Egnatia faces a special challenge in Romania, not only against an opponent with European tradition and ambition, but also in a facility that represents another dimension of Balkan football. Universitatea Craiova has a clear advantage in terms of squad value and financial capacity, while the club's management has also chosen an interesting way to bring fans closer to the stadium.
On paper, the difference between Universitatea Craiova and Egnatia is considerable. The Romanian club represents a reality with a long tradition in European football, while Egnatia is a much younger success story, which has gained ground in Albanian football through investments and results in recent years. This difference is also reflected in the size of the two teams. Craiova has an organic team with a value of 36.85 million euros in the player market, much higher in relation to the Albanian champions. 17 of Universitatea's 27 players cross the 1 million euro barrier, while the star of the team is left-back Stefan Baiaram, whose card costs 5 million euros. The Romanian club's financial capacities are also on another level compared to those of Egnatia.
However, football is not only played on balance sheets and market values, but the scene where this match will take place is equally significant. “Ion Oblemenco”, home of Universitatea Craiova, is one of the most modern stadiums in Romania. The current facility was inaugurated in 2017, has a capacity of nearly 31 thousand spectators and bears the name of one of the greatest figures in the history of the club. It takes the place of the old stadium, opened in 1967, where many of the chapters of the history of football in Craiova were written. A modern arena, but with a name that maintains the connection with the tradition and identity of the club, which has also thought of a special way to encourage the presence of fans in front of the fans.
Universitatea has announced that every ticket purchased for the match against Egnatia will be valid for the next championship match. An offer that aims to fill the stadium's steps and create the most passionate atmosphere in this European match. Thus, for Egnatia, the challenge is great, the opponent has other dimensions, but on the field the differences must be proven.
