[World Cup Europe Qualification > Tuesday October 15th]

Re: World Cup Europe Qualification > Tuesday October 15th

I don't think Netherlands cares a lot about the world cup draw,wether they are first seeded or second.They can be handed a tough or an easy group by chance,it's not their priority at the moment.of course,if they do win it at instanbul,that will be a bonus to their impressive campaign.Normally,I would see turkey winning this game,because of the extra motivation,their stakes are greater than those of the dutch,they play at home,but turkey is not a big team and I am not convinced they play very well under this much pressure.I remember they lost to latvia and to croatia in past play-off matches.Also ,their big clubs tend to struggle in decisive matches in European competitions.Their only advantage is that it all depends on them,because I don't think Romania is able to score 5 or 6 goals to Estonia. They have a so-called hell in the stands,but if they don't manage to score,as the time passes,the atmosphere will work against them,not to forget they're playing against one of the best counter attacking teams in the world,even if Netherlands will play with reserves. So I will take x2 Netherlands ( 1.55 ) on an accumulator with Romania HT/FT 1/1 ( 1.50 ).

bet won.hope we don;t get portugal in the play-off

[World Cup Europe Qualification > Tuesday October 15th]

Re: World Cup Europe Qualification > Tuesday October 15th I don't think Netherlands cares a lot about the world cup draw,wether they are first seeded or second.They can be handed a tough or an easy group by chance,it's not their priority at the moment.of course,if they do win it at instanbul,that will be a bonus to their impressive campaign.Normally,I would see turkey winning this game,because of the extra motivation,their stakes are greater than those of the dutch,they play at home,but turkey is not a big team and I am not convinced they play very well under this much pressure.I remember they lost to latvia and to croatia in past play-off matches.Also ,their big clubs tend to struggle in decisive matches in European competitions.Their only advantage is that it all depends on them,because I don't think Romania is able to score 5 or 6 goals to Estonia. They have a so-called hell in the stands,but if they don't manage to score,as the time passes,the atmosphere will work against them,not to forget they're playing against one of the best counter attacking teams in the world,even if Netherlands will play with reserves. So I will take x2 Netherlands ( 1.55 ) on an accumulator with Romania HT/FT 1/1 ( 1.50 ).

[WC > Europe Qualifiers > March 26]

Re: WC > Europe Qualifiers > March 26 Netherlands vs Romania . Home win (-1.5) @ bet365 at 2.1 odds (not betting against our team,just suggesting) The Dutch have maximum points after 5 games and 5 points ahead of Hungary and ROmania,who both have 10 points.In the last game between them, Netherlands won 4-1 at Bucharest. Again,as everybody here expected,Piturca will try to defend and get a draw that seems nearly impossible to achieve.We're not that good on the back,having received 6 goals in 3 matches( I consider the matches against Andorra and Estonia as irrelevant ) and in the last game against Hungary,the defence was very very poor,except from Chiriches who played well. Bogdan Stancu,who everyone considers him to be the worst player against Hungary,having missed all the oportunities he had,even with the empty net.will be replaced by Chipciu .Torje and Grozav will also not start tonight and they'll be replaced by Tanase and A.Popa.This doesn;t give us many hopes for tonight,as I believe Torje and Grozav have more speed and quality than their replacements and also they could support more Adrian Mutu. In the defence,Tamas and Goian will make room for Luchin and Gardos.So,there are at least 7 players from Steaua,3 of them ( Chiriches and Chipciu and the goalkeeper) seem to really deserve their status,the rest are mediocre. Netherlands are not in their best shape right now,but I believe they have the quality to win tonight;only if they don't want to force too much,a red card or a penalty for us will give Romania a chance for a draw.Normally,the Dutch will begin slowly but as the time passes they will have to gear up and create chances and I don't think we will be able to cope with the pressure.If we don't manage to keep a clean sheet for at least 60 mins,we will be forced to attack and the dutch counters will overwhelm us. Line-ups : Netherlands:Vermeer - Janmaat, De Vrij, Martins Indi, Blind - Strootman, Van der Vaart, De Guzman - Robben, Van Persie, Lens Romania:Tătăruşanu - Luchin, Chiricheş, Gardoş, Raţ - Pintilii, Bourceanu - Torje (Ad. Popa), Chipciu, Tănase (Maxim) - B. Stancu Turkey vs Hungary. Home win 1.75 @ bet365 Turkey desperately needs a win here as they are 4 points behind Hungary and Romania.The lost against all 3 teams above them and they really struggle from some time now.The press from Turkey is all against the coach and they heavily criticise the way Turkey plays right now.So,the atmposhpere is intense around the team but they have to rally the troops and get a win against a Hungary team that seems to have lost some power from the begining of the campaing. As I saw in the Friday match,Hungary didn't pose any real threat to Romanian defence,except from the free-kick and the penalty from which they scored 2 goals.Their best player is Dzsudzsak,a classy player,but if Turkey manage to somehow slow him down,they can concentrate on the ofensive more.Another important thing that I realise in the match against Romania is the Hungarian defence which was extremely weak,it made at least 4 big mistakes from which we should have scored,also our late goal came after the central defenders practically offered us the ball insinde the penalty area.If that was not arranged or something,or the defence just had a terrible night that won't repeate tonight, than I think Turkey will win. B.Yilmaz, who play for the CL quarter finalist Galatasaray, is Turkey's best player at the moment,he's in great form and he'll be looking to score tonight and keep his nation's world cup hopes alive.Sahin and Arda are also extremely good players with great talent,capable of creating oportunities and the'll surely put a lot o f pressure on Hungary's shaky defence.

