In a critical World Cup qualification battle, Turkey will take on Romania in Group D competition. The Turks have three points and also are back by three to the football club. Turkey initially kicked off their Cup campaign on a low note, as they were defeated by the Netherlands 2-0. However, they were able to effectively rebound four days later against Estonia by dominating them 3-0.

Qualification rules state that nine winners of the group will head to Brazil in 2014 for the FIFA World Cup and the best of the eight runners-up will be entered into a playoff round for the final four spots into the highly-coveted competition. For the sake of remaining in contention, Turkey must pull out a win against Romania.

Turkey coach Abdullah Ava told the Hurriyet Daily News that he will not be taking the group leading Romanians lightly.

"Romania is a difficult opponent. We are facing the group leaders. They are a well-disciplined team playing with patience."

Ava, also stressed the importance of Friday's WCQ matchup against the tough squad to the online publication.

"If we beat Romania, hopefully, then Romania will play against the Netherlands, while we meet Hungary. Then the road will be cleared. The Romanian game is out most important test."

As of late, the coach has been under scrutiny for depending too heavily on Galatasary and Fenerbahce footballers, as Turkey is comprised of 16 (25-man roster) of those players. However, Ava continues to deny any such favoritism toward the two clubs.

"I have respect for everyone's opinions, but six of the 10 players I called to the national squad in May were transferred to Galatasaray and Fenerbahce. This is not my fault."

The coach was speaking about the Burak Yilmaz, Umut Bulut and Hamit Altintop signings to Galatasaray, and the Mehmet Topal, Egemen Korkmaz and Hasan Ali Kaldirim deals with Fenerbahce.

CLICK HERE to watch Turkey vs. Romania in the 2012 WCQ via live stream. Coverage will begin at 8:30 PM Local Time (Turkey) on Friday, Oct. 12.

Tags
FIFA World Cup, Television