There are 26 rounds in the basic part of the Romanian league, in which they Cluj lost only twice in last season. First at home with Viitorul Constanța and in the spring at Craiova. In the next matches, players from the Romanian university city collected 15 victories, 9 draws and went to the championship group from the first place. Cluj one 9 of 10 matches and won the title five points before the FCSB rival. Cluj defended its previous season's championship title.
In the first half of last season, Julio Baptista, a footballer known for his engagement in Real Madrid, played in Cluj. But played is not a right word. He played just 45 minutes and in March he and the club terminated the contract.
The most important player from the current team is George Tucudean. The 28-year-old striker played the best season of his career when he scored eighteen goals in the league and pushed Cluj to the title. His strength are good choice of place in the box, right foot and goal headers. He had played in six clubs before he moved to Cluj (for example Liège or Charlton). But in Cluj he began to be great shooter.
An interesting person in the Cluj is also the offensive Argentine midfielder Emmanuel Culio. He was also one of the important players of the line-up in the last season and scored seven goals. Culio also has Romanian citizenship. He played in Spain, Turkey or Saudi Arabia. He has been back in Cluj for two years and won two titles there.
The head-coach of the Romanian team is Dan Petrescu, who took over the team in March, after finishing the basic part of the Romanian league. Petrescu was a defender and played in Genoa, Sheffield or Chelsea. He played for five years in London and won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1998 and also the European Super Cup.
Sparta's match against Cluj-Napoca begins in Bad Wimsbach on Saturday at 4:30 pm. You can watch it at the stadium or via live.sparta.cz!
