There’s Champions League qualifying action in Bucharest on Wednesday as FCSB try to overturn a 1-0 deficit in the second leg of their second qualifying round tie against KF Shkendija.
The North Macedonians caused an upset last week, with midfielder Adamu Ibrahim Alhassan scoring the only goal in Skopje. It was a feisty affair, with both sides ultimately reduced to 10 players after Kamer Qaka and Florin Tanase were shown red cards in separate incidents.
FCSB will still be the favourites to progress on Wednesday, but they’ve given themselves some work to do again, having struggled to see off minnows Inter Club d'Escaldes of Andorra in the last round. They only won that tie 4-3 on aggregate, and they’ve also made an unconvincing start to the new Romanian SuperLiga season, losing 2-1 at home to Farul on Saturday.
That will all offer hope to Shkendija who have never previously qualified for the group or league phase of a European competition. They’ve a great chance of changing that this season, having seen off The New Saints 2-1 on aggregate to set up this tie.
How the bookies view it: Comeback expected in Bucharest
Priced at 1/5 to win the game with Boylesports, the expectation is that FCSB at least secure the victory inside 90 minutes, although they’ll need a two-goal winning margin to kill off the tie. Shkendija are on offer at 10/1 to win the game, while the draw is priced at 9/2.
Recent head-to-head: Shkendija hoping to finish the job
These clubs had not met prior to Shkendija's 1-0 victory in the first leg. The North Macedonians had only taken on Romanian opposition on one occasion prior to that when they were also 1-0 winners against Botosani in a Europa League qualifier in the 2020/21 campaign.
Players to watch: Olaru to spark some life into Steaua?
Darius Olaru is one player capable of being the catalyst for an improved display from FCSB as they bid to find a way through into the third qualifying round. He excelled with eight goals in 17 league appearances last season from an advanced midfield role, and he was on target in the home leg in the last round against Inter Club d'Escaldes.
Predicted Lineups
FCSB’s Tanase will miss the second leg due to suspension. The Romanians are also missing Joyskim Dawa, Daniel Birligea and Denis Alibec to injuries.
The visitors will be without Qaka after his first-leg red card, but they’ll likely look to limit the changes apart from that after a strong display.
FCSB: Tarnovanu, Radunovic, Popescu, Ngezana, Cretu, Chiriches, Sut, Olaru, Stoian, Cisotti, Miculescu.
Shkendija: Gaye, Webster, Cake, Fetai, Trumci, Alhassan, Ramadani, Krstevski, Krasniqi, Tamba, Ibraimi.
Anything else catch the eye?
The poor form of FCSB in both domestic and European competitions, and their failure to keep a clean sheet in three Champions League games against unfancied opponents, suggests the North Macedonians have a real chance of competing in the second leg of this tie.
Given that, backing Shkendija to win (+2 handicap) at 6/5 with Boylesports may be worth considering, while you can back the visitors to score over 0.5 goals at 3/4 with the same bookmaker.
The hosts should pose more problems with home advantage though, and both teams to score is also on offer at 5/6.
GambleAware