Five things on Romania, appearing in a European Championship final for the first time since 2008, before they start Euro 2016 in Group A against hosts France, Albania and Switzerland.
MUST READ: Five things you need to know about Albania
MUST READ: Five things you need to know about France
MUST READ: Five things you need to know about Switzerland
MUST READ: All you need to know about GROUP A, GROUP B, GROUP C, GROUP D, GROUP E, GROUP F
1) Hagi sorely missed
Romania no longer boast stars like Gheorge Hagi or ex-Fiorentina and Juventus striker Adrian Mutu who has not played international football since 2013.
Aside from Fiorentina goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu and VFB Stuttgart midfielder Alexandru Maxim, most of the squad languish at small clubs in Europe's top five leagues, or play in Eastern Europe, Turkey, or the Middle East.
Creative spirits and fan favourites like veteran playmaker Lucian Sanmartean, 36, who plays in Saudi Arabia, and Maxim, struggle to fit in to Iordanescu's style and may only play bit parts in France.
2) General Iordanescu heads into battle
One of Romania's highest ever goalscorers and a European Cup medal winner with Steaua Bucharest in 1986, Anghel Iordanescu, 66, is nicknamed "the General" due to his long playing and managerial careers at Steaua, the former army side during the communist era.
Now in his third spell as coach, Iordanescu steered Romania to three major tournaments in a row during the 1990s including a run to the quarter-finals at the World Cup in 1994, led by the mercurial Gheorghe Hagi.
Iordanescu's cautious tactics and penchant for talking down his team's abilities have irked fans. But he insists only the results matter: Romania have not lost since June 2014.
3) Romania's miserly defence
Unbeaten in qualifying (five wins, five draws), Romania only conceded two goals, the best defensive record of any qualifier.
Although the group, won by Northern Ireland, was short on quality, Romania also impressed in a draw with Spain in a Euro 2016 warm-up game in Bucharest in March.
Their stability at the back is personified by experienced 35-year-old Razvan Rat, capped 108 times, and the dependable Vlad Chiriches, 26, now at Serie A side Napoli after two seasons in London with Spurs.
4) And miserable attack
The flip side of Anghel Iordanescu's hard-work ethic is a lack of goals. His preferred strikers, like Turkish side Genclerbirligi's Bogdan Stancu, are strong on tracking back to defend but weak on scoring.
The qualifiers included three scoreless draws in a row with only a 3-0 win against the Faroe Islands boosting the goal difference.
If Romania need to beat Albania in the final group game, their lack of firepower may be exposed.
Iordanescu may opt to take a punt on Steaua Bucharest's Nicolae Stanciu, 22, who scored the winner in a Euro 2016 warm-up against Lithuania in March, his international debut.
5) Euro outsiders
Unlikely to cause an upset in the tournament opener against hosts France, Romania will look to score against Switzerland on the counter-attack, and beat Albania, one of the tournament's weakest sides, in the last group game.
Often labelled pre-tournament dark horses in the 1990s and 2000s, few are backing them this time. But if Romania can escape their group they would not be the first unfancied outfit from southeastern Europe to go far at a Euro finals. Greece 2004 anyone?
AFP
Mon May 09 2016
Euro 2016: Group A - Romania
Bayaran yuran latihan e-sukan layak nikmati pelepasan cukai mulai tahun depan - Hannah
Perbelanjaan yuran keahlian gimnasium, mengikuti latihan atau kelas e-sukan, ekuestrian, renang, sukan bermotor dan taekwondo layak untuk menikmati pelepasan cukai sehingga RM1,000 mulai tahun depan.
PM Anwar beri sumbangan kepada Nur Khayla Azzahra
Sumbangan berkenaan disampaikan Setiausaha Politik beliau Farhan Fauzi yang mewakilinya bertemu Nur Khayla Azzahra dan keluarganya.
Fasa pertama Litar Pasir Gudang dijangka siap dalam tempoh tiga tahun - Tunku Abdul Rahman
Tunku Panglima Johor Tunku Abdul Rahman Sultan Ibrahim menjangkakan fasa pertama 'Johor Circuit' di Litar Pasir Gudang siap dalam tempoh dua hingga tiga tahun.
MYStartup lancar program pemecut ketiga perkasa syarikat pemula niaga
MYStartup terus memperkasa syarikat pemula niaga di Malaysia dengan memulakan program pemecut ketiganya MYStartup Accelerator Kohort 3.
Perdagangan Malaysia meningkat 7.1% tahun ke tahun kepada RM690.59 bilion - MITI
Perdagangan Malaysia bagi Januari hingga Mac 2024 mengekalkan trend peningkatan, merekodkan pertumbuhan 7.1 peratus tahun ke tahun kepada RM690.59 bilion, dengan lebihan dagangan RM34.22 bilion.
Keselamatan makanan, perubahan iklim agenda utama Malaysia selaku Pengerusi ASEAN
Memperkukuh keselamatan makanan serantau dan menangani cabaran mendesak perubahan iklim adalah antara agenda utama yang akan diketengahkan Malaysia apabila memegang tampuk Pengerusi ASEAN.
Freedom Flotilla to Gaza: 'Konflik Israel-Iran bukan urusan kami' - FFC
Misi Break the Siege of Gaza Freedom Flotilla tetap akan diteruskan sekiranya konflik di antara Israel dan Iran terus meningkat.
KKR harap projek naik taraf 3 jalan di Johor dilaksana tahun depan - Ahmad Maslan
Kementerian Kerja Raya (KKR) berharap kerja naik taraf tiga jalan di Johor dapat dilaksanakan tahun hadapan susulan pertambahan kenderaan menggunakan jalan tersebut.
KDNK Malaysia suku pertama dianggar berkembang 3.9% dipacu sektor perkhidmatan - DOSM
Sektor pembinaan menunjukkan pertumbuhan yang signifikan sebanyak 9.8 peratus berbanding 3.6 peratus pada suku tahun sebelumnya, terutama dipacu oleh subsektor kejuruteraan awam.
MARGMA yakin permintaan sarung tangan getah global meningkat pada 2024
Persatuan Pengeluar Sarung Tangan Getah Malaysia (MARGMA) yakin permintaan global terhadap sarung tangan getah akan meningkat pada 2024.
10 pemanas badan sebelum sepak mula Euro 2016
10 perkara menarik sebagai pemanas badan untuk anda nikmati sebelum sepak mula Euro 2016 awal pagi esok.
Euro 2016: Spekulasi perpindahan tidak jejaskan Paul Pogba
Bintang utama Perancis di Euro 2016, Paul Pogba, yang kini beraksi bersama Juventus, sedang hebat dikaitkan dengan gergasi Sepanyol, Real Madrid.
EURO 2016: 9 bintang Eropah jadi tumpuan
Euro 2016 bakal membuka tirainya pada 10 Jun ini di Perancis, dengan menampilkan format baru melibatkan 24 negara. Berikut, 9 pemain yang bakal jadi tumpuan.