Greece and Romania are slated to face off in one of the least anticipated matches of the World Cup playoffs. There is no Zlatan Ibrahimovic vs. Cristiano Ronaldo storyline to get the general audience excited. There is no Cinderella story in the manner of Iceland vs. Croatia. There is no big name team like France taking on a solid contender like Ukraine. This team simply has too decent sides facing each with a chance at the World Cup. But how did they get this far? Here is an overview of each team's path to the playoffs.
Greece
The Greeks started their campaign with a 2-1 win over Latvia on Sept. 7, 2012. Four days later, the team took down Lithuania 2-0. A 0-0 draw with mighty Bosnia and Herzegovina ensued, but the Greeks pulled off a 1-0 win over Slovakia in their following game. The team the lost 3-1 in Bosnia and Herzegovina before bouncing back with a 1-0 road win over Lithuania. Another 1-0 road win over Liechtenstein ensued and Greece then took down Latvia 1-0 at home. Yet another 1-0 victory over Slovakia took place this past October before Greece capped its run with a 2-0 win over Liechtenstein. The team wound up with 22 points and tied Bosnia and Herzegovina in points. However, Greece's rivals had a significant edge in goal differential and went through to the World Cup automatically.
Romania
Romania's campaign started with a 2-0 win over Estonia while its second game was a 4-0 demolition of Andorra at home. A 1-0 win in Turkey proved crucial but a 4-1 loss at the hands of the Netherlands served as a reminder of the team's vulnerability. The team then drew 2-2 with Hungary and the Dutch destroyed the team 4-0 in its following game. The team then took down Hungary 3-0 at home but followed the momentum boost with a 2-0 loss at home against Turkey. Fortunately Romania finished out its group performance with a 4-0 win over Andorra and a 2-0 win over Estonia to clinch the second spot.
Greece was better defensively throughout its campaign, but Romania was the better offensive club. This would indicate that this game could be decided by which respective strength prevails: Greece's defense or Romania's offense?