Maccabi Tel Aviv play Pandurii in Romania tonight as they look to bring a good result back to Israel in the first leg of Europa League third round qualifying. Helping us examine the team from Tg Jiu who had knocked out Hapoel Tel Aviv in qualifying a number of years ago is football journalist Emanuel Rosu.
What are the expectations going forward?
“Pandurii still expect to reach a playoff position they are in the process of building a new stadium in Tg Jiu and they have a smart president that is aiming for good results with a small investment. They recently signed the veteran Lucian Sânmărtean, a wonderful talent, so that’s a quality certificate. Sânmărtean is 36, but is still magical on the ball, however he won’t be available to play against Maccabi. In general if they manage to do things well, results will come but they just need minimum financial conditions.”
How are the Pandurii fans?
“The club has good fans in Tg Jiu, but Severin is not home for them. Their results last season weren’t spectacular and that won’t put pressure on Maccabi, that’s for sure.”
What is this squad’s ambitions?
“They are really dreaming of something special. The team was different, yes, but this set of players are ambitious and hungry as well. The Chairman said that should they advance to the group stages, they would be financially safe for the next 4 years, so players know they won’t have any financial problems if they can qualify.”
Who are Pandurii’s key players?
“Ioan Hora’s inspiration in front of goal will be vital. He isn’t the spectacular type, but he plays on the wing and did amazingly well last season. Also, a lot will depend on the way Ovidiu Herea adapts to his central midfield role. He’s a player with quality, but also a player who’s not yet fit.”
The bottom line for tonight’s matchup?
“Pandurii isn’t much to be scared of but they are a tidy football playing team and they won’t get behind the ball and defend. The manager’s philosophy is to play football as well as they can.”
