spidahcult

God, so much flame on this forum. As a Steaua fan, I am pleased about the outcome of the game, but I must say the game overall was s^%hit, no entertainment at all. That thing with the lasers in the player`s eyes is very bad and I think the club should be fined, that should not be acceptable in Romania anymore. About the penalty, I think the decision could have been either way (I have watched that replay a dozen times and I can`t figure out if Rusescu started to dive before or after he had a hand in his neck. You can`t argue that in that position, if he had reached the ball, could have easely scored. The thing I find stupid is that the ref gave a yellow, that showed that he had no idea what was going on (either give a red or don`t call it). Most likely he was afraid of breaking the balance even more (although I think if the roles were reversed and that was Torres being taken down by Szukala, that would have turned into a penalty kick AND a red card, that`s how things work when small teams play against big teams). I think that Chelsea, in its current form, will have a very tough time on Stamford Bridge. Imagine if Steaua will score there, and they have all the chances because Chelsea has to press and open gaps in the mid and defence (cases in which players like Chipciu and Adi Popa are very good), then Chelsea needs 3 goals. I think Chelsea should focus more on not giving Steaua chances to score and less on atacking from minute 1. And please cut the crap about us wining because you didn`t play, it`s true that Chelsea is going through a tough time but it does not negate the fact that Steaua is a strong team, with good positioning and great teamwork. Good luck with Man United, hope you win, bring your spirits up and give us a great match on Stamford next week, no matter the outcome.

Coming from a Steaua fan (and also a Chelsea fan when I watch CL), I think Chelsea is favoured even in the first leg. If Chelsea display good form, I don`t think we can do much, although I think Steaua is in a great form too. Aspects that should worry Chelsea are the following: 1) Steaua is in a great form, has a play style focused on aggresion and keeping the ball, and they can score against strong teams (so if Chelsea won`t score, they could be in trouble). 2) Steaua plays very well against strong teams in European competitions, the players find great motivation in playing agains the odds. 3) The atmosphere at the stadium will be insane. The crowd will surely bring morale to the team, especially after eliminating Ajax If Chelsea bring mediocre play to Bucharest, they can loose for sure, and then anything could happen on Stamford Bridge. Now regarding Steaua, I belive 3-4-3 is unlikely to be used, as it is not suited for the current team-up (we got demolished by Stuttgart because of this). I think 4-2-3-1 is a sure bet. Rusescu is a good striker, and both him, Tanase and Latovlevici are good at long shots. The fact that the pitch will be bad will not favour Steaua like in the years before (like when we eliminated Valencia, them being the curent Europa League title holders at that time). Steaua have a fast paced playstyle that revolves around possession, and a bad pitch could very well work against that and in favour of Chelsea. If Chelsea play well, they can score straightforward, but if not, I think the greatest vulnerabilites for Steaua are free kicks and corner kicks. The players seem to be lacking in positioning, and the the goalkeeper Tatarusanu is vulnerable at crossings (not bad, but he has had his share of mistakes). Anyway, I hope the game will be exciting, with lots of goals on both sides Best of luck