Romania v Turkey – Match Preview and Betting Tip
In the last couple of decades, Turkey went from being a perennial whipping boy of the European game, whom England beat by eight goals to nil on two occasions, to a genuine contender for the biggest international honours in the game. A lot of this was achieved via the goals of the legendary Hakan Sukur, who whacked in over 50 goals for the Turkish national team when he was in his pomp. This particular iteration of the Turkish national side, though, is by no means as impressive, even if the Turks do still have a smattering of players still plying their trade in the European leagues. Romania have surprised the Turks in this particular World Cup qualifying group, and currently look the best placed of the competitors to claim a play-off place behind the dominant Dutch team. Thus, all is to play for here in Bucharest, and a win for either side will completely change the dynamic of this qualifying group.
Winner
When these two teams met earlier in the campaign, Grozav’s 45th minute goal enabled the visitors to pull off an unlikely victory, and it was this result that has thus far defined the two team’s fate in the group. Had it been the other way round, Turkey would currently be second and well placed to claim a possible World Cup place. One of the oddest aspects for Romania coming into this game is that their top scorer among active players, Ciprian Marica, is currently without a club, having been released by Schalke 04 in the summer. I feel Turkey have the better players on balance, actually, and I can see them gaining a favourable result here. However, Romania might have enough for a point, so I’m going to tip this one to be a score draw. You can get best odds of 5/2 for this outcome with Stan James.
Correct Score
Both teams are well capable of scoring in this one, but as rather a lot is at stake, I don’t expect this to be an open game. Both teams have been fairly free scoring during the qualifying competition as a whole, but I think that the game that they played with a single goal will be an indication of how this match will be played, Thus, I’m going for a 1-1 draw. Best odds available are 6/1 with William Hill.
Under / Over 2.5 Goals
I’m going for the under 2.5 goals option here. Best odds available are 5/6 with BetVictor.
Winning Margin
The score draw is available at best odds of 7/2 with BetVictor.
First Goalscorer
Plenty of good options available to score the first goal in this fixture, but I am tipping the Galatasaray forward Burak Yilmaz, who is the only Turk in the current squad to be in double figures for international goals. Best odds are 7/1 with Bet365.
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