[WC > Europe Qualification > 22 - 23 March]

Re: WC > Europe Qualification > 22 - 23 March Hungary vs Romania This is more than just a football match for both countries,something simillar to Croatia-Serbia.The rivalry between this 2 countries is immense,it has been going on for at least a millennium and in the last few years it has greatly intensified ,especially because of the Hungarian community in Romania who demmands authonomy. As you can see,this is a very important game for both countries because victory in a game like this will be a big reason for pride and the players will do their best to win it. But enough of geopolitics and stuff. Hungary and Romania have 9 points each and almost similar results(they both lost to Holland 1-4 at home and beat Turkey,Estonia and Andorra) and they battle for a place in the play-offs ,as it is nearly impossible that Holland will not win this group.Hungary has improved in the last few campaigns and it has some very talented players like Dzsudzsak,Hajnal,Szalai,Kadar or Koman;the most experienced player,Z.Gera from West Brom,is missing due to an injury.The hungarian coach said that this will be a vital game for both countries and the pressure will be high on each side,but the most important thing is not to loose.The atmosphere will not be of any kind in the stands beacause Hungary has the home ground susspended,so it will be like a friendly game with high stakes. Romania will play with 4 players from Steaua ( the 2 DM,the goalkeeper and a CD,someone asked this in previous threads I believe).Mutu,Torje and R.Stefan,probably the best Romania has right now, will also start.Piturca choose to play defensively ,as it has done numerous times and we can see that 9/16 players ( except the keepers) are CBs or DMs.The threat can come from Mutu,if he's helped from behind, Grozav or Torje. I believe this will be a low scoring game in which both teams' objective is not to loose.Neither team will force the victory if it's not behind,despite the national pride that comes with it. In the last 15 years,Hungary and Romania played 6 games ( 2 friendlies),5 Romanian wins and a draw. I will play: under 2.5 @ 1.65 (bet365 ) x2 @ 1.45 HT/FT x/x @ 4.75 GL!

