NICK BIDWELL
Euro 2020 play-offs
Iceland v Romania ICELAND Three Reasons to be Cheerful
1 Memories still burn bright of their Euro 2016 heroics, particularly the sensational round-of-16 victory over England. Thoughts of more continental glory are bound to fire up the hosts. 2 Coach Erik Hamren puts his side’s chances of victory against the Romanians at 55-45 in Iceland’s favour. Home advantage at a rocking Laugardalsvollur arena could tip the balance even further.
3 Their ability to make goals out of nothing, to live off scraps and then strike, of which Kolbeinn Sigthorsson is a perfect example.
Three Fear Factors
1 They are undoubtedly an ageing team and fielded no fewer than seven thirtysomethings in the 1-0 home loss to France in October. No one can defy the passing of the years.
2 Iceland are rarely comfortable playing on the front foot and in a one-off tie on home soil they will be expected to take the initiative. They would much rather play a counterattacking, waiting game.
3 The last time Hamren was involved in a major tournament play-off he ended up on the losing side. Back in the autumn of 2013 his Sweden side lost 4-2 on aggregate to Portugal in a World Cup repechage.
ROMANIA Three Reasons to be Cheerful
1 Playmaker Ianis Hagi and striker George Puscas are a talented pair of young guns who, on their day, can combine beautifully.
2 Mirel Radoi’s appointment as coach last autumn should bring added freshness and enthusiasm to the ranks. Coach of the Romanian under-21 side that reached the semi-finals of last year’s European Championship, he has indicated that the promotion of youngsters will be a priority. 3 Evergreen 33-year-old front-man Claudiu Keseru may not start, but he is as hungry as ever and will be a more than useful impact sub.
Three Fear Factors
1 Defensively they are not as well organised or drilled as they ought to be. Once a Romanian international stopper himself, Radoi needs to iron out those awkward wrinkles. 2 In qualification they had a lot of problems when facing Scandinavian opposition and were winless in four games against Norway and Sweden. Will Iceland’s power be too much? 3 Battle-hardened centre-back Vlad Chiriches looks likely to miss the showdown in Reykjavik as he has been sidelined for several months following a groin problem.