On one side Marko Vesovic i Marko Jankovic, and against them a teammate from the national team Risto Radunovic - in the penultimate round of the Europa League group stage today, Qarabag will host FCSB, formerly Steaua, at the "Tofig Bahramov" stadium in Baku.
Qarabag's chances of reaching the knockout stage are almost non-existent with a result of one win and five losses, but FCSB is a different story. For the Romanian giants, a win would most likely be a big step towards even a place in the top eight and a direct entry into the round of 16. Even in the case of a negative result, there is another chance for a make-up match in the last round in Bucharest against the famous Manchester United.
Radunović is having the season of his life, in 2024 he was officially named the best foreign player in Romania, and reaching the knockout stage of the Europa League is another great achievement for the former Buducnost left back.
The eight top teams, according to the new format, advance to the round of 24, while the teams ranked ninth to 16th will seek a place in the top 10 through a play-off. Steaua is currently in 11th place with XNUMX points, the same as eighth-placed Rangers. However, Rangers play at Old Trafford against Manchester United, who are only a point ahead.
Lazio, Athletic Bilbao, Eintracht, Lyon and Manchester United will continue the competition, but it depends on which phase. The “Devils” welcome the “policemen” from whom they have never conceded a goal in four games in European competitions. United won three, one ended goalless. And Steaua would support Manchester United with a victory over Qarabag, whom they welcome in the last round.
There is a lot of intrigue, a lot of combinations too, a lot of things will become clearer after the 16 matches that are on the schedule today.
Two matches have already been played this round, with Turkish giants Galatasaray and Besiktas playing in Istanbul. Galatasaray drew with Dynamo Kiev (3:3) on Tuesday, while Besiktas revived their chances of qualifying for the last 24 with a 4:1 win over Athletic Bilbao yesterday. It was the first defeat for the Basques, who are second in the table with 16 points before today's matches.
The first is our Lazio Adam Marušić, who host Real Sociedad today. The team from San Sebastian is 12th with 10 points, six behind Lazio.
The match is also important for the European future of the Spanish and Italian clubs, as Serie A is now in second place, just 0,018 points ahead of Spain according to the UEFA coefficient. Second place by coefficient means five clubs in the Champions League next season.
Just below the eight-team zone is Tottenham, who travel to Hoffenheim and then host Elfsborg and have a realistic chance of reaching the last 26. Hoffenheim are only in XNUMXth place, having lost all four of their games against English teams.
A lot of "fire" is expected in Istanbul where Fenerbahçe Jose Mourinho welcomes Lyon. Fenerbahçe is only 22nd with eight points, they are under pressure against the “lions” who have collected 13, and are fourth in the table. Eintracht has the same number of points as Lyon, and they welcome Ferencvaros. The Hungarian club is 16th with nine points.
The most pleasant surprise of the Europa League, Anderlecht with 14 points, visits Plzen, which has nine points. An important match will be played at the “Dragau” by Porto against Olympiacos, which has nine points, one more than the “dragons”.
Bonus video:
