Romania vs Switzerland - preview

                              VS

- Latest events

ROMANIA

·         If Payet hadn’t had that moment of brilliance, all the talk about the opening match would be how greatly Romania stunned France, and how well they played.   

·         Of course they didn’t dominate or deserved to win the game, but they were a major headache for Deschamps’ team and were close to an upset.  

·         Iordanescu knows that his team is capable of beating the other two opponents, and will try that against Switzerland.  

SWITZERLAND

·         They won, but it was the most disappointing win you could’ve thought off, as they played Albania, who had ten man for an hour, and Petkovic’s team ended defending their narrow lead.   

·         Seferovic was null and shouldn’t get the privilege of starting again.

·         The Swiss know a win will qualify them, but this game is going to be harder, as Romania defends a bit better, and is definitely more dangerous that the Albanians.  

- Areas to follow

ROMANIA

·         Defense

It took a bad punching attempt from Tatarusanu and a wonderful strike from Payet to break them down. The Romania back line did a fantastic job in trying to spot the French offensive, with great teamwork and fighting spirit. They ended up getting nothing from the game, but there good promises from the match.

·         Midfield

Hoban and Pintili were monsters, but today it’s going to be required that they also think of going forward, as Romania will commit more man in the attack. Stanciu had an irregular game and will have to step up in an effort to contribute.   

·         Attack

Stancu missed a couple of chances, but he found the right places and with Andone, necessarily, more involved in today’s game, Romania knows they will have opportunities to get in the scoresheet, and they need to take them.

             

SWITZERLAND

·            Defense

 Sommer ended up having to be on point to avoid a draw against Albania, in a game where the Swiss defense wasn’t that tested, but allowed some chances to their rivals, in a match that can only be described as insufficient.  

·             Midfield

 As predicted it was a very combative midfield line, while it was required that would “think” the game better for Switzerland to dominate. Instead we saw a group of players that fought bravely and won many balls, but was then unable to create something with it. And when they lost strength, Switzerland had troubles.  

·             Attack

Seferovic missed several chances that would have given a much more relaxed win to the Swiss. It was a clear missed bet from Petkovic, and he has other solutions that will guarantee, if anything, they will be more dangerous. Embolo and Derdyok are raring to go, while the wings should be occupied by the same players, with Shaqiri needing to be more assertive than in matchday 1

- FIL’S VERDICT

 It’s going to be an entertaining match, as Romania needs to come out and try to get something from the game, and Switzerland will relish that, as they feel much better when they play on quick counters, rather than them controlling possession.

 With that being said, the game against Albania also showed us that Petkovic’s team has troubles defensively, allowing too much space behind their offensive full backs, not covered by one of the defensive midfielders. If Stancu and Popa are as active as against France, Switzerland will have troubles.

 Romania will have to attack, but they’ll try to not have the ball that much themselves, hoping the Swiss will make a mistake they can take advantage of. A draw would possibly fit both teams, but Romania has to try and get the win to make sure they have the doors open for the last match. 

FIL’S PREDICTION

ROMANIA 1-1 SWITZERLAND