Romania will be looking to extend their positive run of form on Sunday when the Tricolorii play host to Spain at the Stadionul Marin Anastasovici.

Unbeaten in 16 matches

Romania did great to continue their impressive run against Lithuania during the week. Anghel Iordanescu’s troops have won 1-0 thanks to a sole goal from Stanciu, who struck five minutes past the hour mark. Romania have thus extended their unbeaten run to 16 straight matches, with their last defeat being the 2-1 slump at Algeria in 2014. The Tricolorii have had a successful Euro 2016 qualifying campaign as they have finished second in group F, just one point behind Northern Ireland. Romania haven’t lost a single game during the qualifications, while they also conceded only 2 goals during ten matches. Anghel Iordanescu has managed to forge a rock-solid team and a compact unit which could be a surprise package in the 2016 European Championship finals. The forthcoming match against La Roja will perhaps be the greatest test to Romania national team and an opportunity for the Tricolorii to test their skills against one of the favourites to lift the continental title this summer.

Iordanescu used six substitutes in the game against Lithuania and is expected to continue the experiment in order to give his players a chance to shine. Adrian Rapotan could be handed a starting berth in the Sunday’s match.

Del Bosque’s experiment

Spain are coming off from a 1-1 draw against Italy and from a game which served as an experiment for head coach Vicente del Bosque, who tried two different systems in the match at Friuli. The two European powerhouses played an interesting match with plenty of chances after the silent first half. Lorenzo Insigne opened the scorings with 20 minutes from time, while Aritz Aduriz scored two minutes later to cap his return to the national team with an equalizer. Del Bosque fielded a team with two classic striker, pairing up Morata and Aduriz upfront, but the pair showed lack of understanding which was totally expected given the fact that Juventus and Athletic Bilbao strikers played together for the first time. Del Bosque later on introduced Paco Alcacer and David Silva, changing the formation and solidifying the midfield, which resulted in a more free flowing game. We should most certainly expect additional changes to the Spanish team for the game in Romania as European champions from 2012 continue their Euro 2016 preparations.

Aduriz could be awarded with another starting berth following his goal against Italy, while we could also expect to see Nolito upfront to support him. Debutant to the Spain national team Sergi Roberto is also in line to make his senior bow.

Verdict

Both teams are in excellent forms and we should expect to see an openly contested affair in Romania. Spain are willing to return to winning ways following the stalemate in Italy, while hosts will be keen on extending their unbeaten run to 17 straight matches.

Top pick: Under 2.5 goals    1.74 (14/19) @888sport

Alternative pick 1: Both teams to score – No    1.73 (8/11) @SkyBet

Alternative pick 2: Spain    1.7 (7/10) @BetFred