset here.
The Pick :
CFR Cluj 3-1 Gloria Bistrita
Gooner’s Statistical Value Bet
