Romania vs Sweden
If ever there was a must-win, this is it.
Group F is about to reach a climax this week, and Romania must realistically beat Sweden in Bucharest on Friday night to keep their hopes of automatic qualification for Euro 2020 alive.
This is a tough game to call, with only 11 places separating the two teams in the FIFA World Rankings, Sweden at 18th and Romania at 29th. And with the stakes high in front of a passionate crowd at the Arena Nationala, there is little to choose between the two nations who are separated by one point.
As expected Spain have taken control of Group F and are already through. They will be one of the most popular teams for Euro 2020 betting tips over the next six months or so, alongside France, Belgium and England. In the chasing pack in Group F Norway are three points behind Romania, in fourth place, but could climb back into contention with a win in their home fixture against the Faroe Islands.
This is a great weekend for SBOBET football fans and Romania vs Sweden is one of the best picks. A win for Romania would really blow the race wide open.
Talking Points
Romania must attack
In the last round of matches, with Sweden drawing with Spain the Tricolorii had a chance to capitalize at home to Norway and were leading deep into injury time when Alexander Sorloth broke their hearts with a late, late equalizer.
That left Romania trailing Sweden by a point, and now head coach Cosmin Contra needs to lift his side again when the Scandinavians arrive. A draw would almost certainly rule out Romania’s chances of a second-place as Sweden plays the Faroe Islands next, while Romania has an away game in Spain.
The hosts are tough to beat on home soil but have struggled to win against the better sides, and that’s something they will try to put right on Friday.
Lyon goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu sits behind an inexperienced defence, with Lecce right back Romario Benzar the most capped with 18 internationals to his name. But the Triclorii will play on the front foot with in-form striker Claudiu Keseru looking to add to his six for the tournament. Young Reading striker George Puskas will provide good support. The 23-year-old has made his name in this campaign, scoring five; and the two strikers together can prove a handful.
Contra needs them to be firing on Friday.
When the weekend’s Euro 2020 results are in the bag, Romania will pretty much know if they are still alive and kicking.
Sweden’s fate in their own hands
So a draw will not be a bad result for Sweden.
Head coach Jan Andersson will expect his team to beat the Faroe Islands, but he doesn’t want to go there on the back of a defeat. So he’ll look to his captain and defence to shut out the Romanians. Sweden’s skipper Andreas Granqvist is the rock at the heart of his defence with 87 appearances under his belt, and he’s a real threat up front, particularly in dead ball situations. And alongside him, Manchester United’s Victor Lindelof is having a better domestic season, which will give him more confidence.
The Swedes have struggled for goal-scoring consistency but they have a bright spark in Mainz 05 striker Robin Quaison, who has scored four in the competition and six in 14 appearances in total. Marcus Berg was on target as Sweden played out the 1-1 draw with Spain, and he’ll be looking to add to his 20 international goals.
History
Romania hasn’t reached a World Cup final tournament this century, but made Euro 16, going out in the group stages, and would dearly love to make another appearance next year.
The head-to-head clashes have been in Romania’s favour in the five games since 1982, by three to two. But Sweden won the most recent meeting 2-1. Quaison and Victor Claessen were on target for Sweden while Keresu pulled one back for the Romanians.
There’s little to choose between the two in terms of recent form. Both have won three, drawn two and lost one of the last six games.
Betting Tip
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Romania vs Sweden | Romania Draw no Bet @ 1.98 |
| November 16, 03:45 (GMT+8) |
It’s hard to separate these two teams, particularly with Romania at home. The hosts are available at 2.51, with Sweden marginally shorter at 2.43 and the draw is 3.20.
Romania will go for the win, whereas Sweden’s stout defence will look to dominate, and they will happily leave Bucharest with a point.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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