PREVIEW: Euro 2008 Group C, Romania vs. France

Romania

vs

France

Monday, June 9, Kickoff 18:00 CET
Zürich (Switzerland) - Travel to Zurich

THE BIG PICTURE

Group C gets underway, with Romania and France battling for psychological advantage in the Group o’Death. A win for either side would prove a huge boost and a loss would be devastating, as both sides still have to face Netherlands and Italy.

ROMANIA

Three Key Players:

• Adrian Mutu will need to provide at least some of the firepower if Romania is to advance.
• Christian Chivu is the captain and will give experience and stability to Romania’s back line.
• Cosmin Contra is a somewhat volatile rightback who can perform defensively, but is also capable of stepping up to help out the offense.

Romania squad
Romania Team Profile

Team News: Stefan Radu is getting over the flu and may start this one on the bench.

Triviatastic: Coach Victor Piturca previous played for the Romania team as a striker, securing thirteen caps and scoring six goals.

Visit Ian at the Romania Euro 2008 Team Blog for more.

Buy a Romania jersey from the USA or UK

FRANCE

Three Key Players:

• Franck Ribery is coming back from a mild ankle injury. This team relies heavily on his play up the wing, and he’s been dubbed “the next Zidane” for his ability to direct and inspire. Will he be fit and ready for this game?
• Thierry Henry is suffering from longterm sciatica that limits his ability a bit, but he tends to rise to the occasion for les Bleus.
• Karim Benzema is only twenty, but chances are that in this tournament he will usurp Nicolas Anelka’s role in the starting XI. Will he be able to deliver, or will he be too exhausted from being overused at Lyon this year?

France Squad
France Team Profile

Team News: Team captain Patrick Vieira will miss this game with a thigh injury. Thierry Henry may start the game on the bench. And Samir Nasri is recovering from a cold and possibly not at his best.

Triviatastic: Like his Romanian counterpart, Coach Raymond Domenech also played for the team he now coaches. But where Piturca was a prolific striker, Domenech was a defender whose nickname was “‘terror of the pitch.”

Visit Jeff, Inara and me at the France Euro 2008 Team Blog for more.

Buy a France jersey from the USA or UK

BIG BATTLES

France vs The Injury Bug
Key players Thierry Henry and Franck Ribery are struggling for fitness, captain Patrick Vieira is out for this game, and defenders William Gallas, Lilian Thuram and Willy Sagnol are possibly not at 100%. Not a good thing going into the first game in the Group o’Death.

Mutu and the Romanian attack vs France’s defense
France has given up less than .5 goals per game under Domenech. This is not an easy defense to breach. But Mutu, for one, is in form and ready to give it a good shot. So to speak.

Both teams vs the Group C jitters
Both sides know that a win will be a huge plus if they want to advance, and a loss would make it incredibly difficult. Their ability to deal with the mental pressure will be key.

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