Romania vs Spain Preview: Where to Watch, Buy Tickets, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
Spain will be looking to maintain their perfect start to Group F when they return to Euro 2020 qualifying action on Thursday night.
Having won their opening four qualifying matches, Spain are on course for a spot in another European Championships, a tournament which they won back in 2008 and 2012.
However, they face a potentially difficult challenge this week when they take on Romania.
Where to Watch
When Is Kick Off? | Thursday 5 September |
What Time Is Kick Off? | 19:45 (BST) |
Where Is it Played? | National Arena, Bucharest |
TV Channel/Live Stream? | Sky Sports Football (UK) |
Referee? | Denis Aytekin |
Team News
OSCAR DEL POZO/GettyImages
Romania will have Vlad Chiriches available, with the experienced defender having only played once for his country since November 2017 due to ongoing injury problems. However, they will be missing Alexandru Chipciu down the right flank, who serves a suspension after he was sent off against Malta in their last outing.
They have also called up the exciting talent George Puscas. The 23-year-old shone at the Under-21 European Championships over the summer, helping his team to the semi-finals, and is currently plying his trade for Championship side Reading.
Spain's concerns come in attack, with Marco Asensio, Isco, Diego Costa and Alvaro Morata all missing out on the squad due to fitness issues, so Robert Moreno will likely have to name an unfamiliar front three.
Predicted Lineups
Romania | Tatarusanu; Sapunaru, Chiriches, Grigore, Tosca; Anton, Marin, Stanciu; Maxim, Puscas, Keseru |
Spain | Kepa; Carvajal, Ramos, Hermoso, Alba; Busquets, Parejo, Ruiz; Sarabia, Ceballos, Rodrigo. |
Head to Head Record
There have been 12 competitive matches between the two teams, with Spain holding the upper hand in those encounters with five wins to Romania's three.
Their last competitive meeting came in Euro 1996, which Spain won 2-1 to advance through to the quarter-finals. Guillermo Amor was the hero that day, scoring the winner with six minutes remaining.
The two teams did face one another in a friendly back in 2016 in preparation for that summer's European Championships, with the game ending goalless.
Recent Form
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Romania have made a bright start to qualifying, winning two of their opening four games. As things stand, it seems likely that they will be battling with Sweden and Norway for second place in the group.
Spain lost two of their last three games in 2018, but have recovered well since the turn of the year. Four straight wins have put them in a strong position in the standings.
Here is how both sides have fared in their last five fixtures.
Romania | Spain |
Malta 0-4 Romania (10/6/19) | Spain 3-0 Sweden (10/6/19) |
Norway 2-2 Romania (7/6/19) | Faroe Islands 1-4 Spain (7/6/19) |
Romania 4-1 Faroe Islands (26/3/19) | Malta 0-2 Spain (26/3/19) |
Sweden 2-1 Romania (23/3/19) | Spain 2-1 Norway (23/3/19) |
Montenegro 0-1 Romania (20/11/18) | Spain 1-0 Bosnia & Herzegovina (18/11/18) |
Prediction
This could prove to be Spain's toughest test of the group so far, with the team perhaps lacking firepower up front.
However, they remain a classy side, and should be able to edge this one in the Romanian capital.
