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CFR, Cluj-napoca
Tuesday 4 November 2008 - 20.45CET
Group A - Matchday 4

Laughter rang around the CFR Stadium as Maurizio Trombetta put his CFR 1907 Cluj side through a relaxed training session before Tuesday’s crucial Group A meeting with FC Girondins de Bordeaux.
Confidence
CFR lost 1-0 to the Ligue 1 team a fortnight ago, but the knockout phase still looms large for the UEFA Champions League debutants and morale is high as the Romanian champions prepare for the return match. “It’s an important game and we’re confident,” Trombetta said, his side having been buoyed by Friday’s 1-0 league win against AFC Unirea Urziceni which ended a run of two defeats. “It’s a decisive match, like all the rest, but there is only a point between us and Bordeaux so it is even more important.”
Narrow margins
Indeed, just one point separates second-placed CFR from both AS Roma and Bordeaux. After the team from
Transylvania beat Roma and then held section leaders Chelsea FC, the Matchday 3 defeat in Bordeaux was CFR’s first setback at this level. With so much at stake, and with games against Roma and Chelsea to come, Trombetta is grateful for the chance to make quick amends. Cadú’s own goal was the difference between the sides in France and the Italian coach anticipates another tight encounter. “We have to play to our maximum to win,” he said. “Bordeaux will play the same here as they did in the away leg, very fast in attack and dangerous on the counter. But we’re at home and have to dominate. We’ve had one more day’s rest than them and that could be an advantage for us.”
Changes
Both Trombetta and his opposite number Laurent Blanc are forced into changes from the teams fielded at the Stade Chaban-Delmas on 22 October. Trombetta will be without strikers Didi, who injured his left knee against Unirea, and Diego Ruiz as CFR look for their first European goal since the Matchday 1 success in the Italian capital. Midfielder Eugen Tric? is suspended after being sent off in Bordeaux and should be replaced by Dani, with Ciprian Deac an option up front. For Bordeaux, Matthieu Valverde takes over from Ulrich Ramé after the veteran goalkeeper suffered the recurrence of a groin injury in Saturday’s 1-0 loss at AS Nancy-Lorraine. Blanc’s main concern is the fitness of central midfielder Fernando who is struggling with a back problem, yet is expected to start.
Key encounter
Bordeaux are aiming to reach the knockout stage for the first time in three attempts, and for Blanc there is little margin for error. “A draw won’t help our cause hugely but it wouldn’t eliminate us 100 per cent either,” he said. “A victory would put us in a comfortable position, even if it will still be very difficult. Cluj, though, must win – they are playing for qualification in this game. To have a hope of progress we needed positive results against Cluj – we got one at home, now we must do the same in Cluj. They are well-organised and it is up to us not to fall into their trap, by opening up and giving them too much space, because that is what they are looking for.”
Diarra willing CFR to open up
It may be a case of who blinks first when CFR 1907 Cluj host FC Girondins de Bordeaux in Group A at the CFR Stadium on Tuesday.
Close call
It took an own goal in Bordeaux’s favour to separate the sides on 22 October and, with just one point between them and with so much at stake, it is likely to be equally tight again. While Chelsea FC look well-placed to run away with the section, the rest of the group remains wide open – and with games against the leaders and AS Roma to come for both clubs, this match represents CFR and Bordeaux’s best chance to stake a claim for second place.
Change of situation
CFR defended deeply before twice hitting Roma on the break to win their opening game and they smothered Chelsea on Matchday 2 to eke out a goalless draw. Similar tactics almost earned a stalemate at the Stade Chaban-Delmas a fortnight ago, before Cadú’s misfortune gave Bordeaux their first points of the campaign. Looking forward to Tuesday’s return fixture in Romania, visiting midfielder Alou Diarra hoped that a CFR side playing in front of their home crowd and hungry for victory, might open up.
‘Perfect match’
“We hope they will play a bit more and allow us a little more space – and that we make the most of it,” Diarra said. “It will be a tight game, just as our first meeting was, and it is up to us to play the perfect match and stay solid in defence and attack on the break whenever we can. Cluj will want their revenge, but we’re well-prepared and we know what we have to do to get a good result.”
Demands
The 27-year-old was in the France team that drew 2-2 with Romania in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Constanta last month and fully recognises the task ahead of Bordeaux. “It will be an intense opening period and we will have to stay focused in front of their fans,” said the player signed from Olympique Lyonnais in 2007. “We have to remain solid and vigilant. They are at home and will have the crowd on their side. Like in all Champions League matches, we will also have to be at our best physically.”
Same goal
CFR have already surpassed expectations on their debut in the competition, occupying second spot in Group A at the midway stage. Yet with a place in the knockout rounds within reach, goalkeeper Eduard St?ncioiu insists the team will not change their approach at this key juncture. “At the start, our objective was to finish third in the group and that is still what we are aiming for,” the 27-year-old said. “It is obvious that if we win, we could finish second, but all we are thinking about is this match and third place.”