San Marino vs Romania Prediction, Preview, Predicted Lineups and Team News | World Cup Qualifiers

San Marino vs Romania Preview

• Tournament: World Cup Qualifiers
• Date: 24th March 2025
• Kickoff time: 19:45
• Venue: Dignity Health Sports Park

San Marino will host Romania in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers on 24th March. The two sides have not made the best of starts and lost their opening matches of the qualifiers to Cyprus and Bosnia & Herzegovina, respectively.

San Marino came into the match after a 2-0 defeat at Cyprus last week. They were on a 2-match unbeaten run after wins over Liechtenstein and a draw against Gibraltar in the 2024 UEFA Nations League.

However, things did not go their way, and Cyprus dominated them. The two goals came in the second half, but the away side only managed to create one chance and failed to score from it.

Romania lost at home to Bosnia & Herzegovina and could not get back into the game despite dominating the second half. They go into this fixture as the favorites and should get the win.

They were on a stunning 6-match winning streak in the 2024 UEFA Nations League, which included wins over Cyprus – the side that defeated San Marino last week.

San Marino and Romania know that they need to go all out for the three points on offer as the brutal qualifier they are in will only see the group leaders go through. Having lost the first match, they cannot afford to drop more points.

San Marino Team News

Michael Battistini, Simone Franciosi, and Enrico Golinucci are not in the squad after poor performances. They will, however, have Giacomo Benvenuti and Tommaso Benvenuti in the squad and could start both to set up a high block.

Romania Team News

Tottenham star Radu Dragusin is the big miss for Romania after he picked up an ACL injury earlier this season. Cristian Manea, Valentin Mihaila, and Darius Olaru are also out with injuries.

San Marino vs Romania Predicted Lineups

San Marino Predicted Lineup (5-4-1)

Goalkeeper: Colombo
Defenders: Fabbri, Cevoli, G Benvenuti, T Benvenuti, Tosi
Midfielders: Contadini, A Golinucci, Vitaioli, Berardi
Forward: Nicola Nanni

Romania Predicted Lineup (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Nita
Defenders: Ratiu, Popescu, Burca, Bancu
Midfielders: R Marin, M Marin, Stanciu
Forward: Mitrita, Dragus, Hagi

San Marino vs Romania H2H Record

San Marino has only faced Romania once in history, back in 2011. The two sides faced off in an international friendly manner and had never met in a competitive game. This will be the first time they meet in a qualifier and it would not be a surprise if it ended with a one-sided scoreline. However, when they met in 2011, the scoreline was just 1-0.

Key players to watch in San Marino vs Romania

Matteo Vitaioli (San Marino)

Matteo Vitaioli is the captain of the San Marino national team and he could be back in the starting XI this week. He can play on both flanks or just behind the striker and could be key for them to score a goal in the qualifier. With 6 goals in 24 matches this season for La Fiorita, he will be looking to add more to his tally.

Ianis Hagi (Romania)

Ianis Hagi has been under a lot of pressure following constant criticism. He has been told that he will never reach his father's level after a sub-par performance last week, and he will be out to prove a point. He has scored just 4 goals this season for Rangers in all competitions but has 7 assists to his name.

San Marino vs Romania Prediction

San Marino is likely to play defensively against Romania and try to score on the counter throughout the game. They are unlikely to go all-out attacking as they are not good defensively and would leak more goals than expected. Romania is expected to take charge of the match from the very start and should get the win easily.

Prediction: San Marino 0-3 Romania

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