Wednesday 23/07/2014, 19:30, Champions League Qualifiers, Steaua vs Stromsgodset

Steaua vs Stromsgodset Preview

Stromsgodset failed to take advantage of their synthetic pitch and couldn't find the breaches in an otherwise precise defensive system. Steaua were under pressure for the entire first half but it was them who open the score and then brilliantly defended for the entire half. In front of their fans, they're expected to shift into a more aggressive gear but the top priority is to advance to the next stage, not to secure a lopsided victory over the Norwegian side.

Steaua vs Stromsgodset Odds

At Bet365

Steaua 1.40, Draw 4.20, Stromsgodset 5.00

Steaua vs Stromsgodset Tips

The qualifying campaign was simply disappointing for the Romanian champions and it looked like the Champions League qualifiers will cause even more headaches. Luckily for them, they won the first leg and then advanced to the next stage of the domestic cup, promising signs before Liga 1 starts this weekend.

Steaua has a single genuine striker and they will use Keseru once again, after he scored twice in the last match against Rapid Bucharest. Vilceanu is expected to be given another chance upfront, even though this is a young striker who failed to meet expectations in the friendly games. The 17-year-old is not going to receive many useful balls, with midfielders looking for Keseru who is the more experienced striker.

The fact that the winning goal in the first leg was scored by a midfielder says a great deal about how Steaua understands to play away from home. The reason for why things won't be much different tonight is that the number of fans interested in seeing the team is surprisingly low.

Everyone expects the hosts to advance to the next stage with relative ease especially after winning the first leg, so manager Gilca will play pragmatic football tonight. The visitors are hard pressed to take more chances upfront, but even if they try to do more than they did in the first leg, they don't have too many options. After losing to Steaua, they suffered an equally frustrating defeat at home at the hands of Valerenga and they were never actually in control of the game.

Key Facts

• Stromsgodset lost two games in a row without scoring a goal, but kept clean sheets in the previous two narrow margin victories.
• Just once in the last four games, Steaua scored more than one goal and the second came as a result of a penalty kick

Steaua vs Stromsgodset Prediction

Steaua is unlikely to drop points tonight, but in the absence of real motivation, players are more likely to settle for a narrow margin victory or even a draw. Since the odds for a home win are quite low, punters should bet on fewer than 2.5 goals to be scored at 1.80 with Bet365.

Bet: Under 2.5 goals @ 1.80 with Bet365