Our prediction for this match:
Romania and Bulgaria, the two neighbouring countries, lock horns at Stadionul Steaua in an eagerly-awaited friendly. Romania did remarkably well to qualify for the EURO 2024 finals and, no doubt, boss Edward Iordanescu is going to use upcoming friendlies to prepare his men for the opener against Ukraine. The lack of star players could prove to be the biggest problem for the Tricolori at the tournament in Germany, but they are still seen as hot favourites to beat Bulgaria in Bucharest.
The visitors, meanwhile, are no longer playing important role in international football. As Ilian Iliev’s men failed to impress in the EURO 2024 qualifiers, collecting only four points in total, home win should be considered. A man to keep an eye on in the away team will be captain Kiril Despodov, who has netted 12 goals for PAOK in all competitions this term.
Highlighted Team (Romania):
Romania were one of just four European sides to take part at the first ever World Cup in 1930, and the team have since achieved respectable results on the international stage, albeit failing to challenge for major trophies.
Led by arguably their best ever footballer Gheorghe Hagi, the Tricolorii narrowly missed out on the semi-finals at the 1994 World Cup in the United States, losing to Sweden on penalties. Romania made a total of seven appearances at the World Cup finals, while qualifying for five European Championship tournaments. The Tricolorii went the farthest in 2000, when they were eliminated by Italy in the quarter-finals.
Tied at the top of the goalscoring charts, Gheorghe Hagi and Adrian Mutu are the only two Romanian footballers to have gained worldwide recognition, but Dorinel Munteanu, Dan Petrescu, Gheorghe Popescu and Viorel Moldovan are also worth mention. Romania play their home games at the Arena National in Bucarest.