FCSB – Shkendija

The Macedonian club will manage to hold off their opponents in the first half of the return match.

The champion of Romania is not performing convincingly in their qualifying campaign for the Champions League. It might seem that an experienced European fighter should easily overcome teams from Andorra and North Macedonia, but FCSB has already entertained unfriendly fans twice. Moreover, Steaua was very convincing in the previous edition of the Europa League where they defeated several strong opponents during the group stage and were eliminated only in the first knockout round. Shkendija has never passed the qualifying rounds of European competitions in the last fifteen years, regardless of the status of these tournaments. This is despite twelve attempts during that period. The Macedonian champions have always been stopped when facing an opponent with a higher ranking. The first match between the opponents took place a week ago in Skopje. By statistical measures, FCSB outperformed their opponent, however, in the middle of the second half, Shkendija's midfielder Alhassan scored the first and only goal of the match. Nine minutes of playing with a numerical advantage after an expulsion from the home team and the early exit of their midfielder Florin Tănase did not help Steaua. Now the Romanian champions need a convincing home victory to try their luck in the qualifying semi-final against Azerbaijani club Qarabag. Bookmakers have made the home team the favourites for the upcoming match, offering odds of 1.22 for their victory. FCSB passed the first round of qualification unconvincingly. Leading 3-0 in their home match against Inter Club Escaldes, the Romanians brought home a missed penalty by an Andorran player, and just four minutes later conceded a goal from them. The Andorran champion could have scored again, but in the 81st minute, Andreu's goal was disallowed for offside. In the return match, FCSB performed even worse, losing to their opponent 1-2. Such missteps on the European stage are followed by points loss in the recently started Romanian championship. Steaua's performance is not very confident, which may increase Shkendija's chances of success away from home. The Macedonian club is heading to secure their progress to the next stage of the tournament through defensive tactics. Let's bet that they will manage to hold off their opponent in front of their goal at least in the first half.