This is exactly the kind of fixture that trips up teams who start admiring the next challenge before they have dealt with the one in front of them. Filipe Coelho has made the point plainly enough: Universitatea Craiova must not waste a second thinking about Getafe before Sunday’s match with FK Csikszereda in Miercurea Ciuc, because that is how careless performances are born.
It is an easy trap to understand and a harder one to avoid. Craiova sit in third place with 20 points, while Csikszereda arrive from last place with one point, but Coelho’s message is that the table can be one of the most dangerous lies in football. If you begin with the assumption that the outcome is already written, you invite trouble. That is precisely why he warned that looking at the standings would be the first big mistake, and thinking about Thursday’s 19:45 Conference League opener against Getafe would be the second.
Coelho wants focus, not fantasy
There is logic to his insistence. Craiova are the only Romanian team still active in European competition, and they are about to walk into a brutal run: 9 matches in 27-28 days. That kind of schedule demands discipline, not daydreaming. Coelho said it himself — the next match is the most important one, and the team must take everything one game at a time with confidence. That is not cautious talk. It is survival talk.
He also had good reasons to feel encouraged by the group he has in front of him. Coelho praised the players who stayed behind and prepared well, said there were no injuries from international duty, and stressed that the squad is together again. He even admitted that he missed them. That matters in a packed period like this, when cohesion can count as much as talent.
Assad Al-Hamlawi and Carlos Mora also came in for a reminder that national-team duty is an achievement, but one that must now be followed by full commitment to Craiova. Coelho was direct: he wants them happy, but he also wants their heads back in Bănie. It is a fair warning. High standards at international level are meaningless if the domestic job is approached with half an eye on Thursday night.
And that is the real point here. Csikszereda have changed coach, which adds uncertainty, while Craiova have the temptation of a European stage looming. Coelho is trying to shut down both the complacency and the distraction before they take hold. For a team with ambition, that is the right battle to fight.
So no, this should not be treated like a simple stopover on the way to Getafe. Sunday at 18:00 in Miercurea Ciuc is the assignment. Everything else is secondary. If Craiova want to keep building momentum, they need to prove they can handle the awkward, unfashionable, potentially messy matches as well as the glamorous ones.
