Group E rivals Romania and Ukraine will kick off their Euro 2024 campaigns in Munich on Monday afternoon.
Romania seems to be on a roll with their recent successes, topping their qualifying group and showing strong defensive capabilities.
It’s impressive how Edward Iordanescu has elevated the team’s performance since taking charge.
On the other hand, Ukraine has a solid track record of participating in European Championships, although they haven’t had much success in the past.
It will be interesting to see how these two teams match up in their opening game. With both teams aiming to progress in the tournament, the stakes are high.
The history and dynamics between the teams add an extra layer of anticipation to the match.
During the pre-match presser Edward Iordanescu mentioned that Romania still has some minor fitness concerns.
However, he expects to have a full squad available, as left-back Nicusor Bancu has recovered from a knock he picked up during Saturday’s training session.
With Romania scoring relatively few goals in 2024, there is ongoing debate about who will play as the lone striker.
Denis Alibec, George Puscas, and Denis Dragus are all competing for the starting position up front.
Captain Andriy Yarmolenko has been directly involved in five of his nation’s eight goals in European Championships so far. However, the veteran forward might have to step up even more in the upcoming matches.
Possible lineups:
Romania possible starting lineup:
Nita, Ratiu, Dragusin, Burca, Bancu, M. Marin, R. Marin, Man, Stanciu, Mihaila, Dragus
Ukraine possible starting lineup:
Lunin,Konoplya, Zabarnyi, Matviyenko, Zinchenko, Shaparenko, Stepanenko, Sudakov, Tsygankov, Dovbyk, Mudryk
