The Superliga play-out continues this weekend with the third round, and we are traveling to Ploiești with the aim of definitively deciding this head-to-head battle in our favor on Easter Monday.
The Superliga play-out continues this weekend with the third round, and we are traveling to Ploiești with the aim of definitively deciding this head-to-head battle in our favor on Easter Monday.
Both of our matches against them in the regular season ended in draws, each time 1–1, so the third encounter, in the play-out, will determine which team has been better this season. Moreover, the match has a decisive, almost final-like character, as the two teams are direct rivals in the fight to avoid the relegation play-off positions.
There are currently four points between us in the standings, in our favor: we occupy 6th place, the last safe position, while the “Yellow Wolves” started the play-out with two defeats and dropped to 8th place, a relegation play-off spot. In the previous round, they also lost away to bottom side Metaloglobus. During the international break, the club announced that they had parted ways with head coach Eugen Neagoe, with the official statement citing family reasons. Former Turkish international Mehmet Topal has returned to the Petrolul bench, having previously led the team in the Superliga on two occasions, both during the 2024–2025 season. The Turkish coach made his (new) debut in a friendly match against FC Voluntari, which Petrolul won 3–0.
During the two-week international break, we played a friendly match in Sfântu Gheorghe against Sepsi OSK, which ended 1–1. In the Superliga, before the break, we were in very good form: out of the 11 matches played after the winter training camp, we won 6, drew 2, and lost 3. Continuing the series started in our previous articles, if we were to compile a standings table based only on matches played in the 2026 calendar year, before this round we would be ranked 5th among all teams in the league, level on points with Rapid in 4th place. Among the teams in the play-out, we remain in first place, with a one-point lead over FCSB.
Thus, we are naturally hoping to continue our good run and further distance ourselves from Petrolul. “There was no break for us in the past two weeks either, we trained seriously, played a friendly match, there were aspects I wanted to observe, and we worked specifically for the next match. Physically, the team looks good, and we have high expectations for the match against Petrolul. I expect a difficult game, as they have had a coaching change, which usually boosts the team, they will play with more confidence in front of their own supporters, but based on our analysis and preparation, I believe we have a good chance to return from Ploiești with points,” said head coach Róbert Ilyés at the pre-match press conference.
Our midfielder, Erwin Bloj, stated that in his opinion the team prepared efficiently during the international break, everyone is focused, and we are traveling to Ploiești aiming for a good result. Efraim Bödő took part in the Romania U19 national team camp in recent days, where he gained useful experience in three matches, even though the team did not manage to qualify for the summer European Championship. “I expect a good match against Petrolul, I know the team has worked hard during this period, I am happy to be back and to be with the team again, and everything indicates that we can trust in a good result there,” said the young midfielder.
The match, part of the 3rd round of the play-out, will take place on Monday at 17:30 at the Ilie Oană Stadium in Ploiești and will be broadcast, as usual, on Digisport 1 and Prima Sport 1. There is also still the opportunity to join our supporters’ group, the Lokálpatrióták, and cheer for the team on site.