Preview: Romania Under-21s vs. Spain Under-21s
Spain Under-21s begin their bid to win a sixth European Championship crown with a showdown against co-hosts Romania Under-21s.
With Spain putting together a 100% record in qualifying, they will back themselves to overcome opponents who were eliminated in the group stages two years ago.
Spain are never short of world-class players emerging on their production line but this current batch have put together a 14-game undefeated streak across two years.
Not since losing in the semi-finals to Portugal two years ago have La Rojita suffered a setback, with the nation breezing through qualifying with eight successive wins.
A total of 37 goals were scored during those fixtures with four of the five strikes that were conceded coming against second-placed Slovakia.
Braga forward Abel Ruiz and left-sided Manchester City player Sergio Gomez were the standouts, chipping in with 13 goals between them, but this is a well-rounded squad.
The most uncertainty comes from the promotion of Santi Denia in December, whose only win in three games was by a 3-2 scoreline against Switzerland, with draws being posted versus France and Mexico.
In sharp contrast to Denia, who has spent much of his coaching career in the Spain setup, opposite number Emil Sandoi is into double figures in a managerial career that started in 1999.
As it stands, though, this stint has been particularly underwhelming with three draws and two defeats coming from his five games in charge, one of them a 4-1 defeat to Spain.
While Romania have failed to score in their last three games, goalless draws have been posted against the Netherlands and Germany, results which will provide them with belief ahead of one of the toughest tests in this competition.
Romania Under-21s form (in all competitions):
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Spain Under-21s form (in all competitions):
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We say: Romania Under-21s 1-3 Spain Under-21s
With Romania motivated to make an impression in front of their own supporters, we expect them to provide Spain with a stiff test. Nevertheless, La Rojita should have more than enough quality to begin their campaign in perfect fashion.