Twente recorded a 1-0 victory in Romania, but rather than trying to hold on to the advantage, the Dutch side are expected to attack their opponents and put the tie beyond doubt as early as possible. Steaua looked very bad in the first leg, and they face a mountain to climb in Enschede.

Twente going strong

Twente emerged as one of the best Dutch sides over the last few years and after winning their maiden Eredivisie title in 2010, the Tukkers continued with strong performances on both domestic and European stage. Twente had the misfortune to face Benfica in the final Champions League qualifying phase this season and after they were eliminated by the Eagles, the team continued their European campaign in Europa League. The Tukkers were thoroughly impressive in group stage, winning the first place in front of Fulham, Wisla Krakow and OB, proving everyone they take this competition very seriously. Steve McClaren’s side did well to win the first leg of the Last 32 phase against Steaua at a very difficult pitch in Romania, meaning they should have an easy job in the return leg. The team have been in very good form after the winter break and they can be trusted to record a comfortable win here.

New signing Wesley Verhoek is not yet ready to make his debut as he is sidelined with injury, but all other players are fit to feature.

Steaua in big problems

The former European Champions Cup winners are going through a rough patch at the moment and the club look unable to restore their domestic dominance let alone achieve something in Europe. After the first part of the season, Steaua sit in 4th place in the standings, eight points clear of leaders Dinamo and with the second part of the league campaign not to start for another ten days, it is no wonder the team are in a pretty bad shape at the moment. Steaua somehow qualified from the group that contained Schalke, Maccabi Haifa and AEK Larnaca, but the 5-0 defeat in Israel still leaves a bad taste in the mouth. The Romanian side looked simply pathetic in the first leg, and we cannot expect them to feature any better when playing the same opponents away from home. Another disappointing defeat looks on the cards.

Midfielder Alexandru Bourceanu returns from suspension, whereas Pablo Brandan could return to the centre of the park after being deployed as left-back in the first leg.

Verdict

One of the strongest sides in Netherlands proved their worth by winning the first leg in Romania and they are expected to take this game seriously and record another morale-boosting victory. Steaua appear to be in big problems at the moment and they should be lucky if they manage to avoid a heavy defeat in Enschede.

Our prediction: Twente Half time/Full time win

Odds: 2.10 (11/10)

Bookmaker: 188BET