FCSB vs Lyon

Ligue 1 team On Thursday, Lyon will go to Bucharest to play FCSB in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 match.

With a sixth-place league phase result, Lyon guaranteed their spot in the round of 16, whereas FCSB had to overcome Greek team PAOK in a playoff match.

After winning four, drawing two, and losing two of their eight games, FCSB concluded the league phase just one point behind Lyon.

Their 11th-place finish, however, sent them into the playoffs as a seeded club, and that record was insufficient to guarantee a top-eight placement.

The reigning Romanian champions secured their place in the Europa League last 16 for the first time since the 2012-13 season after overcoming PAOK in the playoff round. They claimed a 2-1 victory in the away leg and followed it up with a convincing 2-0 win at home.

Since then, Elias Charalambous’s team has played two derby matches, edging out Dinamo Bucharest 2-1 before settling for a goalless draw against Rapid Bucharest on Sunday. These results have kept them at the top of the Romanian league, maintaining a narrow one-point lead.

FCSB is currently enjoying an eight-match unbeaten streak across all competitions (W5, D3), with their last defeat coming against Manchester United in a league phase clash at the end of January.

As they prepare to face Lyon, the hosts will be aiming for their first competitive victory against the French side, having drawn once and lost three times in their four previous meetings during the 2006-07 and 2008-09 Champions League group stages.

Lyon secured a sixth-place finish in the league phase, avoiding the risk of a playoff tie after a strong run of results. They won four, drew three, and lost just one of their eight matches, ensuring direct progression to the knockout rounds. The French side enters this stage under new management, with Paulo Fonseca taking over as head coach following Pierre Sage’s departure after the league phase concluded.

Fonseca has made a promising start to his tenure, winning three of his first five matches in charge. This includes a 2-1 victory over Brest in Sunday’s home fixture, though the match was marred by a confrontation with referee Benoit Millot. The incident puts Fonseca at risk of a lengthy domestic ban, though he has since apologized for his actions. Now, the 51-year-old is set to oversee his first European game as Lyon’s boss, with the team aiming to advance to the quarter-finals, where they could face Real Sociedad or Manchester United.

Lyon has a solid record in recent UEFA competition last-16 ties. They famously defeated Juventus on away goals in the 2019-20 Champions League and secured a narrow 2-1 victory in the 2021-22 Europa League. Additionally, the team will draw confidence from their impressive unbeaten streak in Europa League away matches, which stretches back to December 2017. Since a 1-0 loss to Atalanta BC, Lyon has gone 11 games without defeat on the road in the competition (W8, D3), a record they hope to maintain as they push for further success.