Rapid București Fac 8 Absențe Before Argeş Piteşti Vs Rapid București
Rapid București went into argeş piteşti vs rapid bucurești with eight absences and a starting XI shaped by necessity, not luxury. The 20:30 match at Stadionul Orășenesc in Mioveni carried fifth place in the penultimate round of the play-off, with Rapid still chasing a win after 14 March.
That gave the game a simple edge: FC Argeș could leap to fifth with a win, while Rapid could still reach fourth place only if it won and Dinamo slipped. The first league meeting between the sides had finished 0-0, so neither team arrived with a recent scoring edge to lean on.
Mioveni carries the weight
FC Argeș entered the match as one of the season’s surprises after promotion, already in the play-off and also into the Romanian Cup semifinals. Bogdan Andone wanted the last home game of the season treated like a final. “Va trebui să avem o abordare agresivă, o atitudine pozitivă și să câștigăm jocul, pentru că ar fi extrem de frumos să ne bucurăm la sfârșitul jocului, împreună cu suporterii, de acest sezon extraordinar al echipei.”
He pushed the same line further by demanding pressure from the opening phases. “Va trebui să fim foarte bine motivați, foarte bine pregătiți, mental în primul rând, ca atitudine. Să-i forțăm să facă greșeli, să-i punem sub presiune tot timpul și va trebui să facem un efort extrem de mare. Trebuie să tratăm meciul ca pe o finală, pentru că îmi doresc enorm de mult să câștigăm ultimul joc de pe teren propriu.”
Gâlcă’s shortage and selection
Constatin Gâlcă had to work around the absences before kickoff, and Alex Dobre began on the bench. Borza was deployed as a left-sided attacker, a clear sign that Rapid had to adjust its usual balance to get through the night in Mioveni.
Rapid’s starting team was Aioani, Onea, D. Ciobotariu, Pașcanu, Sălceanu, Christensen, K. Keita, Grameni, Moruțan, D. Paraschiv and Borza. FC Argeș lined up with Straton, Tofan, Tudose, Sadriu, Borța, Rădescu, Rață, Blagaic, Idowu, Matos and Bettaieb, with both sides naming 11 starters for the 15 May 2026 match.
Andone framed Rapid as more than a side short on bodies. “Indiferent de problemele de lot sau de situația prin care trece echipa adversă în momentul de față, [Rapid] este o echipă cu ADN, cu jucători extrem de valoroși.”
The result had clean stakes for both benches: FC Argeș needed one more strong home push to finish fifth, while Rapid’s route to fourth depended on a win and Dinamo doing its part. For a team that had not won since 14 March, the margin for error in Mioveni was already gone.
