Uefa Cup

[aircooled]

im going for a steau win tonite, backed with a draw.
dont think boro will get a result away especially after the basle game away where they lost.i think steau are too hungry for some european success and the atmosphere will be too much for a tired boro side missing key players. southgate is definitely not playing according to skysports.com preview. i thihk boro will b happy with a loss bcoz they will try and win the game at the riverside.
lets hope steua bring home the bacon to the station

[heniek31]

Originally Posted by PriorPhilip

Hmmmm, I have justbeing getting ready for work and remembered I had a dream last night . . .Steaua won 2-1! Steaua scored in the first half, then went 2-0 in the second in the second before 'Boro scored!

2-1 @ 9.00 2/10!

I might be very naive here, but I believe in dreams .
You dont hear about many of them, yet many were good in the past.
Im going to follow you on that one blindly, only because Im crazy (even in reality it looks like a very good bet).
So here are bets I have :

Steaua draw no bet @1.55 10/10
2-0 @10 2/10
2-1 @11 3/10

no goal @8 1/10
Steaua first goal @1.92 6/10

also 8 scorecasts 0.5pt each with 8 players of Steaua and 2-1

Im bad, but what the hell .

[Bazooka Joe]

Schalke - FC Sevilla

I think Schalke can win this one at home tonite, but the chances for a draw are IMO very good. Schalke's Bundesliga-form in the last 6 matches is 1W-3D-2L while Sevilla went in the Primera Division for 2W-3D-1L.
In Schalke's squad there was going on some trouble last week because coach Slomka was thinking of putting brasilian playmaker Lincoln to the bench along with forward Kuranyi.

Draw 3.3 @ betfair 5/10



Steaua - Boro

I do not know Steaua - so I simply have to believe you guys that they will make it!


GL everybody, today I smell some cash...

[SecondSight]

Betfred

Steaua Bucharest 10pts@5/4

Southgate and Riggott missing, are major blows for Boro.

However if they can get through this game undefeated with so many injuries and so many matches played their name is surely on the trophy.

I am not convinced its a goals under match, but will leave that bet.

[alexmac]

I was going to no bet this game...

But this thread has made me back Steaue!

5pts @ 11/10 (Blue Sq)

[Ebor337]

Originally Posted by heniek31

I might be very naive here, but I believe in dreams .
You dont hear about many of them, yet many were good in the past.
Im going to follow you on that one blindly, only because Im crazy (even in reality it looks like a very good bet).

Yikes! My crazy head can't deal with this sort of pressure!

Fingers crossed anyway!

**The 2-1 Scoreline is now avaliable with bet365 @ 11.00 as part of their happy hour promotion (available until the game starts)**

[Kotp]

Bucharest v Middlesboro :- Back Bucharest @ 2.25 Betfred

Middlesbrough striker Mark Viduka has a thigh strain and will miss the UEFA Cup semi-final first-leg clash with Steaua Bucharest in Romania.

Boro will also be without centre-back Chris Riggott, who is suspended after picking up a booking against Basle in the last round, his third in this season's competition.

Manager Steve McClaren will also miss Emanuel Pogatetz (facial fractures), Gaizka Mendieta (metatarsal) and Lee Cattermole (ankle), but striker Malcolm Christie is named in a European squad for the first time since September 2004 after his injury nightmare.

With the Key Players mentioned above missing from tonites game the Home side in my opinion have a huge advantage and I fully expect them to come away from this game with at least a goal lead.

[gatenby]

Gone for

CS 2-1 to steaua @ 8.00 = 1pt
Over 2.5 @ 2.25 = 1pt

Not sure about tonight, but have fancied 2-1 as the score. Dont really bet on my own team, but i thought id have a go.

Cumon boro!! I know we can get a decent result tonight!

[Ringabell]

Steaua

• 13 Fernandes
• 20 Ogararu
• 24 Ghionea
• 3 Goian
• 18 Marin
• 10 Dica
• 6 Radoi
• 11 Bostina
• 22 Paraschiv
• 16 Nicolita
• 7 Oprita

• Bench
  
• 12 Cernea
• 5 Balan
• 14 Cristocea
• 15 Nesu
• 17 Baciu
• 21 Cristea
• 28 Lovin

Middlesbrough

• 1 Schwarzer
• 21 Parnaby
• 4 Ehiogu
• 26 Bates
• 3 Queudrue
• 7 Boateng
• 10 Rochemback
• 19 Downing
• 25 Morrison
• 20 Ayegbeni
• 9 Hasselbaink

• Bench
  
• 22 Jones
• 11 Christie
• 15 Parlour
• 17 Doriva
• 18 Maccarone
• 31 Wheater
• 33 Andrew Taylor

Schalke

• 1 Rost
• 20 Krstajić
• 5 Bordon
• 6 Hamit Altıntop
• 18 Rafinha
• 2 Poulsen
• 3 Kobiashvili
• 8 Ernst
• 19 Varela
• 9 Larsen
• 14 Asamoah

• Bench
  
• 13 Heimeroth
• 7 Azaouagh
• 10 Lincoln
• 11 Ebbe Sand
• 16 Rodríguez
• 22 Kuranyi
• 25 Bajramović

