FCSB vs Manchester United

The stakes are high for FCSB and Manchester United ahead of their Europa League final-round showdown at the Arena Nationala.

Despite occupying the last automatic qualification spot in the Europa League’s newly formatted league phase, FCSB’s hopes of locking down direct last-16 progression are still in the balance. Indeed, the hosts must defy a humiliating seven-match losing streak against English opposition to keep hold of a coveted eighth spot. They can draw heart from a decent-looking four-game unbeaten run in this competition (W2, D2), especially considering they kept three clean sheets in that sequence. Losing would still see FCSB reach the Europa League knockouts for the first time since 2017/18. But they’ll aim for more after commencing the new calendar year on a three-game unbeaten run in all competitions (W2, D1), including a breathless 3-2 away win against Qarabag in the penultimate Europa League round.

As for Manchester United, a late 2-1 home victory against Rangers last weekend saw Ruben Amorim become only the third Red Devils manager to win their first three European fixtures in charge of the club. As a result of a fourth consecutive Europa League triumph, United have not only steered into the top eight but remained one of only two teams in the competition yet to lose this season (W4, D3). Moreover, Amorim’s side squeezed past Fulham 1-0 at the weekend to climb to the Premier League mid-table, setting themselves up nicely for this trip. Another victory would see Man Utd register five successive Europa League wins for only the second time. The omens look good, as they’ve won five of their six historic meetings with Romanian clubs (L1).