Friendly match between Romania and Russia. Some little political tension between these two countries, mainly because Romania supports a lot the idea of Ukraine and Georgia to be implicated in the next wave of extension in the North Atlantic structures, which would furthermore limit Russian influence in the region. But this is football, and maybe none of that tension will be passed on.

Romania have qualified from the first place in the group. AT home they have been very strong, only drawing against Bulgaria by mistake. Here, the pressure is very big on the NT, even though it is a friendly match. The media, the football investors, all discuss our NT's ability to perform well in this EC, considering the impossible group with Italy, France and the Netherlands. Coach Piturca will definitely plan this match with maximum seriousness, like an official one, as it is one of the last tests before the EC, and the opponent is another qualified team. The Romanian group will be:

Keepers: Lobonþ(Dinamo B.), M. Popa ( Poli Timisoara )

Defenders : Contra (Getafe), Ogãraru (Ajax), Tamaº (Auxere), Chivu (Inter), D. Goian (Steaua B.), Raþ (Din. Kiev) , Sepsi (Benfica)

Midfielders : Fl. Petre (CSKA Sofia), Nicoliþã (Steaua B.), Cociº(Lok. Moscow), Ov. Petre

(Steaua B.), M. Rãdoi (Steaua B.), N. Dicã (Steaua B.), Aliuþã (Poli Timisoara)

Forwards: Mutu( Fiorentina), Marica (Stuttgart), D. Niculae (Auxerre) and Marius Niculae(Inverness FC).

Some of the players are not in their best shape, but the lineup and the play will definitely be competitive and the players will give their best for a victory. The probable lineup is:

Lobont

Contra - Tamas - Goian - Rat

F. Petre - Radoi - Chivu -Cocis

Mutu - Marica

This was the general strategy used by coach Piturca in the qualifying campaign, but tonight he may choose not to start with 2 defensive mid-fielders and he may go for a more offensive one, with a retracted forward instead of RAdoi or Chivu.

Russia will be coming without Kerzhakov and Arshavin. Coach Guus Hiddink will use only one player that is not from the local championship, Izmailov from Sporting. Attackers Adamov and Shirokov, who can play as both defender and midfielder, are first time in the NT. So Russia comes to Romania not in full power, and their performances have been rather bad away from home, losing against England and Israel, and only managing to beat Andorra by 1-0. On the other hand, Romania is very motivated and has always performed well in friendlies at home.

It has rained a bit last night, but now the sky is clear and the sun is shining, so the conditions will probably be very good. So i strongly believe Romania can grab this one, even by only one goal. Good luck.

Pick : Romania -0.5
Odds : 2.16
Stake : 7 / 10
Bookmaker : Mansion88
Date : 2008-03-26
Match Result : 3-0
Tipster Personal Link/Sponsor:

Viewed 1807 times.