Spain have one final friendly before the tune-up matches ahead of Euro 2016, giving them one last chance to experiment and adjust and prepare before they set their squad for the tournament. This trip to Romania gives them the opportunity to challenge themselves on the road against a very good team, and that’s going to prove vital for their performance in the tournament in France -- if they can take full advantage of the opportunity at hand.
Spain vs. Romania 2016 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Spain are getting a stern test as they make a trip to Romania for a friendly.
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Romania certainly won’t make things easy for Spain, wanting to prepare as thoroughly as possible for their own run in Euro 2016. They’ve made great strides over the last few years, and a win over Spain would give them a huge boost of confidence going into the tournament. Testing themselves against one of the best teams in Europe is definitely a good way to see where Romania stands, and the better they look in this game, the higher the spirits of Romania fans will be as their team tries to earn their best-ever finish at the European Championships.
Key Spain player -- Koke
Romania’s midfield talent doesn’t really stack up against Spain, but where they do have an advantage is in their ability to work incredibly hard and run teams ragged up and down the pitch. Koke is the one Spanish midfielder in the current squad who can clearly roll with the Romanians in that area, and his ability to keep up with them and even out-work them will be key to Spain’s chances of getting the win they’ll be aiming for in this game -- if Koke can keep his opposing midfielders from getting the upper hand at all, it will free up the rest of Spain’s midfield to work their attacking game to their hearts’ content, and if that happens Romania will be virtually helpless.
Key Romania player -- Vlad Chiriches
The defender and Romania’s captain will have to be at his best against Spain’s high-profile attack, even if La Roja are lacking their biggest potential weapon in Diego Costa. His form tends to be a bit on the erratic side, though, and that’s a problem that’s only going to be exaggerated by how little he’s played for Napoli over the last few months. Fans familiar with Chiriches know that he has two modes -- “Awesome Vlad” and “Crazy Vlad,” and he can flip between the two almost at random during a match. If we see more of the latter than the former, Romania are going to be in a lot of trouble.
Match Date/Time: Sunday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local
Venue: Cluj Arena, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
TV: beIN Sports (U.S. - English), beIN Sports en Español (U.S. - Spanish), Dolce Sport 1 (Romania), TeleCinco Espana (Spain)
Online: beIN Sports Connect, fuboTV (U.S.)
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