Wednesday 16/07/2014, 21:00, Champions League Qualifiers, Stromsgodset vs Steaua

Stromsgodset vs Steaua Preview

The Champions League qualifiers resume today, with the most exciting match being the one between Stromsgodset and Steaua. The two teams won the national championships last season but they still need to go through consecutive qualifying rounds, before reaching the groups' of the most important European competition. Stromsgodset is the underdog but they can change all that by winning the opening round, against an opponent that has won a single match in the last two months.

Stromsgodset vs Steaua Odds

At Bet365

Stromsgodset 2.75, Draw 3.25, Steaua 2.40

Stromsgodset vs Steaua Tips

The reigning Norwegian champions failed to accumulate any points in the friendly games played in June, but have returned to their winning ways. They won both games in the Tippeligaen and even though both victories were narrow margin ones, Stromsgodset managed to keep a clean sheet on both occasions.

They are still trailing the leaders by four points but at least they managed to close the gap separating them from Molde. Winning the first leg of the Champions League qualifier is essential for Stromsgodset, since they lack experience in European competitions and have a dismal record on the road. Kovacs and Sorum proved their worth in the national championship but they need to replicate that performance tonight.

It is unlikely for coach Nielsen to use both of them in the second leg, but tonight he will need both strikers to have a fighting chance against Steaua. The visitors are rather toothless since their coach departed and the new transfers failed to meet the high expectations. The recent campaign of friendly games was disappointing to say the least, with the Romanians winning a single match out of five.

The downswing began with the defeat to runner-up Astra in the Cup's final and exactly 2 months after that defeat, they also lost the Super Cup. On both occasions the match was lost at penalty shootout at the end of games that were dominated by the underdogs. Keseru is the only quality striker for Steaua but he's yet to score a goal in official games, following the end of the regular season.

Key Facts

• Stromsgodset has the advantage of playing the first leg on synthetic pitch, a surface that Steaua is not comfortable with.
• This is the first time the two teams meet and Stromsgodset has a formidable home record, with seven victories in eight games this season

Stromsgodset vs Steaua Prediction

The hosts have the advantage of already playing 15 rounds of competitive football, while the Romanians are still waiting for the regular season to begin. Steaua is in terrible form and since Reghekampf left the team, the new coach had a hard time winning consecutive games. The odds for the hosts to win are remarkable with Bet365 but risk-averse punters should take the 0:0 Asian handicap safety net and have the stakes returned if the match ended undecided.

Bet: Stromsgodset Draw no Bet @ 2.00 with Bet365