Sky Sports - Euro 2008 In association with Sky Bet

The minnows in the 'Group of Death', don't dismiss Romania's chances of causing an upset at Euro 2008.

Romania finished top of their qualifying group, ahead of Holland, and also averaged more than two goals per game.

With quality at the top end of the pitch, and also a solid back-line, Romania have the potential to give Group C rivals France, Holland and Italy a fright.

It would be a surprise if Romania did make it through to the quarter-finals, but the European Championship is capable of throwing up some shock results.

Manager - Victor Piturca

In his second spell as coach of the national team, Victor Piturca will be thankful that he has been given the chance to lead his country at the European Championship.

Piturca guided Romania through the qualifiers for Euro 2000 only to be sacked before the tournament after a dispute with senior players, including the legendary Gheorghe Hagi.

He returned to the role in December 2004 when he replaced Anghel Iordanescu and, though he failed to take the team to the 2006 World Cup, he steered Romania to the top of their Euro 2008 qualifying group.

His other credits as a coach include a successful spell in charge of the Under 21 side and he also won the league title as Steaua Bucharest boss in 2001.

As a player, Piturca was a lethal striker, primarily for Steaua, and he was part of the 1986 side which beat Barcelona on penalties in the European Cup final.

He also played in the 1989 European Cup final against Milan, yet only managed 13 international caps, scoring six times.

Star man - Adrian Mutu

With Gheorghe Hagi long since retired, the star name in the Romania squad at Euro 2008 will be Adrian Mutu.

The striker has recovered from the ignominy of being sacked by Chelsea for failing a drugs test and he has rebuilt his career in Italy.

Though a stint at Juventus was not overly productive, Mutu has sparkled at Fiorentina this season and helped the club into the UEFA Champions League.

He averaged a goal every other game and has also shown himself to be a potent finisher on the international stage.

Mutu netted six times in qualifying, while Romania have only lost once when he has scored for the national team.

British interest

The sole current British interest in the Romanian squad is Marius Niculae, who has rebuilt his career with Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the SPL this season.

After over two years of struggles, Niculae impressed sufficiently at Inverness to earn a recall to the international squad against Russia in March, scoring in a 3-0 win.

Cosmin Contra and Adrian Mutu have both had unsuccessful stints in the Premier League, the former spending half-a-season on loan at West Brom and the latter a troubled spell with Chelsea.

Several members of the Romanian squad have been linked with moves to England, with Dorin Goian, Nicolae Dica and Razvan Rat all interesting Premier League clubs.

Why they'll win

Shocks do happen in the Euros and Romania have previously shown an ability to get out of a tough group after finishing above England and Germany at Euro 2000. They also beat Holland in the qualifying campaign and would be capable of beating most teams on a good day. Denmark and Greece have also shown that you don't have to be a fancied team to lift the trophy.

Why they won't

Well, they are in a group that contains France, Holland and Italy, who are three of the world's best international teams on their day. Romania also lack big tournament experience, with only a handful of players left over from the Euro 2000 appearance. Many of the squad also play their club football in Romania and that could prove to be a disadvantage.