Saturday, May 31, 2008

UEFA Euro 2008: Romania Team Preview

The squad: Romania are back in a major tournament for the first time since a quarterfinal appearance at Euro 2000. The squad won nine and lost only once in 12 qualifying matches, topping Group G ahead of Holland.

The players: Fiorentina striker Adrian Mutu will look to replicate the form he showed in qualifying when he netted six goals. His offensive partner, Ciprian Marica struggled in his first season at Stuttgart but was strong during qualifying, scoring five times. Captain Cristian Chivu of Inter leads the defense in front of goaltender Bogdan Lobont.

The schedule: vs. France (6/9); vs. Italy (6/13); vs. Holland (6/17)

The prediction: The draw was not kind to the Romanians whose progress past the group stages would come as a major surprise.

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