Guram Kashia to receive international send-off on June 2; Georgia vs Romania friendly broadcast live on GPB First Channel #1TVSPORT

The Georgia national football team will play a friendly match against Romania on June 2. The match kicks off at 21:00, with live coverage provided by the GPB First Channel.

Key Facts

• First encounter: The first meeting with the Romanian national team dates back to 1980, when Dinamo Tbilisi defeated Romania 2-0 in the final of an international tournament, thanks to goals from Vitali Daraselia and Vazha Zhvania.
• Independent era: The first match against Romania under the auspices of an independent Georgian national team took place in 1996, resulting in a 0-5 defeat. This was the 25th match in the history of the “Crusaders”.
• Last meeting: Georgia last faced Romania on June 2, 2021, securing a 2-1 victory. Giorgi Mikautadze scored his debut international goal in that match, with Tornike Okriashvili serving as team captain.
• Head-to-head record: Today marks the ninth meeting between Georgia and Romania. Out of the previous eight encounters, Georgia won one, two ended in draws, and Romania won five times, including one via a penalty shootout at an international tournament in Cyprus.

The Georgia Squad

The “Crusaders” held a training session at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, the venue for the match, one day before kick-off. It has been confirmed that Giorgi Mikautadze and Zuriko Davitashvili will miss the upcoming matches against Romania and Bahrain (June 5) due to injuries. Meanwhile, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is set to join the squad in a few days and will be available for the Bahrain fixture.

Following the match against Romania, team captain Guram Kashia will retire from international football, making his 129th and final appearance for the national team.

The Romania Squad

Gheorghe Hagi is preparing a 23-man squad for his debut match as Romania’s head coach. Due to injuries, the Romanians will be without goalkeeper Ionuț Radu (Celta Vigo), defenders Andrei Rațiu (Rayo Vallecano) and Nicușor Bancu (Universitatea Craiova), midfielders Dennis Man (PSV Eindhoven) and Nicolae Stanciu (Genoa), and forward Denis Drăguș (Gaziantep).