It’s time for another international break as the countdown to this summer’s UEFA Euro 2024 tournament truly begins. Some nations are gearing up for a big run, whereas others didn’t make the cut and simply want to rebuild ahead of World Cup qualifying. Today, we’ll be taking a look at what should be a pretty entertaining encounter between Romania and Northern Ireland.
Romania Form GuideRomania are the kind of national team that are difficult to predict from one tournament to the next. From time to time, they can pull off a major upset that leads you to believe their star players have what it takes to get them to the next level. On the flip side, they have a tendency to allow complacency to come into their setup. Either way, they regularly provide us with must-see international football.
In their last three games, Romania have been on a really nice run of form. They defeated Andorra, Israel and Switzerland to finish off qualifying, and their fans are feeling confident about what they could achieve in the summer.
Northern Ireland Form GuideNorthern Ireland made their one and only appearance in the European Championships back in 2016, where they managed to make it all the way through to the knockouts. Ever since then, though, they haven’t been able to find the same level of success. Michael O’Neill is determined to bring through a crop of fresh, young talent, but there are still far more questions than answers.
In their last six games, Northern Ireland have beaten San Marino and, bizarrely, Denmark. However, alongside that, they’ve also lost twice to Slovenia, 1-0 to Kazakhstan and 4-0 to Finland.
Match PredictionWhile we do think Northern Ireland will want to try and prove themselves in a game like this, we think they’re going to have a really tough time against a side that’s in-form and has something to prepare for. Because of that, we’re going to predict a comfortable Romania win.
