BUCHAREST, Romania, CMC-Romania’s head coach Victor Piturka says he will not be taking Trinidad and Tobago for granted as both teams prepare to meet in a friendly international in Bucharest today.
The Soca Warriors arrived in the Romanian capital Saturday for their encounter, part of their preparations for the CONCACAF Gold Cup which kicks off in the US next month.
Piturka told reporters that he was hoping for a strong performance despite the absence of West Brom Albion defender Gabriel Tamas who was dropped from the squad following his arrest last week in Bucharest for drunken behavior after a night out.
“Trinidad and Tobago will not prove to be an easy opponent for us. It was the game that we arranged to play at this time. I would have liked to have more matches but on Tuesday we play Trinidad and Tobago,” said Piturka.
“This is the game we will focus on, I want to win but it will not be easy. We do not have much information on their team”.
Some of the other players in the Romania lineup include Stuttgart midfielder Alexandru Maxim, West Ham United defender Razvan Rat, and AS Roma goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont.
On Sunday, the Trinidad footballers completed an 80-minute training session under light rain and a temperature averaging 14 degrees Celcius at the Baza Sportiva in Buftea, 23 km north of Bucharest.
Co head coach Hudson Charles says while he is interested in winning the game, he was more concerned with the performance against Romania on today.
“The result matters yes, and we would obviously want to come away with something good but I’m more looking to see how the players react to our instructions and our approach in a match like this,” said Charles.
“More importantly, I want to see some sign of chemistry developing and good understanding between the players both on and off the field.
That is the purpose of a trip like this one at the moment.”