UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifying Group F leaders Spain are looking to consolidate their place at the top of the table when they visit Romania at National Arena in Bucharest on Thursday. The two sides have last met in a friendly match in 2016 and it ended goalless. Before that, Romania had secured a 1-0 victory over Spain in another friendly match, in 2006, ten years after a 2-1 defeat at the 1996 European Championship. Overall, the last six direct matches have produced a perfectly balanced record, with two victories apiece and two draws.
Romania had a poor start to the qualifying campaing for Euro 2020, they were defeated 2-1 in Sweden and it looked like they were going to miss yet another final tournament. However, they recovered with a 4-1 victory over minnows Faroe Islands, then snatched a 2-2 draw in Norway and secured a 4-0 victory in Malta. Those results suggest that it would take a miracle for Romania to beat Spain on Thursday, but they would have to at least avoid defeat if they are to keep any realistic chances of finishing second in this group. Winger Alexandru Chipciu was sent off in the last match and will be suspended for this one, while left-back Nicusor Bancu withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
Spain are pretty much on track to secure qualification, they have won all their four matches so far, scoring eleven goals and conceding just two. They started with a narrow 2-1 win over Norway, but then seemed to find their usual cadence and defeated Malta 2-0, Faroe Islands 4-1 and Sweden 3-0. A victory in Bucharest will solidify their position at the top of the group table at the halfway point of the campaign, leaving Sweden, Norway and Romania to battle for second spot. This match is special for the Spaniards because it is the first game in charge for new head coach Robert Moreno, who replaced Luis Enrique in June.
Probable line-ups:
Romania: Tatarusanu - Benzar, Grigore, Chiriches, Tosca - Marin, Anton - Deac, Stanciu, Maxim - Andone
Spain: Arrizabalaga - Carvajal, Ramos, Hermoso, Alba - Parejo, Busquets, Niguez - Suso, Alcacer, Oyarzabal
My prediction:
Romania will probably try their best to keep a clean sheet and hope for a lucky counter-attack, but Spain will most likely be able to break them at least once. I expect a 1-0 victory for Spain.
Here are the odds for the match at NetBet:
Romania win - 7.00
Draw - 4.50
Spain win - 1.44
Your feedback
Please enter your comment.
Your comment is added.
