In what has arguably become the most hotly contested and highly unpredictable section of the Euro 2008 group stages, Italy will desperately be looking for a win against Romania in Zurich tonight in order to keep their Euro 2008 hopes alive.

And under-performing France will need to produce some magic to overcome an in-form Netherlands squad. Can Italy and France put aside their latest bad form and record important victories? Let's look at what might happen on Friday the 13th . . .

ITALY v ROMANIA (Letzigrund Stadion, Zurich): Overview - The 13th match of the 13th European Football Championships on no other date than Friday the 13th. With their luck already plagued by the injury of captain Fabio Cannavaro and their 3-0 trouncing at the hands of the Netherlands on Monday – their heaviest defeat in over 25 years - the Italians will need a strong performance and all the luck they can get.

'if Henry and his team-mates can produce what coach Domenech hopes is a “sparkling performance”, then Van Nistelrooy and the Dutch will have to produce something special to achieve victory'


With Romania promising to "make life hell for the Azzurri” after holding top-contenders France to a 0-0 draw, Italy will have to post a convincing win over the Romanians to stand any chance of making it through to the quarter finals.

Italian squad - After coming under fire this week for what has been viewed as a poor team selection in the first match, Italian coach Roberto Donadoni will no doubt shuffle up his squad. Fabio Grosso is expected to play in defence after putting in one of the better performances against the Dutch, whilst Daniela De Rossi and Andrea Pirlo will most likely be expected to control midfield and provide the vision needed to put the game in the right direction.

Finally, Luca Toni and new captain Alessandro Del Piero will have the hopes of the Italian nation resting with them as they try to display their usual attacking flair and talent to record a crucial victory and keep the country's hopes alive.

Romanian squad - Expect Romania to field a similar side to the one which impressed against France. Striker Ciprian Marica might be out of the squad after sustaining a concussion in training but most of the team should remain unchanged. They will hope to continue their good form and produce a similar result against the Italians as they did with the French.

Match style - Expect Italy to be on the attack from the beginning, as a draw simply will not do for them. In contrast, the Romanians are not necessarily looking for a win and will most likely try to close down the Azzurri attack and hold them to a goalless draw. However, the Romanians are capable of producing surprise attacks so do not expect them to sit back if the Italians are in weak form.

Players to Watch:  Italy: Luca Toni and Alessandro Del Piero - Putting in a strong performance against Holland after coming off the bench, Del Piero will be looking to find the form which helped him become the top scorer in this year's Serie A. If he can find such form against the Romanians, they will be hard pressed to stop him. Luca Toni also scored five goals in his six Euro 2008 qualifying appearances and will also be hoping to continue his run.

Romania: Christian Chivu and Adrian Mutu - With both playing in the Serie A (for Inter Milan and Fiorentina respectively), these Romanian stars will certainly know what to expect from their opponents. Chivu played superbly against the French and a similar performance could be what tips the scales against Italy. Chivu recently said of his team's tactics against Italy, “We have a plan and that is not to lose." Mutu is one of the craftiest strikers in the game and could unlock the Italian defence with his great reading of attacking situations. Chivu has predicted against Italy the return of “the real Adrian Mutu and not the Mutu you saw against France."

Prediction - Italy have a tendency to start off weakly in tournaments and pick up their game soon afterwards. If this is the case again, then the Italians should return to form and triumph over the impressive Romanians. However, the most recent Group C matches have shown us that anything is possible, so expect the Romanians to put up an impressive fight.

NETHERLANDS v FRANCE (Stade de Suisse, Bern) - Overview: After two of the most surprising results in their Euro 2008 matches so far, the two competing squads are in different moods than might be expected. The Dutch are now quietly confident of their chances this year after their stunning victory, whilst France's confidence was dealt a massive blow with their goalless draw. A win will be enough to send Holland through to the next round whilst a draw may even be all they need to qualify for the quarter-finals. France, on the other hand, must win or their chances this year may become extremely precarious.

Netherlands squad - In spite of everything going their way so far, coach Marco van Basten is not over-estimating his team's chances of making it through to the finals. "We played well against Italy but you don't win the tournament after one match," van Basten said recently.
It is with this level-headedness that the Dutch will go into the game against France, confident of their chances but not blind to the fact that they will be faced with strong opposition.

Without many of his attacking players for the match against Italy, van Basten will be hoping to include some more of his top talent. Whilst Sneijder and Ruud Van Nistlerooy are expected to form the mainstay of the Dutch attack, Arjen Robben may play a starring role, and Robin van Persie, whose role in the Dutch team on Monday was only small, may feature strongly after seeming to have recovered from recent injury.

French squad - Like his Italian counterpart, French coach Raymond Domenech has been criticised after his team's performance against Romania. But Domenech will be looking to introduce two of his strongest players back to the squad - Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira. If the two are fit enough, they may prove a handful for the Dutch to cope with, and certainly could be the difference between France winning or losing the match.

Match style - France will have to be on the attack against the Netherlands throughout the match, but this may be exactly what the Dutch are looking for. "If one team has to attack it's France,” Van Basten said. “We've already won a game so the pressure is on them.” With their strength against Italy coming from superb counter-attacks, Holland may resort to exactly the same tactics in the hope of downing the second football giant in as many matches. With some of their top stars playing in forward positions for both teams, expect many strong attacking plays on the night in what promises to be a most exciting match-up.

Players to Watch: Netherlands: Ruud van Nistelrooy (and possibly Arjen Robben) - Van Nistelrooy has proven time and again that he is a player to look out for. If he continues his attacking flair against the French, then Les Bleus may be in for some serious trouble. Also, if Robben is put in the squad, his skill and speed may prove too much for the French defence to handle.

France: Thierry Henry (and possibly Patrick Vieira) - If Henry has recovered from injury, and he looks to have done so, then we will witness one of the most exciting forward match-ups in van Nistelrooy v Henry. With his style and flair, Henry is perfectly capable of putting in a performance that will carry his team to victory, and the French will no doubt be relying on him to do so.

Prediction - This match could easily go either way. If they both continue to play as they did in the first match, then we will almost certainly see a Dutch win. However, if Henry and his team-mates can produce what coach Domenech hopes is a “sparkling performance”, then Van Nistelrooy and the Dutch will have to produce something special to achieve victory. This one promises to be perhaps the most exciting Euro 2008 match so far.

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