Controversial FCSB owner Gigi Becali caused a bit of a stir in the north-east of Scotland after his club set up a Europa League play-off against Aberdeen.
Becali is so confident of his club progressing that he has apparently already accounted for the money his side will rake in for reaching the league phase of a tournament they performed well in last season.
Whether Dons’ boss Jimmy Thelin is the kind of manager who pins disparaging remarks made from the opposition camp to his changing room wall is unknown, but they have certainly added some edge to the tie.
The confidence emanating from the Romanian champions belies what has been a poor start to the season domestically and continentally.
They have won just once in their six league openers and were humbled by North Macedonians – and former Aberdeen foes – Shkendija in Champions League qualifying after narrowly squeezing past minnows Inter Club D’Escaldes of Andorra, a tie in which they embarrassingly lost the second leg.
They then had to come from 2-0 down at half-time in the first leg of the third qualifying round for this tournament against Kosovan champions Drita to secure their play-off berth.
Amid the tepid start to their title defence, former Kilmarnock winger Danny Armstrong endeared himself to the Dinamo Bucharest fans by knocking in a spectacular hat-trick in the ‘Eternal Derby’ at the start of the month in a 4-3 victory over FCSB not long after his move to the Romanian capital.
However, none of that has got in the way of the confidence oozing out of the country, with Florian Prunea – who kept goal at the 1994 World Cup as they reached the quarter finals – giving the Dons no chance.
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