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Romania and Hungary will square off today in one of Europe`s biggest rivalries, as well as in a deciding game for World Cup qualification. Holland has virtually won the Group, so this is a game for the second place. Hungary has 11 points, Romania 10, both with 6 games played. Turkey has 7 points on 4th place. Romania has the easiest draw in the last rounds. The fact that only 8 second-placed teams will reach the playoffs makes this a must win game for both teams, as they are rather unsure of their position in that group.
Romania is considered a big favorite by the bookies today, but the hosts` win is far away from a “banker”. Romania is not such a strong team, and manager Piturca made a dubious move in not calling up the best attacking player in the team, Mutu, so the main striker will probably be Marica, who is a free agent after being released by Schalke. Nevertheless, Marica has always played excellent for the national team so he should be fine today. Another big blow could be Chiriches, the new Tottenham centre-back being questionable for this game.
Hungary will have arguably the best players on the pitch today, Dzudzsak (Dinamo Moscow) and Szalai (Schalke), but besides them the team is rather poor. The absence of crucial centre-back Juhasz will be a big blow for them. Hungary`s defense is abysmal, with inexperienced players from the domestic league.
Romania: Tatarusanu – Matel, Chiriches (Papp), Goian, Rat – Pintilii, Bourceanu – Torje, Stancu (Tanase), Maxim – Marica
Hungary: Bogdan – Vanczak, Guzmics, Korcsmar, Kádár – Varga, Elek – Hajnal, Koman, Dzsudzsak – Szalai
Both teams were very offensive so far in the qualies, in their games being scored an average of well over 3 goals per contest. The first leg ended 2-2, with the romanians equalising in the last second on an empty stadium (FIFA Ban). This game can really go either way, the value lies on Hungary at these odds, but the best bet is the over. Romania is not so strong in defense and can be punished by Hungary`s superstars, Szalai and Dzudzsak. Dzudzsak will be paired with an inexperienced defender, Matel, and he could make a lot of damage on the counters with his speed. If Chiriches will miss, Romania will also be exposed at the centre-back positions, with Goian being old and slow and Papp inexperienced at this level. On the other hand, the visitors have such a poor defense that it`s hard to believe Romania will not create some huge chances. The hosts have good players up front, Maxim (Stuttgart), Torje (Espanyol) and even the unemployed Marica. Also, the pitch is in perfect condition, so that should facilitate a free-flowing game.
This will be a tight one and could well end like in the last meeting, with a 2-2 draw. Expect Romania to dominate possession and break down the Hungarian error-prone defense, with the visitors hitting on counters.
Pick: over 2,5
Odds: 2.05 @ Sbobet
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 8.40
Event date: 6 September
