Steaua eager to better Betis

FC Steaua Bucuresti are hoping nerves do not get the better of them as Real Betis Balompié make a UEFA Cup visit to the Romanian capital on Thursday.

Sell-out crowd
With the 42,000 tickets for the game at the Lia Manoliu stadium having sold out on Monday, midfielder Sorin Paraschiv is eager not to let supporters down. "It's essential not to concede any goals and to score as many as we can," he said. "If we qualify, we will need two stadiums to fit all our fans in."

Radoi concerned
However, captain Mirel Radoi is still concerned after their last competitive match, the home leg of the Round of 32 tie against SC Heerenveen, ended in a 1-0 defeat. "We cannot allow them to create chances as we did in the second leg against Heerenveen, because Betis are a much better team," he said.

Indifferent form
Betis have been less than impressive in Spain's Primera División, where they lie 15th after Sunday's 1-0 defeat at Getafe CF. Their prospects of doing better in Bucharest have been hit by injuries to defenders Paolo Castellini and Alejandro Lembo.

Right atmosphere
Italian Castellini will be out for two weeks with a sprain to his right thigh while Lembo has broken his ankle, but coach Lorenzo Serra Ferrer hopes the big-match atmosphere at Steaua will help his side overcome such setbacks. "Everybody likes playing in games like this," he said.