Recap
Slovakia suffered a surprising 3–4 defeat against Kosovo in the World Cup playoff semifinal for the USA, Mexico, and Canada.
Prior to this loss, Slovakia had been unbeaten in their last eight home matches, recording five wins and three draws.
They are dealing with several important absences. Bozenik, Duris, Satka, Schranz, and Skriniar are all injured and were already unavailable against Kosovo. Additionally, left winger Leo Sauer (Feyenoord) picked up an injury in that match and will miss the game on Tuesday.
Key players in the squad include goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka (Burnley), defender David Hancko (Atletico Madrid), and midfielder Stanislav Lobotka (Napoli).
Coach Francesco Calzona emphasized the importance of professionalism ahead of the match against Romania: “We are all professionals and must approach the game in the same way. Playing for the national team is based on merit—those who convince me will play. I will not accept a poor attitude. We must respect the fans and perform at a high level.”
Romania, meanwhile, lost narrowly in Turkey, conceding in the 53rd minute.
A major incident affected the Romanian camp: head coach Mircea Lucescu felt unwell during Sunday’s training session and was taken to hospital by ambulance. His condition is now stable, but he will not travel to Bratislava. Assistant coach Ionel Gane will take charge of the team.
Reports suggest that morale within the Romanian squad is currently very low. The Romanian Football Federation even attempted to postpone the match due to the incident involving Lucescu, but the request was rejected.
There is also growing speculation that Gheorghe Hagi could replace Lucescu for the upcoming campaign, especially after stepping down from his majority shareholder role at Farul, handing control to Gică Popescu.
Many changes are expected in Romania’s starting lineup across all departments. Aioani could start in goal, while Sorescu may replace Rațiu, who was criticized for the goal conceded against Turkey. Both central defenders, Drăgușin and Burcă, could also be replaced by Rus and Coubiș. Stanciu is likely to return to the starting XI after coming off the bench in the playoff match.
Romania have not won any of their last four away matches, with three defeats and one draw.