Romania is preparing for a crucial playoff match against Turkey, which could mark their return to the World Cup after 28 years. The game is set for March 31 and will be held at Beşiktaş Park in Istanbul.
Mircea Lucescu’s Starting Lineup for Turkey Playoff
In the lead-up to this vital clash, Mircea Lucescu faced some uncertainty regarding his starting eleven. The main concerns revolved around the central defense pairing and the choice of a defensive midfielder.
Confirmed Players
After deliberation, Lucescu confirmed the following players for the starting lineup:
- Goalkeeper: Ionuț Radu
- Defenders: Andrei Rațiu, Radu Drăgușin, Andrei Burcă, Nicușor Bancu
- Midfielders: Vlad Dragomir, Răzvan Marin, Ianis Hagi, Dennis Man, Valentin Mihăilă
- Forward: Daniel Bîrligea
The probable first eleven includes:
- Radu
- Rațiu, Drăgușin, Burcă, Bancu
- Dragomir, R. Marin
- Man, Hagi, Mihăilă
- Bîrligea
Squad Overview
On the day of the match, the complete roster for the Romanian national team was also announced. However, four players were left out of the matchday squad. The players not included are:
- Cătălin Căbuz
- Adrian Rus
- Kevin Ciubotaru
- Claudiu Petrila
Full Roster of the Romanian National Team for Turkey Clash
| Position | Player | Club | Caps/Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Laurențiu Popescu | Universitatea Craiova | 0/0 |
| Goalkeeper | Marian Aioani | FC Rapid 1923 | 0/0 |
| Goalkeeper | Ionuț Radu | Celta Vigo | 7/0 |
| Defender | Andrei Rațiu | Rayo Vallecano | 36/2 |
| Defender | Deian Sorescu | Gaziantep FK | 23/0 |
| Defender | Radu Drăgușin | Tottenham | 27/1 |
| Defender | Andrei Burcă | Yunnan Yukun | 44/1 |
| Defender | Virgil Ghiță | Hannover 96 | 8/1 |
| Defender | Andrei Coubiș | Universitatea Cluj | 0/0 |
| Defender | Nicușor Bancu | Universitatea Craiova | 50/2 |
| Midfielder | Vladimir Screciu | Universitatea Craiova | 6/0 |
| Midfielder | Vlad Dragomir | Pafos | 5/0 |
| Midfielder | Răzvan Marin | AEK Atena | 72/12 |
| Midfielder | Nicolae Stanciu | Dalian Yingbo | 84/15 |
| Midfielder | Florin Tănase | FCSB | 26/5 |
| Midfielder | Ianis Hagi | Alanyaspor | 51/8 |
| Midfielder | Dennis Man | PSV | 43/11 |
| Midfielder | Alexandru Dobre | FC Rapid 1923 | 5/0 |
| Midfielder | Valentin Mihăilă | Caykur Rizespor | 33/5 |
| Midfielder | Ștefan Baiaram | Universitatea Craiova | 2/1 |
| Forward | Daniel Bîrligea | FCSB | 7/2 |
| Forward | David Miculescu | FCSB | 6/0 |
| Forward | Marius Coman | UTA Arad | 0/0 |
This matchup will be vital for Romania’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, all eyes will be on their performance against Turkey.
