FCSB vs Olympiakos: 

Europa League matchday five preview

By Stephen Kountourou

UEFA Europa League League Phase Matchday Five: 28/11/24

Kick-off Time: 22:00 Greek Time

Venue: Arena Naţională

Where to Watch: Cosmote Sport 3 HD

There are no easy games in football. Even an opponent that might not seem like much on paper can be underestimated. This is what Olympiakos cannot do on Thursday when they play FCSB. According to @footballmeetsdata, the Romanian champions are the biggest overachievers in the UEFA Europa League League Phase so far this season. 

They currently find themselves in an automatic spot for the round of 16. With four matches remaining, a lot can change, but Thrylos will face a stern test when the team travels to Bucharest to play a side that won the old European Cup a long time ago.

 

Last time in the UEL

Olympiakos

The Conference League holders hosted Scottish side Rangers at Karaiskaki, both of whom could have secured a place in the Europa League playoffs with a win. After a balanced first half that ended scoreless, Thrylos started to pick up the pace and eventually broke the deadlock. 

Christos Mouzakitis's superb long-ball pass found Chquinho in the box whose header found Ayoub El Kaabi. The Moroccan striker scored Olympiakos’s goal of the tournament so far by half-volleying past Jack Butland to make it 1-0.

Unfortunately for Mendilibar’s men, the lead was short-lived. Under 10 minutes later, Rangers capitalised on a defensive mistake, and Cyriel Dessers scored the leveller past Kostas Tzolakis. The match ended up as a score draw, and both teams still needed a win to secure a place in the top 24.

FCSB

The Romanian side hosted Danish side FC Midtjylland on matchday four, hoping to improve on the previous 4-0 defeat to Rangers. The Romanian champions had an excellent start to the game by going in front 16 minutes in through Florin Tănase to make it 1-0.

Elias Charalambous's men continued to push for a second, while staving off pressure from the Danish side and doubled their lead after the break. Daniel Bîrligea after the restart made it 2-0. After seeing out the victory FCSB found themselves in 8th place and an automatic qualification spot to the Europa League round of 16 after four games. 

Elias Charalambous’s men's total dominance was shown in the scoreline in that stats, with 16 shots, seven on target. Darius Olaru opened the scoring in the first half an hour, and Daniel Bîrligea doubled their lead just before halftime. A comfortable second half was capped off with a third from David Miculescu to see off their opponents from the Arena Națională.

 

League results 

Olympiakos

Thrylos returned from the international break to a derby against AEK in a sold-out Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium. After a positive early start from the hosts, Charalampos Kostoulas won a penalty, after being fouled by Lazaros Rota, which Ayoub El Kaabi converted. 

After both Chiquinho and David Carmo were forced off due to injury, AEK found an equaliser. Against the run of play, a deflected ball fell into the path of Antony Martial who slotted home past Kostas Tzolakis with a few minutes of the first half to go.

After the break, it was all Olympiakos. El Kaabi scored twice in a matter of minutes to seal his hattrick, with Gelson Martins adding a fourth and putting the match almost out of reach for Enosis. With Eric Lamela being sent off late on Mendilibar’s men saw out the victory which put the Piraeus side top of the Greek Super League table.

FCSB

The Romanian champions, who have had a tough start to their league campaign played two matches since the end of the international break. T

hey started with a shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of league strugglers Botoșani on the road before hosting Unirea Slobozia on the weekend. 

The side from Bucharest recovered from the midweek disappointment by thrashing their opponents 3-0 at home.

Competitive record 

This will be the first match-up between Olympiakos and FCSB but Thrylos does not have a great record against Romanian clubs. Having previously played CS Universitatea Craiova and the now-defunct FC Sportul Studențesc București, the Piraeus sides have won two and lost four in six matches. They have never won away in Romania before.

FCSB meanwhile has more of a mixed record. Having faced Panathinaikos twice, drawing once and losing once, they also played PAOK in Toumba this season on matchday two. They ran out 0-1 winners against the Greek champions in a shock result. 

Final thoughts

Before giving any last thoughts, credit has to go to Elias Charalambous, a Cypriot coach who has done very well to win a league trophy in a tough domestic competition and has made FCSB a competitive team in Europe. 

But this is exactly why Olympiakos must be careful going to Romania. FCSB  are where they are in the League Phase table because they have shown resilience in big matches to not go down without a fight, even if they have overperformed. 

All three injured players from the AEK game in Carmo, Chiquinho and Martins look unlikely to be ready for Thursday, but with Santiago Hezze ready to compete in midfield it will be a huge boat for Jose Luis Mendilibar. 

This could also be the last chance for players like Willian and Kristoffer Velde, the former especially needs to show why he was a big-name deadline-day signing over the summer transfer window. 

Even with the injuries, the two derby victories and being top of the league table right now should give confidence to Olympiakos that they are still capable of beating FCSB and securing the top 24.

@SteveKountourou

Hellas Football