EURO 2008 INFO

Playing in the same group as Italy, France and the Netherlands, Romania's players are hoping to sneak under the radar at the European Championship, its first major tournament since the 2000 edition.

"We'd like to be the surprise of the tournament. As (captain) Cristi (Chivu) said: the time has come for us to show our value," said Romania striker Adrian Mutu, adding that as a senior player he "has a responsibility. I know what is expected of me by the country and I hope not to disappoint."

Forward Daniel Niculae said that being seen as the weakest team in the strongest group was spurring the players on.

"The fact that we are credited with being fourth best may transform into an advantage," Niculae said. "We want twice as much as our opponents to get good results."

Romania plays France on Monday in its opening Group C match, and then meets Italy on June 13 and the Netherlands four days later. Romania beat the Netherlands in qualifying.

Mutu said the team is concentrating on the game against France.

"France is formidable and they have very skillful players," Mutu said. "We have to work out their weak points. They don't have many and there will likely only be two or three opportunities to score."

The Romanian team watched France's previous match — a 1-0 win over Colombia on Tuesday — to look for clues.

"France changed its system of play," said defender Cosmin Contra without elaborating.

Romania reached the quarterfinals at the 2000 European Championship in the Netherlands and Belgium.