Romanian League
2012-08-18 - Petrolul Ploiesti vs Rapid Bucuresti
A Sports Betting Pick by ROzsolt
Football : Romania : Liga 1
Venue: "Ilie Oana", Ploiesti
Saturday 18th July – Kickoff time: 21:30 GMT+2
Petrolul Ploiesti
Petrolul started this season as one of the favorites for a top position and they made a perfect start by trashing Ceahlaul on their first home game (5-0), but they can’t seem able to keep up the rhythm.
Mircea Rednic’s squad suffered a severe defeat on their upcoming game against Vaslui (3-0), but proved their home strength when beating former champions Otelul Galati at home (2-1).
It seems that Petrolul is struggling on the road, they only picked up a point against newly promoted CSMS Iasi, a team that lost all their games until then.
Despite having problems in the defense, Petrolul decided to let central defender Lukas Szukala to Steaua, but they are working on replacing him.
Rapid Bucuresti
Rapid had 10 days to prepare this match since their derby against Dinamo was postponed because of Dinamo’s friendly game against Barcelona.
It was a welcomed break since they accused the fast rhythm of games every three days, which is unusual since the championship just began.
They won’t have to worry about playing too often anymore, since they’ve been eliminated by Heerenveen from the Europa League.
After two draws Rapid recorded their first win against newly promoted CSMS Iasi, but only by one goal difference. It looks like it will be another season without a trophy for Rapid, the cup may be their best chance.
The Betting Verdict
I don’t think there will be many teams leaving Ploiesti undefeated this season, but I hoped the odds for a home win would be higher, after all they are playing against Rapid. Even though they are not at their best, Rapid still remains a quality team that could win on any ground in Romania.
Petrolul has some problems in the defense and that worries me, they’ve already conceded six goals in four games, but luckily for them they have excellent offensive players that could always outscore opponents.
Rapid is a solid team, but they couldn’t find the right strikers yet, they’ve signed Ilijoski from Brasov, but he is yet to confirm at his new team. Rapid has two offensive midfielders (Teixeira and Herea) that could always cause damage in any defense.
I think both teams have the quality to cause damage in each others defenses that is why I think the best option for this match would be to take both teams to score. I expect Petrolul to edge this, but I don’t like this odds, I think the game will be more balanced and it could easily end in a draw.
Only Paddy has odds for both teams to score and they are a bit short, so I suggest waiting for other bookies to upload prices for this bet.
The Pick :
Petrolul Ploiesti 2-1 Rapid Bucuresti
BEST BETTING TIP :
Take Both teams to score at 1.73 at PaddyPowerConfidence: 7/10
