The match between Romania and Austria in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup can be considered crucial for the qualification of the tricolors to a new final tournament, which we have been waiting for since 1998.
Our chances for the 1st place are minimal, even in case of success tonight, but there are real chances for a battle for the 2nd place, if we manage to prevail now, but especially away in Zenica, against Bosnia.
Besides the 3 points at stake today, at 21:45, at the National Arena, live text match on SpotMedia.ro, Romania also has a vital concern. To secure a few key players for the future match with Bosnia away, in November.
And there are four players at risk of suspension in this case. Ianis Hagi, Șut, Tănase, and Burcă. Except for Șut, who was called up to the squad anyway after Răzvan Marin's injury, all the others are key starters in Lucescu's team.
The first two received a yellow card in the group opener, 0-1 at home against Bosnia, Tănase got a warning in the home victory against Cyprus, and Burcă - in Nicosia, in that memorable match, ending 2-2.
The bad news is that the referee for the match against the Austrians will be the Italian Davide Massa, who is one of the most demanding referees in Europe and generously distributes cards. For example, in the current season, he has an average of 3.2 yellow cards per match (9 games).