Showdown in Sofia!
It’s an early Christmas present for Berbatov & Co. as Romanian striker Adrian Mutu will not be making an appearance in the match against Bulgaria this Saturday. The Fiorentina forward suffered a head injury during a collision with a player from Udinese today and is believed to be unavailable. Coach Prandelli however is not taking any chances with his star player and has already informed the FRF that Mutu’s call to action will be declined.Bulgaria on the other hand have all of their usual lineup and are expected to play a life or death match on Saturday, well knowing that they must win in order to have a mathematical chance at qualifying from the second place position. This of course, if Holland mess up any of their final games, against Luxembourg and Belarus which is extremely unlikely.
And the match?
Well, without Mutu, Romania will for sure struggle a little more in attack as Ciprian Marica’s current form is average at best. He will be receiving some help up front though, from Auxerre forward Daniel Niculae, and Poli Timisoara man Eugen Trica. Don’t expect too much from this game as Mutu is the brain behind 90% of Romania’s attacks and without him the creative juices will surely not be flowing.
Players to watch:
Romania:
Bogdan Lobont: The veteran goalkeeper has been miraculous this year and will surely have his work cut out for him in Sofia. You will see some reflex saves and impossible jumps, keep an eye out for Lobont.
Cristian Chivu: What can you say about Chivu? One of the top 3 defenders in the world. The Inter Milan man will surely make the Bulgarian forwards think twice, and might even score a free kick. Definitely keep an eye out for him.
Bulgaria:
Dimitar Berbatov & Martin Petrov
Prediction:
Romania 2-0 Bulgaria
Niculae, Dica.
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Comments


Well, I can’t say that Chivu is in the top 3 defenders of the world, a top 10 place would be more realistic. But still, he’s a terrific player, Ajax-bred
Dica isn’t in a very good shape, I think that he has a problem with his morale. Had a tough year, the death of his father, the injury [bad one by the way] , now the death of Dobrin, his mentor… And that guy that calls himself “owner of Steaua” ,but he’s not worth the space on this nice blog, is he?
I won’t make a prediction regarding the scoreline, it’s quite tough to call. Romania is already qualified, and Bulgaria wants to avenge. That is, of course, if they can play like they are supposed to! In that 2-2 at Constanta they played somewhat good, grabbed the equaliser after being on the back-foot for the most of the game. So ,about the prediction, if the Bulgarian players are motivated, then no prediction can be made. If not…well, not too hard to guess ![]()




Chivu, what to say about Chivu.. Well since moving from Roma he has been having a pretty hard time adjusting, but in the last 2 matches has shown that he is more than capable of winning a place in the starting 11. We will just have to wait and see how it goes, I do believe though that pretty soon he will be on of the top 3 defenders in the world
Dica, on the other hand is having a horrible season, yes. But he is still a talented player. He just needs to get out of Steaua and fast. Gigi Becali (the owner) is the reason for the club’s downfall, and the horrible results this season. I mean, if Dica has 10 clowns as his teammates, is he really as effective? Just my opinion, changes need to made to the starting lineup.
The score? I stand by my 2-0. With Mutu gone, the players will try to impress and show that even without their leader they are worth a place in the final.
I made a mistake in my article, saying that Daniel Niculae will be taking his place. It will in fact be Gigel Bucur (Poli Timisoara), who managed to snag the number 10 jersey for this match.
Yes, the Bulgarians do look like favorites in this match, but lets hope for the best :).
P.S. - The atmosphere in the Levski Stadium will surely play a major factor, as the hatred between Romania & Bulgaria’s teams continues.
Posted from
Canada




The hatred between Romanai and Bulgaria is a fake one. The tabloids fueled the “scandals”, creating the image that it would be normal for the fans to try to kill each other. And for them to make a sensational article about the fightings
Would love to see Chivu scoring from a free-kick ![]()




Well, it all started with Stoichkov, the statements he made made gave further proof that he had the brain of a 6 year old. I remember after the 2-2 in Constanta he said “Well today we showed that we were better than you, and don’t forget that when I was driving Mercedes’ you were all on bikes”
Idiot^.
Posted from
Canada


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