Romania to test Belarus to the maximum

Having been drawn together on the road to UEFA EURO 2008, Belarus and Romania will resume their rivalry in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying Group D, with the hosts desperate to reverse their losing trend.

Team news
• Belarus recorded the biggest upset of Friday night with Sergei Kislyak's goal giving them a 1-0 win against France, but coach Bernd Stange was wary of getting overexcited. The German said: "It is very nice to start the campaign with a victory, which in my view we totally deserved, but there is one more important match ahead, and it will require nothing less than maximum concentration."

• Belarus squad
Goalkeepers: Yuri Zhevnov (FC Zenit St. Petersburg), Anton Amelchenko (FC Rostov), Sergei Veremko (FC BATE Borisov)
Defenders: Igor Shitov (FC BATE Borisov), Sergei Sosnovski (FC BATE Borisov), Aleksandr Yurevich (FC BATE Borisov), Maksim Bordachev (FC BATE Borisov), Sergei Omelyanchuk (FC Terek Grozny), Aleksandr Martynovich (FC Krasnodar), Dmitri Molosh (FC Sibir Novosibirsk), Eduard Zhevnerov (FC Dnepr Mogilev)
Midfielders: Yan Tigorev (FC Metalurh Zaporizhya), Aleksandr Kulchiy (FC Rostov), Sergei Krivets (KKS Lech Poznań), Sergei Kislyak (FC Dinamo Minsk), Anton Putilo (SC Freiburg), Aleksandr Hleb (Birmingham City FC)
Forwards: Vitali Rodionov (FC BATE Borisov), Sergei Kornilenko (FC Rubin Kazan), Vyacheslav Hleb (Shenzhen Ruby FC), Vitali Kutuzov (AS Bari)

• Romania welcome captain Cristian Chivu back from suspension, and coach Răzvan Lucescu is hoping to lift his players after a disappointing 1-1 draw at home against Albania. "If our heads stay down we will not resolve our situation," he said. "Life goes on and we have to go for it." Gabriel Torje added: "The draw feels like a defeat, but we have to recover quickly and win in Belarus. We can still qualify."

• Romania squad
Goalkeepers: Bogdan Lobonţ (AS Roma), Costel Pantilimon (FC Timişoara), Ciprian Tătăruşanu (FC Steaua Bucureşti)
Defenders: Cristian Chivu (FC Internazionale Milano), Gabriel Tamaş (West Bromwich Albion FC), Cosmin Contra (FC Timişoara), Răzvan Raţ (FC Shakhtar Donetsk), Ovidiu Dănănae (FC Universitatea Craiova), Vasile Maftei (FC Unirea Urziceni), Mihai Neşu (FC Utrecht)
Midfielders: George Florescu (FC Alania Vladikavkaz), Gabriel Mureşan (CFR 1907 Cluj), Mihai Roman (FC Rapid Bucureşti), Răzvan Cociş (Al-Nassr Sports), Mirel Rădoi (Al-Hilal Saudi Club), Gabriel Torje (FC Dinamo Bucureşti), Ciprian Deac (FC Schalke 04), Ovidiu Herea (FC Rapid Bucureşti), Costin Lazãr (FC Rapid Bucureşti)
Forwards: Marius Bilaşco (FC Unirea Urziceni), Ciprian Marica (VfB Stuttgart), Bogdan Stancu (FC Steaua Bucureşti), Daniel Niculae (AS Monaco FC)

Match background
• Belarus's record in two games against Romania reads W0 D0 L2 (W0 D0 L1 at home).

• Dinamo Stadium in Minsk was also the venue for the most recent encounter between the two sides on 8 September 2007, when Adrian Mutu helped secure the UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying points with two goals in a 3-1 success for Romania.

• Mutu was also on target in the first meeting in Bucharest on 7 October 2006 as Romania triumphed by the same scoreline.