Europa League Showdown: LASK Linz vs FCSB - A Tight Race for a Place in the Group Stage
LASK Linz and FCSB lock horns at the Raiffeisen Arena in Austria on Thursday night for the first leg of their Europa League playoff tie. The victors of this two-legged affair will secure a place in the newly expanded 36-team Europa League group stage, while the losers will be relegated to the Conference League.
A Familiar Fight for LASK Linz
LASK Linz are no strangers to the Europa League, having attempted to qualify for the main competition four times in their history, including last season's group stage appearance. Their quest for a place in the group stage this year is aided by their third-placed finish in the Austrian Bundesliga, guaranteeing them automatic entry into the playoffs rather than having to navigate the earlier qualifying rounds.
Under the permanent leadership of Thomas Darazs, who took the reins following a spell as interim coach last season, LASK Linz have had a mixed start to the new campaign. Two wins and two defeats in their opening four matches provide a glimpse of the challenges they face. While a comfortable 3-0 victory over Union Gurten in the Austrian Cup and a 2-1 away win against Hartberg in their league opener augured well, back-to-back losses at home to Rheindorf Altach and Red Bull Salzburg have dampened their spirits.
FCSB Seek Redemption After Champions League Exit
FCSB, the 27-time Romanian champions, are also vying for a place in the Europa League group stage, seeking their first appearance since the 2017-18 knockout rounds. However, their journey has been marred by inconsistency, with just five wins in their opening 12 competitive matches. Their struggles have been particularly evident in the league, where they currently occupy 13th place, nine points adrift of the summit.
Elias Charalambous's side suffered a narrow 1-0 home defeat to Politehnica Iasi last weekend, following a disappointing 3-2 loss to Sparta Prague (and 4-3 aggregate defeat) in the Champions League third qualifying round. Their Europa League ambitions now hinge on a successful playoff campaign.
Team News and Potential Lineups
LASK Linz will be without Andres Andrade, Ibrahim Mustapha, Florian Flecker, Maximilian Entrup, Ivan Ljubic, and Valon Berisha due to injuries, while Tomas Galvez and Tomas Tavares are doubtful. Despite failing to score in his four appearances this season, Marin Ljubicic, who bagged 15 goals last season, will be hoping for a starting berth. Former Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng is also pushing for a place in the first XI.
FCSB are without Alexandru Musi due to injury, but William Baeten, Alexandru Pantea, and Octavian Popescu have all recently recovered from injuries and are in contention for Thursday's clash. Captain Darius Olaru, who was sent off against Politehnica Iasi but is eligible to play against LASK, has been one of FCSB's standout performers this season, scoring seven goals and providing three assists in 10 appearances. He is expected to support either David Miculescu or Daniel Popa in the forward line.
LASK Linz possible starting lineup: Lawal; Bogarde, Ziereis, Smolcic, Bello; Jovicic, Horvath; Usor, Zulj, Pintor; Ljubicic
FCSB possible starting lineup: Tarnovanu; Cretu, Chiriches, Ngezana, Radunovic; Sut, Lixandru; Stefanescu, Olaru, Phelipe; Popa
A Close Contest Awaits
Neither team enters the first leg on a high, making this a contest that promises to be closely fought. Although both sides will be looking to kick-start their winning ways, the tight nature of the matchup suggests a draw is the most likely outcome. This would leave the tie delicately poised ahead of the second leg in Romania, adding further intrigue to this Europa League playoff encounter.
