LIVE Rapid – Petrolul, “Primvs Derby” in the 26th stage of the Superliga

The two rivals have diametrically opposed goals this season. If Giulești are involved in the fight for the title, Eugen Neagoe's students want to avoid relegation.

The complete program of the 26th stage of the Superliga

Rapid – Petrolul, LIVE at 20:00

Rapid's starting team

Rapid: Iliev – Manea, Pașcanu, Bolgado, Sălceanu – Grameni, Keita, Moruțan – Jambor, Petrila, Paraschiv
reserves: Aioani, Ciobotariu, Onea, Borza, Vulturar, Hromada, G. Gheorghe, A. Șucu, Christensen, Al. Dobre, Hazrollaj, Koljic
Coach: Constantin Galca

Petrol (3-4-3): Bălbarău – Roche, Papp, Guilherme – Dumitrescu, Jyry, Dulca, Ricardinho – R. Pop, Chică-Roșă, V. Gheorghe
Coach: Eugene Neagoe

Stadium: Giulesti
Referee: Marian Barbu (Făgăraş – Braşov)
A1: Neacșu George Florin (Câmpulung Muscel – Argeş)
A2: Vodă Alexandru (Alba Iulia – Alba)
VAR referee: Kovacs Szabolcs (Carei – Satu Mare)
Referee AVAR: Rose Cristina (Bucharest – Bucharest)
R1: Găman George Cătălin (Craiova – Dolj)
R2: ( – )
Obs. referees: Dumitrescu Eduard (Pitesti – Argeş)

Different stakes for Rapid and Petrol

Huge pride, different stakes in Rapid – Petrolul. Under the command of Costel Gâlcă, Giulești have three wins and one failure in the first four matches of 2026. They are currently in 2nd place, with 48 points, behind the leader Universitatea Craiova (49).

With a win, they climb back into first place, at least temporarily. Rapid prevailed in the last stage without emotions on the field of Hermannstadtscore 3-0. Ciobotariu, Grameni with a top performance and Jambor, who was at his first success in Romania, brought victory to the people of Giulești.

In the round, Rapid won in Ploiești on the limit, score 1-0, goal Alexandru Pașcanu. That game marked the debut of coach Eugen Neagoe on the Ploiești bench.

On the other hand, Petrol has one win, one draw and two defeats in 2026. They are currently in 12th place, the first above the play-off positions, with 24 points. The Ploiesti team achieved a dramatic success in the last stage, 1-0 against Unirea Slobozia, the only success coming in extra time (90+2') and bearing the signature of Ricardinho.

VIDEO | Costel Gâlcă, statements before Rapid – Petrolul: “It is important to reach our goal as quickly as possible, only then can we talk about the title”

Wen declared that the first objective is to qualify for the play-offs. Only after this is achieved will he discuss the title.

Also, the coach of Rapid announced that he will make some changes in the starting team compared to the game with Hermannstadt.

“After the positive result in Sibiu we are much better, we have confidence. The championship is balanced, it is important to win the next match as well. I said it before, especially since it's a derby, we have to give everything, have the attitude of the second half with Hermannstadt.

The important thing is to reach our goal as quickly as possible, only then to talk about the title. The new players still need some matches, both Daniel and Olimpiu. I bring an extra. We have to adapt, that's why I said we will make some changes in the starting team. We need to come up with something fresher”, declared Costel Gâlcă.

Kevin Ciubotaru is a good player, but we transferred him to that position. We hope that Sălceanu will debut as soon as possible. At Talisson we have to wait, we know the procedure. He is ready, he played before he came here.

It is important for us to reach our goal. When we get into the straight line, I'll talk about the title.

– Costel Gâlcăthe coach of Rapid

VIDEO | Eugen Neagoe, last thoughts before the match: “I'm trying to guess what Rapidul will play”

“I know what a Rapid – Oil game means to everyone around these two teams! We are ready and even though we have had these games every three days, I hope we don't get tired at any point and be at our highest physical level.

Because if we can run, then we can also get a good result in Giulesti.

It is obviously a difficult game, because we are facing a very good team. A valuable squad with quality players, with a manager I have a lot of respect for and who knows what to ask of his players, and we will have to perform at a very high level to leave the field unbeaten.

I'm trying to guess what the Rapid will play tomorrow and hope we make the right decisions so that we put up a very strong resistance“, stated Eugen Neagoe, the coach of Petrol, at the press conference.

The most important details, filtered by GSP statistician Liviu Manolache:

Here are some milestones from the history of direct confrontations in the Superliga, a history that remains in the memory of microbists and under the name “Primvs Derby”:

• March 24, 1963, Rapid – Petrolul 6-1, the clearest victory for the Giulești team in direct duels (championship). Just a few months later (September 22, 1963), also on the ground of the “cherries”, the oilmen took revenge with a 6-0 score, which recorded a historic double:

• The clearest victory in the history of Petrol on the road;

• One of the two most severe defeats suffered by Rapid “at home”, the second being recorded in 1989, 2-8 with Steaua.

• The 1965/66 season brought the last title in the history of Petrol, with Rapid being the direct opponent. The match that made the difference was the one in the 16th round (March 31, 1966), a match won by Petrolul 1-0, thanks to Virgil Dridea's direct goal from the corner. However, it should also be mentioned that four juniors entered the starting line-up lined up by Valentin Stănescu, taking the place of the rightful holders, who were ill at the start of the game.

• In the next edition, 1966/67, Rapidul celebrated the first title RIGHT in the opponent's arena, this after drawing without a goal. The story of June 11, 1967, when the “Giulestenians” returned in triumph from Ploiesti, the whole way home being a celebration, remained in football history.

• The fight between the two continued in the following decade. In March 1970, Petrolul won 2-0 and triggered the decline of the Giulești team, who lost the title by two points to the Arad team.

• At the end of the 1973/74 season, the former champions were relegated together to the second echelon. The rapid would return in 1975, for two years only. In 1977, Petrolul promoted, but was immediately relegated.

• The beginning of the 80s finds the two in direct battle for the return to Division A. In the spring of 1982, several tens of thousands of spectators (in B!) witnessed the success of the rapidists with 5-1 in the old arena in Ghencea (Manea – double, Damaschin, I. Ion, Şt. Popa / Cosarek). Although they scored in the direct match, the end of the season found the people from Ploiești on the promotion spot, due to the fact that the people from Bucharest handled the games that followed in their unmistakable style.

• After 9 years, “Primvs Derby” returned to the first stage in 1983/84, 3-1 for Petrolul in Ploiesti and 1-0 for Giulesteni “at home”.

• In 1988, Petrolul took the road of “B” again, not before taking three points from the duels with Giulești. The Ploieste players returned after a year, but Rapid's turn had just “arrived” at the matinee.

• The first confrontations after the Revolution were on November 28, 1990, Rapid – Petrolul 2-1 (Constantinovici, Drăgan / Catinca) and June 16, 1991, Petrolul-Rapid 1-0 (Costel Lazăr). Other teams, other times, but the same passions!

• The last success achieved by Ploiești away on the first stage: August 13, 2023, Rapid-Petrolul 0-2.

• The most recent match in the Romanian Superliga: September 27, 2025, Petrolul-Rapid 0-1 (Alexandru Pașcanu).

The current situation in the Superliga