Opposition Focus: FCSB

The Gers kicked off their campaign with an impressive 2-0 victory in Sweden over Malmo last month, although they fell to defeat against an impressive Olympique Lyonnais side in Govan last time out.

Here’s everything you need to know about our Romanian opponents:

HISTORY

FCSB are prolific champions in the Romanian top-flight, lifting the league title on 27 occasions and reigning supreme in the Cupa Romaniei – the equivalent of the Scottish Cup – 24 times.

The club were also a force to be reckoned with on the continental stage in the 1980s, triumphing in the European Cup in 1986 following a penalty shootout victory over Barcelona.

Indeed, the Romanian side became the first club from the Eastern Bloc to win Europe’s biggest prize, going on to defeat Dynamo Kyiv in the European Super Cup in the same year before reaching the European Cup final once again three years later in a losing effort to Milan.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

These two clubs met during the Romanian side’s glory period in the 1980s, with Graeme Souness’ Rangers going toe-to-toe in the quarter-finals of the European Cup in 1988.

The Light Blues fell to a 2-0 defeat in Bucharest in the first leg but, although they triumphed in the return leg at Ibrox, goals from Ally McCoist and Richard Gough weren’t enough to prevail on aggregate.

The rebranded ‘Champions League’ also paired both clubs together in Group C of the 1995/96 edition, with Rangers falling to a 1-0 defeat in Bucharest before playing out a 1-1 draw in the corresponding fixture in Govan.

CURRENT FORM

The reigning Romanian champions find themselves marooned in fifth place in the league table after 12 games this campaign.

However, results have begun to improve as of late, with FCSB recording their fifth successive victory in all competitions in the Romanian derby on Sunday evening in a 2-0 away win over Dinamo Bucharest.

Their European form, meanwhile, has been flawless through to the opening two league phase outings, defeating RFS at home before grinding out a 1-0 away triumph over PAOK in Greece.

MANAGER

The Romanian outfit are managed by Elias Charalambous, who took charge of the side last year and guided FCSB to immediate league glory.

Indeed, the 44-year-old initially cut his teeth in management in Cyprus, ending his career at AEK Larnaca before joining the first-team coaching staff.

Charalambous’s side lost just four times during the regular season last time out, with no team in the division conceding fewer goals.

KEY PLAYER

Daniel Birligea is FCSB’s talisman in attack and will shoulder even more of the goalscoring burden amid the absence of captain Darius Olaru.

Still only 24, Birligea has netted on each of his last two league appearances having made his Romanian national team debut just over 12 months ago.

Indeed, it was his goal which proved the difference in the 1-0 win over PAOK last time out in the Europa League, while he was also on the scoresheet in the emphatic victory over RFS on matchday one.

WHAT WE’RE SAYING

Manager, Philippe Clement, said of FCSB: “We need to have a lot of respect for them because they have six [points] out of six and they done it in a good way.

“They are a very good technical team with a lot of offensive power, so we need to play a game on the level of the Malmo victory to get the three points again and that’s what we want to do.”

There are limited match tickets available for tonight’s UEFA Europa League clash at Ibrox, and you can back the team to another special European victory here!

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