TFT Issue 332!
FreeHowdy guys and girls!
Featured game
Gaz Metan Medias vs CFR Cluj – away win at 10/11.
Today’s featured game is the Romanian Liga encounter between Gaz Metan Medias and CFR Cluj. Atypically, I would never bet against Gaz Metan at home but times have changed over the transfer window, enough so for me to be very interested in Cluj here.
Gaz Metan have had a nightmare season, if we’re honest. They got into Europe and they only caused mayhem in their team with star Eric de Oliveira ending going AWOL and eventually leaving the club. He was the only terrific player that they had and he did everything for them – score goals, make goals, take set pieces etc. They still miss him even now!
Still, that was some time ago. Since then, Gaz Metan decided it would be prudent to sell all of their defence, basically. They weren’t great at defending to begin with but now it just looks a complete joke. How they hope to hold things together without Parvulescu at the heart of their backline is beyond me. This Gaz Metan side is a mere shell of the side that they once were with only Bawab possessing any attacking threat and he’s a big doubt for today’s game anyway! Gaz Metan are never easy at home but realistically speaking, this is as easy as it gets to face them.
Visitors Cluj weren’t great in their opening game of 2012 but they still won it 1-0. In typical Cluj fashion, they bore you to sleep but they do manage to make it count, ultimately.
Yeah, they’re missing number one goalkeeper Beto and midfield regular Muresan here but this side has plenty of depth so I’m not too concerned. After all, it’s not like Cluj are facing Dinamo Bucharest or Rapid Bucharest so they should be able to control the game as they see fit. Greek striker Kapetanos is still one of the most natural finishers in Romania and he can win any game he chooses. Sougou is a powerful threat alongside him and there’s plenty of offensive support from Bastos and especially Peralta.
Although never easy on the eye, Cluj are a ruthlessly efficient side and they have both the firepower and the experience to make it count here. For me, the away win at 10/11 is well worth a bet here, even on a dubious friday!
Verdict: CFR Cluj to win at 10/11.
Team news
Australian A-League:
Newcastle Jets – Culina and Zadkovich are absent. Wheelhouse returns.
Gold Coast United – Beekmans, Moss, Broadfoot, MacAllister, and Porter are absent. Rozic, Brown, and Halloran are doubts. Rees has left.
Bulgarian A PFG:
Beroe – Andonov is a doubt. Akalsi and Hristrov may debutise.
Lokomotiv Sofia – Mladenov and Ivanov are absent.
Czech Republic Gambrinus Liga:
Viktoria Zizkov – Cermak, Kalod, and Folwarczny are absent.
Sparta Prague – Kadlec is absent.
German Bundesliga:
VfB Stuttgart – Gebhart, Celozzi, Delpierre, Bah, and Traore are absent.
Kaiserslautern – Burgera and Kouemaha are absent.
Hungarian Soproni Liga:
Gyori ETO FC – Attila, Djordjevic are absent. New boss – Pinter Attila.
Siofok – Nyari Tamas is absent.
Irish Premier League:
Cork City – Mulcahy, Murray, and Horgan are absent. Healy, Purcell, and O’Neill are big doubts. Horgan may return.
Drogheda United – Crowley and Foley are absent. O’Brien and Sean Brennan are doubts.
Shamrock Rovers – Kilduff, McCormack, and Winn are absent.
Monaghan United – Bayly, Collins, Maher, and O’Connor are absent.
Bohemians – Martin, Ward, Scully, Traynor, McMahon are absent. Mulcahy is a doubt.
Shelbourne – Paisley and Clancy are absent.
Dundalk – Shields, Griffin, and Osbourne are absent. Rafter, Murphy, Walsh are doubts.
St.Patrick’s Athletic – Kelly and Fagan are absent. Price is a big doubt. Bolger returns.
Bray Wanderers – Webster, O’Connor, Doyle, and Brennan are absent. Mitchell is a doubt. Knight returns.
Derry City – Deery and McGroary are absent. Morrison and Patterson return.
Italian Serie A:
Chievo Verona – Gulan is absent. Sandro and Morero are doubts.
Internazionale – Guarin, Ranocchia, and Castaignos are absent.
SSC Napoli – Grava, Britos, Donadel, and Dzemaili are absent.
Cagliari – El-Kabir, Rui Sampaio, and Eriksson are absent. Pinilla is a doubt.
Dutch Eredivisie:
Roda JC Kerkrade – Wielaert and Pluim are absent.
VVV Venlo – Molhoek is absent.
Polish Ekstraklasa:
LKS Lodz – Smolinski, Adamski, and Szczot are absent. Velimirovic is a doubt.
Cracovia Krakow – Visnakovs is absent. New boss Kafarski’s first game in charge.
Wisla Krakow – Genkov, Sobolewski, and Boguski are absent. Melikson is a doubt. New boss Probierz.
Lech Poznan – Wojtkowiak is a doubt. Kotorowski and Murawski return. New boss Rumak.
Portuguese Liga Sagres:
Maritimo Funchal – Olberdam and Roberge are absent. Fidelid, Ferreira, and Pecanha return.
Feirense – Rabiola, Henrique, Fontes, and Rosado are absent. Luciano and Adrson return.
Romanian Liga:
Gaz Metan Medias – Bawab and Vitinho are doubts.
CFR Cluj – Beto and Gabi Muresan are absent.
Vaslui – Balaur, Zmeu, and Cerniauskas are absent.
Concordia Chiajna – No absentees.
Russian Premier League:
CSKA Moscow – Akinfeev, Gonzalez, and Dzagoev are absent. Honda is a doubt. Cauna returns.
Dinamo Moscow – Dzsudszak returns.
Spanish Segunda Liga:
Celta de Vigo – Oubiria and Yoel are absent.
Numancia – Alvarez, Jaio, Nieto, Navarro, and Ripa are absent.
Turkish Super Lig:
Ankaragucu – No news. Crippling financial problems mean that this side only has youngsters left.
Fenerbahce – Erkin Caner, Alex, Serdar Kesimal, Cristian, Sezer Ozturk, and Bekir Irtegun are absent.