Dinamo – Universitatea Craiova, the second semi-final of the Romanian Betano Cup, is played tonight, starting at 20:30. The match will be liveTEXT on GSP.ro and televised by Prima Sport 1 and Digi Sport 1, with real-time information from Gazeta Sporturilor reporters present at the National Arena.
Dinamo – Craiova University, LIVE at 20:30
Dinamo – Craiova University, starting teams
Dinamo (4-3-3): Epassy – Sivis, Boateng, Stoinov, Opruț – Cîrjan (capt.), Mărginean, Gnahore – Soro, Pușcaș, Musi
reserves: Roșca, Milanov, Ad. Mazilu, Cr. Mihai, Adv. Caragea, Duțu, Țicu, Armstrong, Al. Pop
Absent: Jordan Ikoko, Mamadou Karamoko (injured)
Coach: Zeljko Kopic
University of Craiova (3-4-3): Popescu – Romanchuk, Rus, Screciu (capt.) – Mora, Cicâldău, Anzor, Fl. Ștefan – D. Matei, Nsimba, Teles
reserves: Goncalves, Al-Hamlawi, D. Barbu, Basceanu, Mogos, Stefanovic, Bancu, Badelj, Al. Cretu
Absent: Isenko, S. Lung (injured), Monday Etim (suspended)
Coach: Filipe Coelho
Stadium: National Arena
Referee: Barbu Marian (Făgăraş – Braşov)
A1: Grigoriu Mircea Mihail (Bucharest – Bucharest)
A2: Bucsi Imre-Laszlo (Sfântu Gheorghe – Covasna)
VAR referee: Dima Iulian (Bucharest – Bucharest)
Referee AVAR: Artene Ovidiu (Vaslui – Vaslui)
R1: Mihuleac Gabriel (Iasi – Iasi)
R2: ( – )
Obs. referees: Comanescu Adrian (Râmnicu Vâlcea – Vâlcea)
Game delegate: Mihai Daniel Miodrag (Bucharest – Bucharest)
UPDATE 19:50 » Andrei Nicolescu: “I am very happy that Pușcaș is in the first 11”
Approximately 40 minutes before the start of the match, Andrei Nicolescu, the president of Dinamo, declared himself happy with the first tenure of George Pușcaș.
“Since I've been at Dinamo, I haven't played a cup semifinal. It's an important step, we have to realize that a final and winning the trophy is a very important milestone.
I am very happy for Pușcaș that he is in the first 11, I think he is a motivation for his colleagues, he gives them a different aura, more confidence. The bench allows us to make some offensive changes that will help us throughout the match.
I can only hope that the opponents also think about the title and focus on a fight that is much more accessible for them there and we can take advantage”, said Andrei Nicolescu on Prima Sport 1.
UPDATE 18:30 » Special events prepared by Dinamo
At the match, Dinamo officials are expecting more former legendary players of the club, such as Ioan Andone, Ionuț Lupescu, Iulian Mihăescu, Ion Pârcălab, Tețe Moraru or Ionel Augustin.
In addition, Dinamo also organized various events for fans. Some of them had the opportunity to enter the lawn and make a complete tour of the arena. This while a special Dinamo 48 event is taking place at the official stand.
“Club 48” is the initiative of “Red&White”, the company that owns the majority of shares of “dogs” dedicated to the business environment and strategic partnerships, intended to bring around the red-white brand entrepreneurs, investors and various representatives of companies interested in marketing partnerships, etc. Monthly meetings are held with the members, most recently 3 weeks ago, at a restaurant in the north of the Capital. Everyone affiliated with the project has received invitations to tonight's game.
UPDATE 18:30 » The first fans have arrived at the National Arena
Two hours before the start of the semi-final, the first supporters of Dinamo started to arrive at the biggest stadium in the country. The lawn at the National Arena is in good condition, and the organizers have put in place all the details for the match to be played in the best conditions. Supporters were greeted with rock music in the stands of the stadium.
The match of the season for Dinamo, Craiova also has the championship
Around 20,000 spectators will attend this game, around 1,000 from Olteni. If Zeljko Kopic's students still hope for the 3rd place in the championship, Craiova is involved with real chances for the title.
Dinamo is currently in 5th place, with 31 points, while Craiova is in 2nd place, tied with the leader U Cluj. If the championship were to end now, Coelho's students would be champions as they started the play-off from first place.
The stakes are huge: the winner of the trophy will play in the Europa League qualifiers.
The two teams know each other very well as they have met three times this season. In the regular season, there were two equal results (2-2 in Craiova and 1-1 in Bucharest), while Olten won away in the play-off, score 1-0.
Kopic will not be able to rely on Jordan Ikoko, the reserve right-back, nor Mamadou Karamoko, the team's top scorer. The Frenchman was injured in the last league match and there is little chance that he will play again this season.
On the other hand, Coelho will not be able to use Silviu Lung Jr. and Pavlo Isenko, both goalkeepers being injured, nor Monday Etim. The American is suspended after the red card he received with U Cluj.
VIDEO | Zeljko Kopic, before Dinamo – Craiova: “We only have two problems”
Zeljko Kopic spoke about how he prepared the game, about the opponent, but also about Cătălin Cîrjan and Alexandru Musi, the scorers in the last official match of Dinamo, the 2-1 victory against U Cluj.
“The team is fine. We only have two problems: Karamoko is not ready and neither is Jordan Ikoko. Otherwise, everyone else is training and ready. The spirit is very good, especially after this win. It is a confidence booster for the players. We await the important night tomorrow.
We have the match with Craiova. It is a quality team with many good games, but like any other team they have weaknesses. The motivation will be at the highest levels, and the supporters will push us from behind. We will give everything to win and reach the final.
There was a lot of pressure on Cătălin, but he has to learn that. The life of a professional footballer is very hard. It doesn't matter what you've done before or how many good things you've done.
If you don't have a period, the expectations are high, and it was important for him and me to feel that pressure, and to find a solution together. I felt him better this week,” said Zeljko Kopic, at the conference.
VIDEO | How Filipe Coelho sees the semifinal with Dinamo: “It will be different”
Filipe Coelho, the coach of Craiova, is optimistic that his team will reach the last act of the competition. Here are some of his thoughts:
“It's a cup match, it will be different because only one team qualifies. We know each other very well, for sure they will try to prepare certain things differently.
We don't have much time to prepare other things, but we will try to give our best and see what will happen during the match.
We try to keep the same atmosphere in the dressing room, it's definitely a lot easier when we come after a win. We have to be balanced, because sometimes we can lose, but we have to keep doing our work, to be able to achieve good things in the end”, explained Coelho.
