As the international break begins, Greece heads north to Bucharest to take on Romania in a friendly match at the Stadionul Steaua, kickoff at 9:15 pm.
Romania traveled to Liechtenstein in November for their final Group J game with their hopes of a playoff place on the line.
Though they were unable to secure a victory, they still put up a mighty effort, as Dennis Man scored the opening goal and Nicusor Bancu got the match-winner in the 87th minute. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to help them achieve their goal, as North Macedonia had won earlier in the day at Iceland.
Romania has not qualified for the World Cup since the golden era of Gheorghe Hagi in 1998. They have failed to qualify for the World Cup four times and the European Championship twice, most recently after losing to Denmark in a playoff.
A win here would be welcomed to soften their recent blows, but they will be coming up against a side with a similar mindset.
In the most heartbreaking way possible, Greece lost out on World Cup qualification, suffering a 1-1 draw against Kosovo with nothing but pride to play for.
The Pirate Ship was actually in contention for a top-two finish heading into their final game, having recorded back-to-back victories over Sweden and Georgia, only to lose their following two against Sweden and Spain.
Romania vs. Greece Head to Head
Both sides have three games against each other, with hosts taking two wins and one draw. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Liechtenstein 0-2 Romania
- Romania 0-0 Iceland
- Romania 1-0 Ireland
- Germany 2-1 Romania
- North Macedonia 0-0 Romania
Away
- Greece 1-1 Kosovo
- Greece 0-1 Spain
- Sweden 2-0 Greece
- Georgia 0-2 Greece
- Greece 2-1 Sweden
Romania Team News
Goalkeeper Florin Iacob has been forced to leave the Romania squad due to a positive test for COVID-19 and has been replaced by Horatiu Moldovan. Coaches Ilie Dobre and Anghel Iordanescu have no reported injuries or suspensions, but Manole Man, Andrei Ivan, and Bancu have also shown flu-like symptoms.
Greece Team News
The visitors have lost two players through a positive doping test, with Marios Vrousai and Giorgos Masouras being replaced by Tasos Chatzigiovanis and Lefteris Lyratzis, respectively. Kostas Stafylidis injured himself in training and cannot play in the group match against Romania.
Prediction and Odds
We are backing the home side to emerge victorious, extending their unbeaten run to three games with a narrow win.
- Romania Win
- Both Teams to Score
- Goals Over 2.5
