UTA Arad will host Oțelul Galați today at 18:30 at the Francisc Neuman Stadium for the opening match of the second round of the Superligă. The clash follows UTA’s heavy 0-4 defeat to Universitatea Craiova, the reigning champions, while Oțelul comes off a 2-1 victory over CFR Cluj.
Both teams retain their head coaches from last season, with Adrian Mihalcea leading UTA and Stjepan Tomas at the helm for Oțelul.
Match Details
UTA Arad (4-2-3-1): Corcea – Dorobanțu, Ouaneh, Pospielov, Alomerovic – Sota, Odada – Abdallhah, Al. Roman (captain), Tzioni – M. Coman.
Substitutes: Tordai, Padula, Benga, R. Bădescu, Tolcea, Oaidă, Papeau, Alexi Pitu, Ile, Taroi, Sinani.
Coach: Adrian Mihalcea.
Oțelul Galați (4-3-3): Dur-Bozoancă – Sylla, Lopes, P. Iacob, Kazu – Pedro Nuno, Lameira (captain), An. Ciobanu – Bordun, Patrick, Andrezinho.
Substitutes: M. Contra, Paharnicu, E. Neicu, Christopoulos, Aftene, M. Frunză, Al. Bălănică, R. Olteanu, T. Lungu, C. Neicu, Paulinho, Zhelev.
Coach: Stjepan Tomas.
Referee: Sorin Vădana. Assistant referees: Mihăiță Necula, Cristi Ilinca. VAR: Radu Petrescu, Assistant VAR: Cristina Trandafir.
Superligă Standings and Historical Context
Historically, UTA and Oțelul have faced each other 19 times, with Oțelul winning eight matches, UTA four, and seven ending in a draw. Their first matchup was on December 1, 1993, which resulted in a 0-0 draw. The most recent meeting took place on April 17, 2026, where Oțelul edged past UTA with a 1-0 score.
In terms of home performance, UTA has had a strong record recently, with only one defeat in the last seven home games, achieving five wins and one draw. On the other hand, Oțelul has struggled away, securing just two wins in 2026 amidst more losses and draws.
