Florin Răducioiu bets on a “tricolor” in Istanbul: “He scores”

• Turkey – Romania will be played on March 26, from 19:00, match broadcast by Prima TV. If we win, we play the World Cup qualification final against Slovakia/Kosovo on March 31, 2026.

• Gazeta Sporturilor has 6 experienced reporters in Istanbul who will send the most important information, the best reports and a series of multimedia correspondence

Asked at the airport, before departure, about the player he is betting on, he nominated Dennis Man (27 years old), the PSV winger.

Răducioiu welcomes the return of Ionuț Radu to the team, taking into account the injury, and admits that he would like to see him starting in goal.

VIDEO | Florin Răducioiu, before Turkey – Romania: “Tomorrow and a dose of luck will be important”

“It is clear that we are with the boys. I hope that our presence will somehow stimulate them and obviously we will experience, why not, a magical evening, I think, because we also have our chance. We have players capable of changing the history of a match that, indeed, is of enormous importance for this generation.

(Will you be participating in the official training as well?) Yes, but we can't because we have a dinner organized and it's true we were invited but unfortunately we had to decline because we have this dinner and…

We have to pass on to them this energy that we also had, this chance, because we also had many matches where we were lucky. And I think that tomorrow a dose of luck and chance will be important. But not only that, the Romanian team must play a perfect match.

There was a lot of talk about this match, many of my colleagues expressed their opinions in a fair and encouraging way. We have to make the perfect match, we need a game with maximum speed, impeccable technical executions, a deep tactical thinking of Mircea Lucescu, an extraordinary volitional moral support.

All correlated with great physical endurance. In short, we have to make a perfect match.

(What does the return of Ionuț Radu mean?) A huge return. He was our most fit player in La Liga. When I heard that he was injured I was very sorry, because he really is our undisputed starter.

He is a player who gives a lot of peace and confidence to the team. I am very happy for him, he is needed. I'm sure he knows what he's doing because he's still the last defender, you have to be very careful.

But I am convinced that they will take precautions, Nea Mircea knows very well what she has to do in case she has a relapse. I hope that doesn't happen. I like him very much, of course”, said Florin Răducioiu at the airport.

Dennis Man, Răducioiu's bet: “Great pressure”

When asked who will score for our national team, Răduciociu did not think twice and referred to Dennis Man, the PSV footballer announced as the starter in Istanbul.

“(Who scores? Who do you put your money on to score?) Dennis Man. I have great faith in Dennis Man. A lot can happen, it's a big game, a lot of pressure. If we don't score a goal in the first half, I'm convinced that on the counterattack, as was actually the DNA of the Romanian team when we play with teams superior to us, we can solve the match.

I have a lot of faith in Dennis Man, moreover, in Mihăilă, in Hagi, in Bîrligea as well, because really bravo to him for being summoned. He is a player I like very much, the number 9, he knows how to score goals and I hope he will be valued by our players through passing and important intelligence.

Without this intelligence and inspiration that I hope Bîrligea will have we can solve it. It will be a tricky game, but if we want to go to the Worlds, these are the games. We expect a magical night, I have a lot of faith in the players. It is my duty and that of my former colleagues to encourage them.

There is talk that Hagi will take the national team, but let's talk about tomorrow's game now. I'm waiting for Hagi with great love, but let's see what will happen tomorrow”, added Florin Răducioiu.