Brazil - Romania

International Friendly

I'm not a big fan of these friendly matches, especially if they have high handicap lines, but this particular one should be a good one. As you probably may know, this will be Ronaldo's retirement game, so he will for sure play a part in it (let's hope he won't play the full 90 minutes though). And despite Brazil missing some players with big names, they still have plenty of quality within their ranks. Lucio, Maicon, Luisao, Elano, Robinho, Neymar, Pato... just to name a few, and they are all in the squad, probably with high chances of playing. So, Brazil has a big advantage in quality, both individually and as a team, and this gap will be even bigger, since some of Romania's best players didn't even make the trip: Mutu, Rat, Sapunaru and Tamas, that leaving the team with an improvised defensive line (pretty weak one), and with some 'patches' in midfield and offense. But even more important than that is their determination and mentality. Romanian players rarely kill themselves with effort, especially in friendly matches. And since the season is pretty much over, I expect them to enjoy a nice holiday in Brazil for a few days. The players also need to adjust to the time zone, and play in front of what is expected to be a full stadium. Really doubt they will ruin the party, and Brazil is more than capable of putting a few goals in Romania's net. Small stakes though, as it's still just a friendly. GL!

Brazil (-1.75 AH) @ 1.74, 3/10

Result: 1-0, LOST