Romania has always been considered a longshot for the Euro Cup championship, it just doesn’t have what it takes to beat Europe’s top squads, mainly, players with top league experience. Many of Romania’s best aren´t playing in A-class leagues.

Nonetheless this season´s team has something special for sports bettors, an incredible defensive record, perfect when you want to bet the under.

Keep an eye on key player Vlad Chiriches and his ball possession during the game, he drives the team’s rhythm.

Here are Romania’s top 5 goals during the qualifiers, see how most of them are loose balls inside the rival’s area:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sEWXpO2ob8

Euro Cup Qualifying Stats

Take a good read at these stats, Romania could just be a gamblers treat during the Euro Cup 2016:

• 428 minutes goal drought

• 4 straight draws

• Conceded goals only in 2 games out of 10

• No players in Euro top leagues

• Best defensive record in the qualifying stage

• FIFA Rank 16^th

• Unbeaten in the qualifiers

• Qualified as runner-ups in Group F to Northern Ireland

What do these numbers tell us? Romania´s football team is horrible in the attack, they lack the players and historical experience. But their defense is top class, it seems they place all of the players on their field because nothing gets through them. Perfect to take the Under score during the qualifying stage and if they manage to qualify to quarter finals, but that is unlikely, you need to score if you want to survive in the Euro Cup.

Romania, Longshots to Win Euro Cup 2016

We would not bet on it, but remember Greece in 2004? Romania has the same solid and disciplined defense the Greeks had back then, and they won the Euro Cup against everyone´s odds. Most of those games with just one goal difference or through penalty kicks.

Teams that rely on a powerful defense and little in the attack need a very sound strategy, not only to survive but to win trophies. Romania has the backbone defense covered, but does it have the key strikers Greece had to score goals in few attempts? Unlikely. Even after Greece’s heroic victory, they failed to continue winning games and tournaments with the same defensive strategy after the Euro Cup of 2004.

Euro Cup History

• 13 Euro Cup games played

• 3 Euro Cup qualifications

• Only 1 victory in their entire history

• Best performance, quarter finals

This is a breaking factor not to bet on Romania to win the Euro Cup 2016, their history in the tournament is fairly poor. 3 qualifications to the tournaments is a good healthy number, but winning just one game in 13 is a horrible stat, and they did it by barely winning against England with a penalty kick in the last minute.

Key Players

Vlad Chiriches

Romania’s best, and he is not having much luck on top clubs during the last seasons. He was signed by Tottenham for two seasons in 2015 and transferred to Napoli in 2016. So far he is still trying to hold the starting position in Italy, but in the national team he stands as the best player overall, the backbone of the defense effectiveness.

Keep an eye on Chiriches for solid unders on Romania’s games. Both, team unders and overall game unders.

Other Key Players

• Costel Pantilimon – Sunderland

• Florin Gardos – Southampton

Best of Vlad Chiriches skills and goals:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AtGzBENTtw

Coach – Anghel Lordanescu

Lordanescu has been Romania’s coach for 3 times now, a 65 year old man that had already retired from football to become a Senator in 2008. He had refused the offer but complied to pressure, the national team needed his experience.

It comes as no surprise that under Anghel Lordanescu Romania has achieved a defensive prowess and lacks an attack strategy. Lordanescu is old and knows about team formations, but probably is not as knowledgeable about current players, leagues, game strategies etc. He plays it safe and waits for rival mistakes to make a move. The style of someone that knows its limits and has the patience to strike when the time is right.

Romania Betting Tips & Picks

• Under, under, under! Albania couldn’t look better for an easy Under score bet. Take the under for Albania team goals, overall game score, and the more risky rival score.

• Lay Romania, or to lose no draw. After winning just one game in their entire 13 games in the Euro Cup it makes it easy to lay bet against Albania. Although do take care with their draw stats, you may want to cover with a win no draw bet for Albania´s rivals, this is a bet on their rival to win or the stake is returned if a draw results.

• No Goals. Stats indicate Romania does not concede goals very easily, take this prop bet against weak rivals or those teams that have struggled with goals.

• Romania to not make it to the quarter finals. Scratch Albania from your list of qualifiers.