[Southampton v Liverpool > Sat 16th March]

Re: Southampton v Liverpool > Sat 16th March I'm taking the over 2.5 @ 1.67 (williamhill.com). These are not great odds but it seems pretty simple to me.Both teams have a good offensive potential and both have problems in the defense. Southampton is 4 points above the relegation zone,Liverpool wants European competition next year ,so it's a must win for both.Liverpool's away games produced over 2.5 goals in 11 out of 14 matches,the second in the league after Spurs. Suarez is the top goalscorer and he's on fire.Sturridge has rediscovered himself at Liverpool and enjoys playing for them,as of Coutinho,it seems he has been given the role of a playmaker and he's doing a really good job,he has a great technique ability and vision. Southampton hasn't really changed their style of play after Pochettino took charge of the club,they play a fluent and attractive football that can always produce goals.Let's not forget that Southampton played well against "big teams" : victory against city,2-2 at Stamford bridge,1-1 against arsenal and 3 hard fought losses against United and Spurs. I believe we'll see at least 3 goals in this one,probably a Liverpool win.

[Steaua v Chelsea > Thursday 7th March]

Re: Steaua v Chelsea > Thursday 7th March Congrats to those who layed Chelsea.It's unbelievable how a team like Chelsea didn't manage to pose any real threats in 90 minutes.I admit it blew out in my face,but sometimes football is illogical.Chelsea played like a Championship side.

[Steaua v Chelsea > Thursday 7th March]

Re: Steaua v Chelsea > Thursday 7th March

Elboko, why do we compare Steaua to Ajax? I agree you could be right with this bet because the players' quality is obviously in favor of Chelsea. But Ajax aren't a mediocre team. In fact, they are the champions of the Netherlands and this year even with a huge focus also on Europe in comparison with PSV, they manage to fight for the Eredivisie trophy. Ajax is the side which scored 5 goals against the en-titre champion of England, Manchester City, in Champions League. The motivation there is huge. In Amsterdam the 0-2 wasn't fair and Steaua came after 66 days of break. The 1-5 versus Stuttgart is a lie, after a 2-2 in first match. I hope you realise Steaua is a club with 14-0 home except the accident against the Germans, this team defeated Ajax, Copenhagen, Molde, CFR Cluj, Dinamo, Rapid and others. Oh, and how can you say Ajax was on trip in Bucharest when the Europa League final takes place in Amsterdam this year?

I only said that they were on a trip because they were playing like they were already qualified and it's not a professional attitude.as of a mediocre team,Ajax is far from the team we used to know,they didn't catch a CL knok-out phase since 2006 I guess. I know they're the best team in Holland,I like they're style of play,I'm a fan of dutch football and their approach to the game but the result was a disaster to them. You've listed a number of teams that were defeated by Steaua this season.I totally agree,they're the best team in the country but they haven't faced a real threat yet.you can't compare a match against Rapip or Dinamo with a match in Europa League play-off.I still believe the victory against Ajax was a great performance but it was something that will not repeat. What do you mean by the result against Stuttgart is a lie? Stuttgart was in poor shape at the beggining of the campaing so they drew 2-2 at home.I think the scoreboard speaks for itself,5-1 for the germans and no need for comments,they simply outclassed Steaua. The enthusiasm around this kind of matches for Romanian clubs,or national team it's something special,i agree,the city is filled up with fans,everybody everywhere talks about it etc .but it's dangerous if you want to bet.It's best to not bet on this one if you're a fan.

[Steaua v Chelsea > Thursday 7th March]

Re: Steaua v Chelsea > Thursday 7th March Nikolic -the strongest? How?.. anyways,it's your opinion,but I believe that apart from Rusescu ,Steaua deosn't have any decent attacking player.Their advantage relies on the teamwork,the high motivation,experience in EL/CL games and the atmosphere created by the fans,which Chelsea can cope with very well.Ajax did a terrible mistake by underestimating them and came to Bucharest as if they were on a summer tour. They waited for the final whistle and never imagined that Steaua can score 2 goals.The minute they realised they risk going to penalty shootout,Ajax easily created some good opportunities ,but it was too late.With a mediocre and unexperienced team,Ajax was 2 classes above Steaua and it's only De Boer's fault for loosing so be careful not to judge Steau's powers just by a single game.They don't tend to repeat this kind of performances twice a year. AS of Chelsea,we all know the quality of their players and if they take it seriously I believe they won't have any problems qualifying for the next round.Benitez will be out in june,so he has nothing to loose.The PL can not be won at this point and sunday the face Man U for a place in the FA CUp semifinals.The season can be saved with an european success,so Chelsea will try to win this tonight for an easy home game. The price on Chelsea looks very tempting (2.00) on bet365 but I believe it's a relatively correct one,because Steaua showed good strength in Europe this season,they're not the same team that was affraid of the reputation of their oppontent from past years and Chelsea is not playing like the CL winners, as they should be. I will take the away win on this one because I can't see Steaua making another exceptional game,they simply lack the skill.Steaua has a weaker team than it had a few years ago,they just have a different attitude and let us not forget,the last team that played against Steaua in Bucharest this season and had a relative serious coach and just enough quality to breakthrough Steaua's defense,was VFB Stuttgart and they won 5-1! P.S.:I am not a fan of any Romanian club team so it's an objective view.

