Pavel Badea backs Alexandru Cicâldău over Ianis Hagi for Romania start

Universitatea Craiova secured a 2-0 home victory against Egnatia in the third round of the Conference League. Following the match, club president Pavel Badea stated that midfielder Alexandru Cicâldău currently deserves to start for the Romanian national team over Ianis Hagi. Badea asserted that Cicâldău demonstrates superior value through his consistent performances and utility to his teams compared to Hagi at this moment.

Badea expressed confidence that Universitatea Craiova will finish in the top eight of the Conference League standings to achieve direct qualification for the European spring phase. He estimated that securing four points from the remaining three group stage matches would be sufficient to guarantee this direct progression without needing a playoff round.

The club president also highlighted the contributions of captain Nicușor Bancu, describing him as the team's metronome whose performance level dictates the squad's overall form. Badea noted that Bancu is currently in a prosperous period and, citing his professionalism and orderly lifestyle, predicted he could continue playing for another three to four years.

Ștefan Baiaram received praise for his ascending form relative to the previous month, with Badea emphasizing his ability to create offensive superiority and his significant defensive work rate. Looking ahead, Badea acknowledged that upcoming fixtures against Copenhagen, Brighton, and Kairat present difficult challenges but maintained optimism about navigating both the European campaign and the domestic Superliga simultaneously thanks to a deep squad.