FC Botoșani Faces FCSB in UEFA Europa Conference League Playoff
The two teams will meet in Ghencea on Sunday at 8:30 PM. The winner will face Dinamo in the final playoff for the Europa Conference League qualification.
In the play-out matches, FC Botoșani defeated FCSB at home 3-2. During the regular season, Botoșani won 3-1 at home and lost 2-1 away.
Valeriu Iftime Slams FCSB: "Good Players, But They're Now Just Fiddlers"
Before the decisive weekend match, FC Botoșani coach Valeriu Iftime harshly criticized FCSB, stating that while they have good players, they no longer perform as they did in previous seasons.
"Almost what Mr. Becali says, that he prays all the time for God to help them. God doesn't help FCSB anymore. What players does FCSB have to fight with me, with Csikszereda, and Slobozia... Gigi Becali can take me to court for saying they have good players. They are very good players, but they are now just fiddlers. Each one plays as they can. If you ask them to play Enescu, they might get mixed up. If you give them a fiddler, they might win."
"I am 100% confident that I can make their life difficult and that I can beat them. If we were at home, we would be more ferocious. But we have played poorly in a few games, we could have finished ahead of them.", Iftime told DigiSport.
In the play-out, FCSB finished 8th with 37 points. After nine stages, the team had four wins, two draws, and three losses.
On the other hand, FC Botoșani finished 10th with 33 points. They had three wins, three draws, and three losses.
UTA, in 7th place, and Oțelul, in 9th place, were not granted UEFA licenses, which excluded them from the playoff competition for the semifinal spot for the UEFA Europa Conference League.
This is ridiculous! Iftime's comments are borderline insulting. FCSB deserves better than this kind of trash talk. But I have to admit, Botoșani have been playing well lately. Will they continue to impress or will FCSB turn it around? Let’s see who can actually deliver on their promises!