This coming Tuesday, Romania will face Kosovo at their national stadium in Bucharest in a Euro 2024 qualifier. Kosovo have not had the best of times in this group of matches and had hoped to be the dark horse, while Romania are still expected to compete for the top two spots.
First, let's take a look at the Romanian team's performance. Romania's draw in Israel on Saturday night was ultimately disappointing, but it kept their place in the top two. If Eduard Jordǎnescu's side can win in Israel, they will lead the group when they start the sixth round of matches after a surprise draw with Kosovo. Romania achieved the same result as their upcoming opponents Kosovo in their previous match, but could have come away with nothing had it not been for the outstanding performance of goalkeeper Horatio Moldovan.
They remain the group most likely to finish in the top two alongside seeded Switzerland, and to advance would end a run of three consecutive failures to qualify for major tournaments. A place in next summer's final in Germany would remove the shadow of their failure to reach Euro 2020, when Bucharest is one of the host cities. Romania will also have to raise their game once they reach the major finals, as their defeat in Euro 2000 remains their only victory of the century.
Romania are unbeaten in the group, but they have drawn three of their last three matches, meaning that Israel still have a chance to keep up the pressure. Their next three games will be crucial, against the top three, followed by two matches against Switzerland and Israel that could decide the group's prospects.
UEFA's youngest member, Kosovo, while undoubtedly possessing enough strength in their ranks to compete, the immaturity and inconsistency they have shown cannot help but be a cause for concern. Some poor results in the group stage have hampered what could have been a great opportunity for them to reach their first major tournament after seven years of UEFA and FIFA membership.
Considering the balance of play, Kosovo should have beaten Romania and Israel, but they failed to capitalize on their chances and were ultimately punished. Their draw against Switzerland at the weekend only added to their frustration with two poor results against Andorra and Belarus, as the top three teams still couldn't beat them.
Predicted result: Romania 2-1 Kosovo. This might not be an easy game for Romania, but they should be able to narrowly beat their difficult opponents to stay in the top two spots in Group I. Kosovo have struggled to win in this group and they could lose again.
