Raul Rusescu, the 38-year-old three-time Romanian champion, previewed the crucial European matches involving Romanian clubs: KuPS versus Universitatea Craiova and CFR Cluj facing Tromso.
The first leg of the Europa League third qualifying round match between KuPS and Craiova takes place today at 18:00 in Finland. The team winning on aggregate will advance to the Europa League playoff against the loser of the match between Ararat Armenia and NK Celje, which ended 2-1 in favor of the latter in the first leg.
Simultaneously, the first leg of the Conference League third qualifying round between CFR Cluj and Tromso starts tonight at 19:30. The winner of this matchup faces a challenging playoff against Brighton, who finished eighth in last season’s Premier League.
Rusescu Issues Warning Before KuPS-Craiova and CFR Cluj-Tromso Matches
The 2012 Romanian Footballer of the Year expressed his belief in both clubs’ chances of qualifying for the playoffs, but raised concerns about the synthetic pitch in Finland, which could hinder Craiova’s performance. CFR will also play on an artificial surface in Tromso, Norway.
“KuPS-Craiova will be on synthetic turf. If it rains as predicted, things will change significantly. That’s the only problem. It’s a disadvantage for Romanian teams because we don’t seem to adapt quickly to a different surface,” Rusescu stated.
He emphasized the need for Craiova’s players to adjust to the game’s intensity and the high ball speed on artificial turf. “Intensity makes a difference every time. It seems that Universitatea Craiova’s squad is built for a high-intensity and fast-paced game,” he added during his appearance on GSP Live.
Currently, KuPS sits first in Finland, having won the last two editions of the Veikkausliiga.
Rusescu noted he is not overly concerned about the Norwegians from Tromso. “Initially, I thought the CFR-Tromso tie would be difficult, but looking at Tromso’s results, they were eliminated from the Europa League by the sixth-placed team in the Czech Republic (Hradec Kralove). I think the situation for CFR isn’t so dire; I consider it 50-50 unless we see the CFR team from the first half against Giulești.”
However, Rusescu highlighted the challenging road ahead: “Regardless of the outcome in the CFR-Tromso duel, Brighton awaits in the potential Conference League playoff.”
Craiova’s European Hopes: “Brighton is a Dragon”
When asked for his predictions, Rusescu remarked, “I believe Craiova will qualify. So will CFR. We will have one team in the European group stage, and I hope it will be in the Europa League. I don’t see CFR overcoming Brighton; to us, Brighton truly is a dragon.”
Unlike CFR Cluj, Craiova has a safety net. If they fail to advance past KuPS, they will enter the Conference League playoff against the loser of the Shamrock Rovers (Ireland) vs. Egnatia (Albania) match, which ended 3-1 in the first leg.
