Poli Iasi – CS U. Craiova Prediction & Picks (20.05.2018)

Iaşi and Craiova University meet in Stadionul Emil Alexandrescu, in a match for the 10 th round of League I. Craiova University won at home by (4-1) the last time they met in this edition of the league, in 14 -04-2018. In this stadium, the history of direct confrontations is favorable to the home team, which records 3 wins and 2 losses in the last 5 matches. However, the last time these two teams played a match at this stadium was on 10-14-2017, in a match for the Liga I that ended with the victory of Craiova University by (1-2). The goals of the match were scored by Tiago Ferreira (67 ‘Autogolo), for Iaşi, and Gustavo Di Mauro (15’) and A. Băluţă (77 ‘), for Craiova University. In this game the home factor may be decisive, since both teams present considerable differences in the results achieved at home and as a visitor.

Iaşi:

After 12 wins, 7 draws and 16 losses, the home team is currently in the 6 th position, with 24 points won. In the last match, they lost in an away match against Viitorul by (1-0), after in the previous match they won (1-0) at home, against Steaua Bucureşti. This is a team that usually makes good use of the home advantage, stronger with the help of its supporters, since in the last 30 matches they register 5 wins, 1 draw and 9 losses in away matches; against 8 wins, 3 draws and 4 losses at their stadium. In the last 10 home matches for the championship the Iaşi won 6, tied 1 and lost 3, so they won 19 points out of 30 possible. In their away league matches there are a few frequent results at half-time: 0-0 (7 out of 17 matches) and 0-1 (6 out of 17 matches). They have not been very strong defensively, since they have suffered goals in 9 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In their home matches there is a tendency for few goals, since 11 of the last 17 matches for this competition have ended with Under 2,5 goals. In 35 matches in this competition, they only got 1 comeback in the 19 games in which they suffered the first goal.

The CSM Iasi arrives at this last round of the championship playoffs only to meet the schedule, since it has no chance of qualifying for European competitions, as it is making a terrible campaign in this phase, in which it won only 1 of 9 matches. The local team presents great problems, both in the offensive and in the defensive sector, as they scored only 4 goals in 9 games, being the worst attack of the group, and suffered 17 goals, having the best defense. These numbers help explain the campaign below expectations. Playing at home, the CMS Iasi lost 3 of the 5 matches that he played in this phase, having scored only 2 goals and suffered 7, showing that even before his fans he has achieved good performances, being a team that few goal opportunities create, generally having fewer completions than their opponents, in addition to leaving many spaces for rivals. For the clash with Craiova, coach Stoican will not be able to count on midfielder Mihaescu, on account of a suspension.

Craiova :

The away team is currently in the 4 th position of the league, with 35 points won, after 16 wins, 12 draws and 7 losses. In the penultimate match, they lost in an away match against Cluj, by (1-0). In the last match, they lost in a home match against Steaua Bucureşti, by (0-1). This is a team that usually makes good use of the home advantage, stronger with the help of its supporters, since in the last 30 matches they register 5 wins, 5 draws and 5 losses in away matches; against 9 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses at their stadium. In the last 10 away league matches Craiova has a record of 2 wins, 4 draws and 4 losses, so they have won 10 points out of 30 possible. In their away league matches the most frequent result at half-time was the 0-1 (8 out of 18 matches). Defensive consistency has not been their best feature, as they have conceded goals in 7 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In their home matches there is a tendency for few goals, since 7 of the last 17 matches for this competition have ended with Under 1,5 goals. In 35 matches in this tournament, they suffered the first goal 13 times and only managed 1 comeback.

The Craiova comes to this last round with chances to get a place of access for the next Europa League, but for that you have to score more than the Viitorul, which will face the Cluj, a club that is fighting for the national title, then, Craiova‘s chances are great to get the qualification if he wins in the next match. The visiting team has a somewhat inefficient attack, which scored only 8 goals in 9 games and is the worst among the 6 participants in the championship playoff, but their defense, on the other hand, suffered only 9 goals and is the third best , has suffered only 2 goals in the last 2 matches. In Playing as a visitor, the Craiova does not win 4 games ago, in which he lost 3 and tied 1. The most worrying thing is that he did not score goals in any of these games, showing once again his offensive fragility. For the important game against CMS Iasi, coach Devis Mangia will have some absences, due to suspension, but the main players will be in the field looking for the qualification for the next Europa League.