Astra Giurgiu vs Botosani
KO: (UK time)
Today’s match in Romania features two of the Ligat 1’s more adventurous teams, namely Astra Giurgiu and Botosani.
Astra are remarkably in-form at the moment, seeking a top six finish against all odds – and I wouldn’t bet against them managing it. They look confident, and have been playing well enough for some to consider them as the most in-form team in Romania right now. It’s hard to envision their form guide enduring with quite the same longevity as that of CFR Cluj of FCSB, for example, but they’re certainly giving it a very good shot at the moment.
It was weird to see how well boss Neagoe turned things around at this club when he arrived in November, immediately replacing losses with calm, measured displays. Alright, they drew more than they should have, not winning enough, and they had a bit of a dry spell earlier in 2021. In general though, this team has been seriously hard to beat under Neagoe, and now he’s turned draws into wins, I’m struggling to doubt this team. They’ve got good, experienced defenders, great sitting midfielders to protect them, and some natural flair players to call upon too, making the balance complete.
If I had one criticism of this team, it’s that their strikers don’t score enough. Montini is a very busy forward but without the necessary goals return, and Fatai is seldom fit or effective nowadays, hence big Krpic joining from Suwon Bluewings earlier in 2021. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Astra have won more games since he joined either. Neagoe identified a weakness, addressed it, and now his game-plans have panned out exactly as he wanted them to. I still think they need that bit more in attack as Gheorghe’s form won’t be this good again, and I doubt they can keep a class act like Wuthrich, but for now they’re good. I think they’ve got what it takes to beat Botosani today.
The Moldovans have really started to struggle of late, going four games without a win now, losing three of them, and only scoring against Sepsi along the way. Everybody at the club is now getting worried about a top six finish slipping through their grasp, and so they should be too. On paper, beating Voluntari and Viitorul Constanta (their last two remaining matches of the regular campaign) should be easy but both of those teams have really stepped things up a notch or two lately in their battle against the drop, and Botosani are not winning many battles right now. They would no doubt have preferred to face out-of-form UTA Arad, or a Politehnica Iasi side in utter disarray.
Instead, it’s Botosani that is the side in something of a disarray here. Sabau said the team were ‘soft’ in their do-or-die match against Sepsi, He remarked that they had to be sharper, and to press better, not dominate – but it never came to pass. There is something brewing at Botosani too, as tensions between boss Croitoru and the club’s owner have spilled over into the public domain recently. It doesn’t seem to me like Botosani can handle the pressure of big games right now – and this is a big game.
As long as the home team can shackle Keyta’s support options – which other Romanian teams have done really well lately – than Botosani should struggle again. They’ve got more technically gifted players than their hosts but they’ve also got lazier, more complacent players too, especially in Denmark’s Toutouh, who was known in the Superligaen for not tracking back. When the sun is shining, this is a good Botosani team – but the sun hasn’t been seen for a while in the Moldovan region of Romania, at least not for Botosani. Barring a miraculous change of heart from their under-pressure players, I can see them failing tonight.
For me, backing Astra with draw no bet at 9/10 makes sense.
Verdict: Astra Giurgiu to win with draw no bet at 9/10.