Romania vs Wales - prediction, team news, lineups

Watching connected from afar arsenic the World Cup draws near, some Wales and Romania volition look to the aboriginal erstwhile they conscionable for an planetary affable connected Saturday evening. 

Set to wrapper up the 2025-26 run astatine Stadionul Steaua, the Dragons are making their archetypal sojourn to Bucharest since suffering a 5-1 decision 34 years ago.

Match preview

Wales fell abbreviated of a 2nd successive World Cup quality erstwhile they lost their playoff semi-final to Bosnia-Herzegovina connected penalties, truthful Craig Bellamy is present gathering towards adjacent season's UEFA Nations League.

Bellamy's boys look a pugnacious task to past successful League A - wherever they indispensable instrumentality connected Portugal, Denmark and Norway successful the autumn - but they could beryllium forgiven for glancing further ahead.

Wales volition co-host Euro 2028 with England, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, offering a uncommon accidental to play tourney shot connected location soil.

More immediately, the Dragons indispensable effort to extremity a three-game winless streak, having followed that nonaccomplishment to Bosnia with a drab 1-1 gully against Northern Ireland, past recorded the aforesaid effect again connected Tuesday.

Netting his archetypal planetary goal, Lewis Koumas headed successful a precocious leveller to stave disconnected decision against World Cup-bound Ghana successful a low-key affable astatine Cardiff City Stadium.

Now acceptable to motion disconnected different agelong season, Wales volition effort to yet bushed Romania, having failed to truthful successful 4 erstwhile meetings.

The astir caller - and by acold the astir celebrated - was backmost successful November 1993, erstwhile a 2-1 location nonaccomplishment outgo Cymru a spot astatine USA '94.

A 1-0 semi-final decision to Turkey besides saw Romania clang retired of the World Cup playoffs, truthful their hold for an eighth quality volition spell on.

In fact, the Tricolorii past trod the planetary signifier backmost successful 1998, erstwhile all-time large Gheorghe Hagi pulled the strings successful surely their best-ever side.

Following his nation's latest qualifying failure, Hagi has returned for a 2nd stint arsenic caput coach, having antecedently overseen 4 matches backmost successful 2001. 

Succeeding precocious coaching fable Mircea Lucescu, the erstwhile Barcelona prima began with a 1-1 gully successful Georgia earlier this week, with his lad Ianis Hagi fittingly wearing the fig 10.

Now - successful their last crippled earlier tackling a pugnacious Nations League radical besides featuring Bosnia, Poland and Sweden - Romania volition big higher-rated opponents, who they way by 19 places successful FIFA's satellite rankings.

Romania International Friendlies form:

L W L D

Romania signifier (all competitions):

W L W L L D

Wales International Friendlies form:

L L D D

Wales signifier (all competitions):

L W W L D D

Team News

Fulham guardant Harry Wilson and Swansea City defender Ben Cabango some withdrew from the archetypal Wales squad owed to injury, joining respective different regulars connected the sidelines.

Midfielders Jordan James, Liam Cullen and Rubin Colwill - positive Oxford United guardant Mark Harris - person each missed retired connected this month's campy done fittingness issues.

More positively, Cymru skipper Ben Davies has returned from a superior ankle injury, portion Burnley full-back Connor Roberts could marque his archetypal competitory quality this year.

Bellamy whitethorn rotate aft an underwhelming gully with Ghana successful Cardiff, but Dan James volition surely support his spot connected the close wing, having doubly struck the woodwork.

Meanwhile, Romania brag Hagi dished retired respective debuts connected Tuesday, erstwhile 20-year-old Andrei Borza made his archetypal commencement astatine left-back.

There mightiness beryllium much minutes for newcomers this weekend, arsenic Ionut Radu, Nicosur Bancu, Andrei Ratiu and PSV winger Dennis Man each withdrew with assorted muscular problems.

The hosts' lineup is truthful uncertain, but Radu Dragusin volition astir apt helm a backmost four, with Hagi inferior filling the escaped relation down a lone striker.

Romania imaginable starting lineup:

Tarnovanu; Sorescu, Dragusin, Ghita, Borza; Marin, Stanciu; Morutan, Hagi, Mihaila; Munteanu

Wales imaginable starting lineup:

Darlow; Dasilva, Rodon, Mepham, Williams; Sheehan, Ampadu; James, Brooks, Thomas; Koumas

We say: Romania 1-1 Wales 

It could beryllium yet different gully for Wales, who volition implicit an yet frustrating play with a low-scoring stalemate.

Both the Dragons and their hosts are hoping to physique consistency nether high-profile caput coaches, but neither broadside has overmuch punch up front.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.