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FCSB vs. Manchester United: UEL Match Preview, Odds & Prediction
In Thursday night's last League Phase match, Manchester United will travel to Romania to face FCSB at the National Arena. The Red Devils are looking to qualify automatically for the Europa League round of 16.
With a one-point differential in the 36-team standings, these two clubs will meet for the first time in Bucharest.
Previous Matches and Head-to-head
Even though things have been anything from smooth sailing at Old Trafford since Ruben Amorim took over, there is reason to be optimistic after Manchester United's three-game winning streak in all competitions.
After Amorim called his Red Devils team "maybe the worst" in club history after a 3-1 Premier League loss to Brighton, Man U have won their last two matches by a single goal. Last week, they defeated Rangers 2-1 in the Europa League. On Sunday, they beat Fulham 1-0 thanks to a goal from Lisandro Martinez in the second half.
The Europa League offers Manchester United the greatest opportunity to earn European football for next season. They currently rank 12th in the Premier League standings, 11 points below the top seven. They can also clinch automatic entry for the last 16.
Man United are in fourth place in the 36-team league, two points ahead of Galatasaray in ninth. They know that if they beat eighth-placed FCSB, they will finish in the top eight. However, if they don't win all of their games, they risk falling into the playoff positions if other results don't work out.
On Thursday, Manchester United will be confident in their prospects of winning since they have a five-game winning streak against Romanian teams and a two-game winning streak against Astana in their previous six Europa League away matches (W4 D2).
FCSB has been one of the Europa League's biggest surprises this season, and they're in a position to make it to the round of 16 for the first time since 2017–18.
With victories against FC Midtjylland(2-0) and Qarabag FK(3-2), Elias Charalambous's squad has gone four games without a loss, accumulating 14 points in the League Phase (W4 D2 L1). They have drawn Olympiacos and Hoffenheim 0-0 in a row.
FCSB jumped two spots to ninth position last week after beating Qarabag in Azerbaijan after coming back from behind twice. With a historic win against Manchester United, they would lock into the top eight, while a loss or draw would send them tumbling into the round of 16.
The defending Romanian Liga I champions won a tight match against UTA Arad last weekend, 1-0, on the back of a second-half penalty by Florin Tanase. With seven games left in the regular season, they are now tied for first place in the league with Universitatea Cluj.
This is FCSB's return to the Europa League. Despite a 20-2 aggregate loss in their last seven matches against English clubs, they enter their first-ever meeting with Manchester United having lost just three of their last 22 home matches in the Europa League group stage (and now League Phase) (W11 D8), earning seven points from three home games this season.
FCSB x Manchester United Team News
United will be missing three injured players: Mason Mount (thigh), Jonny Evans (muscle), and Luke Shaw (calf). Manuel Ugarte will be evaluated before starting after taking a hit in the latter moments of Fulham's victory. Meanwhile, with his future still up in the air, Marcus Rashford is not thought to be participating.
Altay Bayindir, who started the last game as a replacement, and Leny Yoro and Tyrell Malacia, who played on defense, are among the players Amorim would likely contemplate starting again.
On Thursday, Amorim may start Toby Collyer in the middle of the field alongside Kobbie Mainoo, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, or Bruno Fernandes. The midfielder impressed as a substitute against Fulham and started United's win over Rangers last week. Joshua Zirkzee hopes to begin ahead of Rasmus Hojlund in the attacking third.
Octavian Popescu (knee), leading scorer Darius Olaru (shoulder), and Mihai Lixandru (muscle) are all expected to miss FCSB games as they continue to heal from injuries.
Vlad Chiriches, a 35-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur defender, has missed the last three games owing to a muscular issue; however, he may be able to make a comeback on Thursday.
Instead of Daniel Popa, the starting lineup is expected to include Daniel Birligea, who has scored 11 goals in all competitions this season. Tanase scored last weekend and is expected to return to the final third and might replace Malcom Edjouma as the number 10 player.
Our Predictions
Manchester United to win @ 1.64 on Sky247.ng
On Thursday, two sides hell-bent on keeping their spot in the top eight might meet in what could be another tightly contested match. Man United has won its past three Europa League matches by a single goal.
Even if FCSB has an excellent home record so far in the campaign, Man United is the favorite, and they should have enough talent in their lineup for Amorim to choose to win the match in Bucharest.
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