Euro2008 Preview: Italy v Romania

Italy boss Roberto Donadoni is expected to make changes after his side's 3-0 opening defeat by the Netherlands. Giorgio Chiellini could replace Marco Materazzi in central defence, with Fabio Grosso coming in at left-back and Gianluca Zambrotta moving to the right. Midfielder Daniele de Rossi and forward Alessandro Del Pierro are also pushing for a starting place.

Romania striker Ciprian Marica has a head injury but could replace Daniel Niculae up front if he is passed fit.

Italy coach Roberto Donadoni could also bring in Antonio Cassano who, like Del Piero, impressed after coming off the bench against the Dutch without having any luck in front of goal. Whoever gets the nod is likely to play alongside, or behind, Luca Toni but the big Bayern Munich striker says he has no preference who his strike partner will be. "We were more offensive with Alessandro and Antonio, the entire squad moved forward more," Toni said. "But the coach has to make his choices without shifting the balance too much. It is not a question of who my partner is. By the end, Di Natale, Del Piero and Cassano all played and nobody scored. Even goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon could score against Romania. The important thing is that we get the three points."

BIG MATCH STATS
Head-to-heads

Italy and Romania have met each other on 14 previous occasions with Italy winning 10 times and Romania twice. They have played each other seven times in competitive matches with five wins for Italy and one for Romania.

In the quarter-finals of Euro 2000, Italy won 2-0 with goals from Francesco Totti and Filippo Inzaghi. Gheorghe Hagi was sent off in his 125th and final international.

Romania's last win over Italy is now nearly 20 years ago, a 1-0 friendly win in March 1989.