FCSB vs RFS prediction: EUROPE: Europa League – League phase betting tips on match 2024-09-25 19:00.
[p]FCSB might be Romania’s most decorated club when it comes to participating in continental football, but it has been a long time since they enjoyed a deep run in any of the three major competitions. The Red and Blues, who famously lifted the European Cup in 1986, have not reached the knock-out stages since 2017/18, a record they will be looking to end as their UEFA Europa League (UEL) group stage campaign gets underway.[/p]
[p]Worryingly for head coach Elias Charalambous, his side are not exactly in the best of form, winning just two of their nine league outings (D4, L3) after a tricky start to the domestic campaign. And although they are unbeaten in four fixtures (W2, D2) across all competitions, FCSB could only manage a controversial 1-1 draw against Petrolul 52 on Saturday, when they conceded a last-gasp equaliser that left the manager fuming with the officials, mainly because they were forced to play over an hour with ten men. [/p]
[p]Opponents Rigas FS will be looking to pile on the misery, and they should be full of confidence after making their own little bit of Latvian football history. Viktors Morozs’ side have become just the second club from the country to reach the UEL group stage, doing so by beating APOEL on penalties after the two-legged qualification play-off finished 3-3 on aggregate.[/p]
[p]The manager described his players as “real heroes” after that result, and given their form domestically, supporters may believe their team can cause a bit of a stir in Bucharest. Rigas appear well poised to land a third Virsliga title in four years thanks to a run of 18 league games without defeat (W16, D2), while they have also won ten of their last 13 away matches across all competitions (D1, L2)![/p]
[p]Players to watch: FCSB will be hoping Darius Olaru can get himself on the scoresheet, as he has only lost one of the 43 matches in which he has scored (W36, D6)! Battling him for the limelight will be Rigas forward Darko Lemajić, who has seen six of his eight goals in European football serve as the first or last of the game. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Seven of Rigas FS’ eight European qualifying matches this season have featured 3+ match goals.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Matt Jones[/i][/p]