A preview of the football matches to be played by the Romanian teams in the European competitions
Four Romanian football teams are playing this week the first of the two-legged ties to qualify for the European competitions group stage
Florin Orban, 20.08.2013, 13:50
On Wednesday, as of 9.45 PM, Steaua will play on the National Arena in Bucharest against the Polish team Legia Warsaw, in the Champion League’s playoffs round. The Romanian team was first seeded in the drawing of lots for this stage of the competition and is considered favorite. Furthermore, Steaua’s 3-0 win against the 2012 champion, CFR Cluj, seems to have brought more optimism to the footballers coached by Laurenţiu Reghecampf.
The Romanian teams which hope to qualify for the group stage of the Europa League will play their first matches on Thursday. As of 7.30 PM, Astra Giurgiu will meet the team Macabi Haifa of Israel. The Romanian team is in good shape and is in the lead of the First League, with a maximum of 12 points. Furthermore, in the last leg of the championship, Astra won 3-1 in an away match played against another Europa League group stage hopeful, Pandurii Targu Jiu.
As regards Pandurii, the team will play as of 9 PM in Cluj, against the Portuguese side Sporting Braga. Although it stands the second chance to qualify, Pandurii hopes to make it to the group stage, thanks to their performance in the Europa League matches they have played so far.
The match between the Welsh team Swansea and Petrolul Ploiesti is due to start at 21.05 PM. The Britons stand the first chance and play on home soil. They have made it to the European competition after winning the English Football League Cup. They also ranked 9th in the last season of the Premier League. In its turn, Petrolul has already eliminated a prestigious Dutch team, Vitesse Arnhem, so a new surprise might just be around.