Sevilla

• 1 Palop
• 2 Javi Navarro
• 3 David
• 4 Daniel
• 6 Escudé
• 18 Martí
• 25 Maresca
• 27 Puerta
• 15 Jesús Navas
• 7 Saviola
• 12 Kanouté

• Bench
  
• 13 Notario
• 10 Luis Fabiano
• 11 Renato
• 16 Adriano
• 17 Jesuli
• 20 Aitor Ocio
• 22 Fernando Sales

[Ringabell]

Steaua 1 .I didn`t know that game was stated. Steaua much better so far ? cheers

[archaeus]

Close game, Steaua scored on the single occasion they had, boro hit the bar once ( in fact Ogararu did ). 2 players from Steaua ( Nicolita and Paraschiv ) received yellow cards and will be suspended for 2nd leg.

[Ringabell]

Originally Posted by archaeus

Close game, Steaua scored on the single occasion they had, boro hit the bar once ( in fact Ogararu did ). 2 players from Steaua ( Nicolita and Paraschiv ) received yellow cards and will be suspended for 2nd leg.

Thanks mate

[archaeus]

Originally Posted by archaeus

Steaua Bucharest v Middlesbrough

This is a game Romania awaits for a long time. No Romanian team has reached the semifinal of an European Cup for 17 years, when Dinamo, in 1989, played vs Anderlecht in the semifinal of the Cup Winner's Cup. This is the 4th European Cup semifinal Steaua plays in it's history: in 1985-1986 Anderlecht - Steaua 1-0 & 0-3 ( that year Steaua won European Champions cup ); in 1987-1988 Steaua - Benfica 0-0 & 0-2; in 1988-1989 Steaua - Galatasaray 4-0 & 1-1 ( in the final they lost 4-0 vs AC Milan ). After 20 years since Steaua won European Champions Cup, they play again in the upper phases of an European Cup with big chances to reach the final. The game will be played at Lia Manoliu stadium, 50.000 ppl expected, tickets sold out couple days ago. Steaua has the best team in the last 15 years or so, no important player left the club in the last couple years, and this is the game of their lives for most of the players. Steaua has only 1 important player missing for this game, striker Iacob, with a broken collar bone, but he began to train and will be available for the 2nd leg of this game. Middlesbrough came to Bucharest without one of his crucial players, Mark Viduka, with a pulled hamstring in the last game they played in EPL vs Wets Ham. Also Mendieta, Pogatetz and Cattermole are unavailable for this game. I saw someone saying that Southgate is not fit for this game, but in today's newspapers he is in the 1st eleven. However IMO Viduka is a huge blow for them, i watched some of Boro's games lately and he is one of the very important players for them. Since coach Olaroiu took charge of the team, in UEFA Cup this season Steaua didn't score at home: 0-1 vs Heerenveen, 0-0 vs Betis, 0-0 vs Rapid. The defense is the strong point of Steaua and i think that today they will keep Boro away. Also i think they can nick a goal, although both players and the coach said that 0-0 will do for them.

Probable line ups

Steaua
Carlos
Ogararu Goian Ghionea Marin
Nicolita Radoi Paraschiv Bostina
Oprita Dica

Boro
Schwartzer
Parnaby Ehiogu Southgate Quedrue
Morrison Rochemback Boateng Downing
Hasselbaink Yakubu

Again, as in the last 3 games at home, my main bet will be unders, combined with a home win and a 0-0 cover.

Bet under 2.5 goals odds 1.61 @ Stan James 9/10
Bet Steaua odds 2.26 @ betfair 6/10
Bet CS 0-0 ( cover ) odds 8 @ betfair 1/10

gl with your picks

FT 1-0


Steaua should've been 2 or 3-0, 3 BIG occasions in the 2nd half, but they couldnt score. Boro didnt impress me, only Macarone with a nice shot. Steaua has the 1st chance to reach the final now, but it will be hard without Nicolita and Paraschiv.

[heniek31]

Steaua win is good enough .
Thanks Philip for an inspiration .

[aircooled]

STEAU WIN IS PERFECT

ANYONE WATCHING THE SCHALKE GAME???, HAV THEIR BEEN ANY CHANCES, IM HOPING FOR 2 GOALS.
ANY TEAM LOOKED DANGEROUS COMING FROWARD??

[aliando]

prices on middlesbro to win the cup now should be pretty good....

[archaeus]

u must be really optimistic aliando

[aliando]

admittedly i didnt see the game tonight but middlesbro decent on their own patch, 1-0 down is not the end of the world and steau have a long way to travel... the odds may be worth looking at and i may dabble with small stakes if the value looks good.

[adythom]

Sevilla did it again away from home!

0-0 FT

[Kotp]

I'm all over Boro to win the return leg of this match , I backed Steau to win tonite simply coz of all the Boro Injuries but i fully expect Boro to bounce back at home because i wasn't impressed by Steau what so ever, they were in fact lucky to win the game in my opinion and I can see Boro scoring at least twice in the return leg.

Steau had their chance to progress thru to the Final but 1-0 aint enough , not by a long way.