Greece vs Romania Prediction, Preview and Betting Tips

In what would appear on paper the least glamorous tie in the UEFA play-offs for the 2014 World Cup, Greece host Romania in Athens in the first-leg on Friday night. Here's our match preview and betting tips for this crucial clash.

Greece will be hoping to give themselves a commanding lead in this first of two legs play-off to take to Romania for what should prove a tough away assignment next Tuesday.

Greece, the unluckiest team in the play-offs pot after they missed out on immediate qualification on goal difference, are 21/20 favourites with Sportingbet, while you can back Romania to snatch what would be a surprise and vitally important away victory at best odds of 10/3 with Bet365.

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Despite lacking the star names that will be taking centre stage in the other UEFA play-off matches being contested – Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Franck Ribery and Mario Mandzukic to name but a few – this fixture is likely to throw up a lively contest and will be no-less full of passion and desire, with the ultimate goal the same for these two sides: a place at next summer's World Cup Finals in Brazil.

If Greece can secure qualification for the biggest event in football it will only be the third time they have ever achieved this feat, with their only other appearances at the World Cup Finals in 1994 and 2010 – when they exited at the group stages.

Opponents Romania have far more pedigree when it comes to World Cup appearances but, notably, they have failed to qualify for the past three.

The Greeks will be hoping they can rely on front man Konstantinos Mitroglou to translate his recent goalscoring form at club level for the national side. The Olimpiacos forward is currently top goalscorer in the Greek domestic league, with 14 goals in ten games and he's a good bet for first goalscorer in this pivotal match, best-priced at 13/2 with Bet Victor.

Romania can expect a vocal Greek crowd and will be without the services of captain Vlad Chiriches for the two-leg tie after the centre back suffered a fractured nose in a collision in Tottenham's 1-0 defeat to Newcastle over the weekend. This could prove to be a big blow to the Romanian's hopes of reaching next summer's Finals, as the defender has been in fine form for new club Spurs since making the switch from Steaua Bucharest in the summer.

Still, Romania will be hopeful that their defence can hold tight without him and so take Greece to Bucharest with a scoreline that's very much still to play for. Greece were not prolific goalscorers in the qualifying game and so don't expect this one to produce too many goals – back the Greeks to win 1-0 with Bet Victor at 11/2.

Greece v Romania Predictions

Konstantinos Mitroglou as an First Goalscorer @ 13/2 (Bet Victor)

Draw at Half-Time / Greece to win at Full-Time @ 4/1 (Coral)

Greece to Win 1-0 @ 11/2 (Bet Victor)

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