Can Bucharest pull off a small miracle?

Sixteen teams are still in the running for the Europa League title. We take a look at the clash between Lyon and FCSB, where the bookmakers’ tip is for a home win. The French side created a good cushion for themselves in the first leg with a 3-1 win. But will it be enough to manage this result and conserve energy for the next tasks?

The hosts had a good league phase and qualified directly for the last sixteen. This saved les Gones an extra round and a few grains of sand, which is certainly not a disadvantage given their tight schedule. In Ligue 1, the fight for international starting places is close, so that the blue-reds can by no means be sure of qualifying again next season. In the upcoming match between Lyon and FCSB, the forecast for the French is rewarded with odds of just 1.30.

A long winning streak came to an end last Thursday. After eight competitive games without defeat, the Romanians were beaten at home. To qualify for the quarter-finals now is a mammoth task. The betting odds reflect this.

Lyon – Statistics & current form

Olympique Lyon is a familiar face on the international stage. Their greatest successes were the Champions League semi-final appearances in 2010 and 2020. Last season, the hosts qualified for the Europa League in sixth place in the table. This year, too, it looks like it will be a close call to see who will finish in one of the top six places in the standings.

Les Gones celebrated an important victory in the top-of-the-table clash in Nice last weekend. The hosts defended sixth place in the table with a 2-0 win. The gap to the first Champions League spot was reduced to four points.

Lyon qualified directly for the round of 16

The Blues made a strong impression in the group stage, winning four of their eight matches and only losing once. The 15 points they earned were enough to see them finish sixth and qualify directly for the round of 16.

The only defeat was at the hands of Besiktas Istanbul in front of their own fans. The points were earned in three matches against Piräus (2-0), at Rangers (4-1), at Qarabag Agdam (4-1) and against Frankfurt (3-2). Certainly, none of them were unknown quantities on the international stage.

With 16 goals scored, the hosts had one of the strongest attacks in the Europa League. Only three teams scored more goals than they conceded. The forward line is also convincing in Ligue 1, delivering the fifth-best performance here. While Fofana is the top scorer internationally with six goals, Lacazette is the top scorer nationally with nine goals.

The hosts are relying on their home strength

In their own stadium, the team of head coach Paulo Fonseca has made a very stable impression in recent months. The only defeat in the last ten home games was against league leaders PSG, who narrowly beat the hosts 3-2. Now, the game for the quarter-finals against Bucharest is coming up and the popular bookmaker NEO.bet is offering odds of 1.26 for bets on Lyon against FCSB.

FCSB – Statistics & current form

Although Steaua Bucharest have already won 27 league titles, fans had to wait nine years for something to celebrate last year. At the end of the championship round, in which the six best teams from the double round play, the blue-red team was three points ahead of their closest rivals from Cluj. This year, too, qualification for the championship round was secured early.

After the double round, FCSB is at the top of the table. With a 1-0 victory last weekend over the team that had been their closest rival until then, they defended their place in the sun. With halved points, the six top teams now play for the championship.

FCSB failed in the Champions League qualifiers

In the Champions League qualifiers, the Romanians went through Tel Aviv (1:1; 1:0) to the semi-finals, before the hurdle of Sparta Prague proved too high. In the Europa League qualifiers, FCSB narrowly beat LASK (1:1; 1:0).

After that, the guests performed convincingly in the league phase. With four wins and two draws, which brought a total of 14 points to the account, the direct jump into the round of 16 was only narrowly missed. A defeat on the last matchday against Manchester United prevented a place in the top eight.

Bucharest surprised in the round of 32

This is how the lap of honor went against PAOK Saloniki. Here, the team of head coach Elias Charalambous was considered the clear underdog. But the blue-and-reds already surprised with a 2-1 victory in the first leg in Greece. In the second leg, the Romanians made sure of their place in the next round with a 2-0 win.

But now they seem to have reached the end of the line. The 1-3 defeat in front of their own fans is a serious handicap. It is rather doubtful that they will manage to catch up the two-goal deficit in France. The bookmakers take a similar view and are paying odds of up to 12.50 for bets on the guests in the Lyon v FCSB game.

However, the away record does provide some cause for optimism. In the last twelve competitive away games, only one was lost.

Lyon – FCSB Head to head / H2H record

The two teams have met five times and the Romanians are still waiting for their first victory. Olympique has won four times. In the Champions League, the guests held the French team to a 1-1 draw in 2006. In the recent past, however, there was only the first leg as a direct comparison and les Gones put themselves in a very good starting position with a 3-1 win. The betting providers also see the better chances in the hands of the hosts for the second leg between Lyon and FCSB. There were more than 2.5 goals in three of the five matches.

Lyon – FCSB betting tip

Steaua Bucharest is a welcome guest in France. They have already traveled to the Grande Nation six times and have not won any of these games. Olympique itself has never lost to the Romanians and has only been beaten twice in the last 17 home games on the international stage. The lead from the first leg should be enough to ensure peace of mind, without underestimating the opponent.

The guests face a very difficult task. They have to catch up two goals. The fact that the last two away games in the Europa League against PAOK and Qarabag Agdam were won should provide optimism. An early goal for the Romanians and we have a really exciting last 16 game.

We see the distribution of roles in a similar way to the betting providers. The hosts are of course favored in this game after the first leg success. With a controlled offense, the French should ensure clear results. We recommend betting on a home win in the game Lyon against FCSB in combination with less than 3.5 goals at odds of 1.98 at the tested bookmaker Interwetten.

An early goal from the home side should quickly take the air out of the game and give Olympique the opportunity to save a few grains. We risk a small bet at odds of 1.80 on HT/FT 1/1 in the duel between Lyon and FCSB.