[Stoke City v Chelsea > Sat 12th January]

Re: Stoke City v Chelsea > Sat 12th January I will go for Chelsea in this one even though they will most surely struggle as any team that plays on Britannia Stadium.The main reason I like Chelsea is simply because Stoke doesn't look as a big threat for Chelsea's defense,they scored 14 goals in 10 matches at home but 9 of them were in the last 4 matches against Southampton,Liverpool,Everton and Newcastle,apart from Everton,they were all in the bottom half of the table.Chelsea has the best defense in the league and it's also the 2nd best team away. Hazard,Mata and propbably Oscar will start behind the striker.They're all capable of creating chances,they possess a great technique and this will bring trouble to that Stoke rigid defense. I also read that Demba Ba will start which is a plus for Chelsea.He is a great striker,in good form and he's willing to prove that he deserves the spot in front of Torres.Benitez has a lot of experience and will know exactly what to say to the players after the disastrous result at home against Swansea.They'll bounce back. The offensive potential of Chelsea will put an end to Stoke's unbeaten run at home. Chelsea @ 1.95 bet365

[Chelsea v Queens Park Rangers > Wed 2nd January]

Re: Chelsea v Queens Park Rangers > Wed 2nd January

I will take the +3 QPR @ 1.44 Ladbrokes doubled with over 0.5 1st half at Newcastle-Everton at 1.36 odds.

That's a winner.wasn't expecting a qpr win though

[Chelsea v Queens Park Rangers > Wed 2nd January]

Re: Chelsea v Queens Park Rangers > Wed 2nd January After they lost to Corinthians,Chelsea recovered and are now on a winning streak that I definitely think it won't stop tonight,especially against the worst team in the league.With only 10 points,QPR needs a miracle to play in the PL next year and I personally don't see that happening. The facts that need to be taken into consideration here are that Chelsea has only won by 3 or more in PL against Norwich in october(4-1),and against Villa ( 8 -0);QPR got nothing to lose and I don;t think Redknapp will "chose" matches to play,they need points and fast;also ,Chelsea will settle for a small win and why not QPR to score a goal at least,they scored more than West Ham and Stoke in away games and with Czech missing,Taarabt can come up with something I'm sure;QPR received 3 goals in away matches at United(1-3),City (1-3) and WBA(2-3). I believe Chelsea will somehow struggle in offense if Benitez will make changes and HR motivates his team to just "run" and "concentrate" more;after all they're not bad players individually but they need to start playing as a team. As someone said ,this is EPL,anyone cand beat anyone . I will take the +3 QPR @ 1.44 Ladbrokes doubled with over 0.5 1st half at Newcastle-Everton at 1.36 odds.

