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Re: Intertoto - 16th July
CFR Ecomax Cluj vs St Etienne
Well , Romania's CFR Cluj certainly showed what happens when bigger clubs fail to take this competition seriously with their 'penalties' victory over Atletico Bilbao.
To be honest, there are always going to be 'upsets' in this Cup competition due to the timing of it: some clubs have yet to start proper training, while others are in mid season...so the disadvantages are there for all to see.
Cluj have shown good goalscoring prowess in the 1st round against Lithuania's Vetras, and then disposed of Spain's Bilbao in a more defensive manner: at least we know they have the ability to switch styles of play when necessary.
Results for Cfr Cluj:
Bilbao vs CFR Cluj 1:0
CFR Cluj vs Bilbao 1:0
Vetras vs CFR Cluj 1:4
CFR Cluj vs Vetras 3:2
The club has had a much needed injection from the arrival, as coach ,of (ex-Romanian national squad) 'hero' Dorinel Munteanu .
He seems to have made an impact in their performaces, and from what I have gathered from press reports he is being backed by an owner who wants success and is prepared to pay for it.
I don't know much about Cluj other than the games they have played so far , but they appear to be a better side than many, including myself, originally gave then credit for.
Home advantage, plus fitter players, plus match practice and also positive momentum from the last 4 matches , all add up to a tough team to beat.
St Etienne are decent Championnat side( top 6 last season after promotion from the 1st Division) with experience at the highest levels.
I follow the French leagues quite closely and they are by far the superior side in this encounter on all levels.
The fact that they didn't impress that much against last round's opponents Xamax ( Swiss club) , isn't that big a cause for concern.
French sides are very low scoring in nature, so I fancy this to be the case here as well.
Traditionally they are very good in the defensive plays, with a counter attacking component as their option for going forward.
Very patient as a team ,and also with a manager who is astute enough NOT to take this side for granted, I think we will see an UNDER match play out tonight.
If they take a draw from here I'm sure that will be enough, as I can't see Cluj winning back on french soil: St Etienne's home ground (Stade Geoffroy-Guichard) is something of a fortress even to Championnat-class clubs, so the Romanian's will find their limitations at that point.
With the French season kicking off in 2 weeks, I'm certain that these Intertoto games are going to be used as excellent prep for the opening match vs Ajaccio at St Etienne's Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, but as I have mentioned already, they won't be taking this Cluj for granted.
Tight game, few chances is a high possibilty.
If Cluj start slowly I expect St Etienne to score in the first 15 mins and then push for a second until the first half, after that it will be more of a holding game and frustrate their opponents.
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Intertoto - 16th July
TOTW/F/M Award(s): 1
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cheers Eddy. Its Malajusted Drive i stay btw.
