Preview: Romania vs. Andorra - prediction, team news, lineups

After a disappointing draw against Belarus on Thursday night, Romania will be looking to bounce back against Andorra at the National Arena in Bucharest and potentially take the top spot in Group I if Switzerland fail to beat Belarus in an earlier kickoff.

The first meeting between the two sides ended in an unconvincing 2-0 win for Romania at the end of March, with the Andorrans having to play with 10 men for half an hour in the second half.

Match preview

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A 0-0 draw against one of the two bottom-placed teams in Belarus could have tragic consequences for Romania, currently second in Group I, as third-placed Israel are only two points behind and still have a game in hand.

The Romanians dominated throughout the match in terms of possession and shots on goal, but could not find a means to crack the Belarusian defensive block, which has the second-worst defensive record after Andorra.

Edward Iordanescu's team are still undefeated in Group I together with Switzerland, but could have already topped the group without the draws against Kosovo, Israel and now Belarus.

Nevertheless, none of the victories, including the opening 2-0 win over Andorra, the 2-1 win over Belarus and the 2-0 win over a 10-man Kosovo, were very convincing, therefore one has to wonder whether the team has rather overperformed or underperformed in the qualification for Euro 2024.

The Tricolor are still unbeaten at home this qualifying campaign - their last defeat came in a friendly against Slovenia in November last year and, despite Thursday's disappointing result, it would take a major upset on Sunday to end their unbeaten home streak.

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Andorra, on the other hand, suffered a 3-0 home defeat to Kosovo and remain bottom of the group with just two points after seven games.

As expected, they were completely outclassed during the 90 minutes and had no real chance to challenge the better Kosovar team.

Koldo Alvarez's side have gone without a goal in their last three matches, including a 3-0 defeat away to Switzerland and a goalless draw at home to Belarus.

It will be Andorra's fifth attempt to score against Romania, as they have failed to score in their last four meetings, conceding a total of 12 goals.

Team News

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The scoreless game against Belarus may have prompted Iordanescu to consider changing his options in attack.

Denis Alibec started as a solo striker on Thursday night but was substituted after an hour, therefore Valentin Mihaila, Romania's top scorer in Euro 2024 qualifying with three goals, could potentially take his place and lead the attack.

Olimpiu Morutan and Louis Munteanu could also be called up to the starting XI after Dennis Man and Denis Dragus failed to convince out wide against Belarus.

Andorra are expected to be without central defender Max Llovera, who was injured in the closing stages of the match and replaced by Francisco Pomares Ortega.

Otherwise, there should be no major changes in Andorra's starting XI, with a standard 5-4-1 formation forming the basis.

Romania possible starting lineup:
Moldovan; Ratiu, Dragusin, Burca, Bancu; Screciu, Marin, Stanciu, Morutan, Dragus; Mihaila

Andorra possible starting lineup:
Alvarez; Rubio, Vales, Ortega, Nicolas, Cervos; Rebes, Vales, Fernandez, Alaez; Fernandez

We say: Romania 4-0 Andorra

Romania have not been particularly successful in the attacking third in their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign so far, scoring nine goals in seven games, and their offensive weaknesses were also evident on Thursday against Belarus.

However, the home match against one of Europe's minnows could be the ice breaker to crack the opponents' goal and claim a comprehensive victory in the battle for the top spot in Group I.


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