[La Liga > 7th December - 10th December]

Re: La Liga > 7th December - 10th December I've just read on marca.com that Negredo will return in the first XI. So it looks like Sevilla have some good power in offense with Reyes,Baba,Navas and Negredo.Also,Rakitic will start . Espanyol has only one win at home and will definitely look to get 3 points here in front of their loyal and passionate fans, against a rather mediocre away team.Sevilla's defense is a bit shaky,having received at least 2 goals in their last 7 out of 9 games in La Liga.Sure,Espanyol doesn't show anything special upfront but they have some potential and I believe they'll manage to play a good game tonight. I like the over 2.5 @ 2.00 WH

[WC > European Qualifiers - October 16th]

Re: WC > European Qualifiers - October 16th Awful defense by Romania.. as I said,many players needn't be called up - all the goals came from terrible mistakes by the keeper and the defenders.Also we saw that Holland isn't that great in the back,an exploitable defense as we had many opportunities to score especially in the 1st half,we should have pressed more.In the second half we abused the long passes with no result and 2 shocking substitutions (a DM came in for another DM and a Torje made room for a mediocre Steaua player who didn't have any impact at all) "killed" any hope for us.The refs were very poor, took many wrong decisions but I avoid criticizing them because it has nothing to do with the final result. Backing Romania and draw tonight was not a good bet,obviously, but I believe the difference of goals was too high and if it hadn't been for those early big mistakes in the defense we would have got more from this one because it's not often that you meet a Holland team not beeing in a very good form.

[WC > European Qualifiers - October 16th]

Re: WC > European Qualifiers - October 16th

I think that we have changed some generations since the last qualification of a World Cup and I do not think this is the worst, but the most promising. Except for Mutu, the generation of him and of Marica were the poorest. I feel these lads having good results in Romania and in Europe with Steaua and CFR, I feel some others, not top class like Mutu, but average like Bogdan Stancu working well and doing well on their clubs. This is important! I grown up with the Golden Generation of Hagi and in every match at home was a question of how many will score when playing in Romania, so it is hard to see a weaker Romania side, but I tell you all, these guys have been ambitious and shown will to do! Expect them to not lose, but they are not one of the weakest generation - I remember all the generations of Romania since 1985!

Okay I might have exagerated a little bit , I couldn't watch all the generations form the past 40 years because I wasn't born then, but I do believe it's the worst generation since the 90s and I am surprised to see we have a perfect start so far. I say this because there are many players that shoudn't play for the national team .They're just too bad.The problem is that the area of selection has also worsened in the past decade (our best player plays for Ajaccio and our best youngster plays for Granada),there are 8-9 players only from Steaua Bucharest but that's just the coach's preference,he always calls most of the players from that club even though they are not the best on their positions.( I am not a fan of any Romanian club,I have nothing against Steaua or other ) Also you have to admit the level of our players has decreased drastically.I admit,we have 3-4 very promising players like Grozav,Maxim,Torje,Stancu and others that are not called right now but they need to confirm on a higher level and they need matches like this one to proove themselvs. Thus being said, I believe that's why football is such a beautiful game-not always the best team wins so we expect Romania to finally qualify for a world cup even though we failed to do so with better generation of players.

[WC > European Qualifiers - October 16th]

Re: WC > European Qualifiers - October 16th From a Romanian's point of view here's how I see it: Romania has one of the poorest generation of players in the last 40 years maybe.The coach,Piturca,only knows how to organize the defense and lets the attacking part to players like Mutu or Marica.The lack of creativity in the midfield can be seen in all the matches we've played so far against decent or tough opponents and also the counter-attacking is terrible- we should have scored 3 more goals in Istanbul but the finishing was very poor.I believe we got lucky to get the 3 points on Friday only becauseTurkey played worse than us. The curious thing is we managed to get a perfect 9 so far and the atmosphere around the team,the motivation are at their peak.Also the stadium will be full and the expectations are high. I think Holland is not playing at its best capacity and after the disaster at Euro they seem to rely more on individuals like v.Persie more than on teamwork. I agree that they are more technically superior and more tactically disciplined than us but their defense isn't that great and if we manage to maintain possession we will sure put pressure on Holland and eventually score,after all Romania has a couple of attacking players that can always distrupt the defenses.Also don't forget,as Simeon B said, Bucharest is a tough place to win and even if the coach will try to get a 0-0,the players will definitely try not to disappoint the fans who won't play (of course) but they can sure drive the team forwards. My bet has to be Romania not to loose this one - Romania or draw 2.00- bet365