Preview: FCSB vs Shkendija - prediction, team news, lineups

FCSB will aim to overturn a narrow first-leg deficit when they host North Macedonian outfit Shkendija in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League second qualifying round tie on Wednesday evening.

Shkendija hold a 1-0 lead from the opening leg and head to Bucharest with a real chance of reaching the third qualifying round for the first time since 2018-19.

Match preview

It was a frustrating night for FCSB in Tetovo last Tuesday, as they failed to make their dominance count despite enjoying more possession and creating several chances.

The Romanian champions were undone by a 65th-minute header from Nigerian midfielder Adamu Alhassan, whose finish handed Shkendija a vital lead in the tie.

That result marked a continuation of FCSB’s struggles in recent weeks, with the Red and Blues picking up just one win in their last five matches across all competitions, and will now need a sharper performance this time around if they are to avoid another early exit on the continental stage.

Things did not improve for Elias Charalambous’ side at the weekend, as they slumped to a surprise 2-1 home defeat to Farul Constanta in Liga I, raising further questions about FCSB’s start to the season.

Shkendija, by contrast, appear to have found a way to get through the tough games, and following their historic first-leg win, the Macedonians kept the momentum going with a 3-1 friendly victory over domestic rivals Rabotnicki.

While it was not a competitive game, it gave fringe players valuable minutes and offered another boost ahead of the trip to Romania.

Wednesday’s showdown will be the second-ever meeting between these sides, but Shkendija have a good record against Romanian sides, having defeated Botosani 1-0 in the second round of the 2020-21 Europa League qualifiers.

Another positive result here would confirm their place in the third round and extend their unbeaten run to six matches in all competitions, with three wins and two draws in that period.

FCSB Champions League form:

FCSB form (all competitions):

Shkendija Champions League form:

Shkendija form (all competitions):

Team News

Florin Tanase was sent off for FCSB in the first leg, and the Romanian side will likely have to bank on David Miculescu to lead the line, with new signing Andrei Gheorghita joining the attack.

Key defender Octavian Popescu remains sidelined, while Alexandru Pantea is struggling with a muscle injury.

Shkendija head into this clash without Albanian midfielder Kamer Qaka, who was also sent off in the first leg.

Last week’s hero, Alhassan, is likely to come in to replace Qaka as one of the pivots, while Besart Ibraimi leads the line.

FCSB possible starting lineup:

Tarnovanu; Cretu, M. Poposecu, Ngezana, Radunovic; Sut, Chiriches; Gheorghita, Olaru, Cisotti; Miculescu

Shkendija possible starting lineup:

Gaye; Trumci, Cake, Fetai, Webster; Alhassan, Ramdani; Tamba, Krasniqi, Krstevski; Ibraimi

We say: FCSB 1-1 Shkendija

Shkendija made their home advantage count in the first leg, but FCSB were on top in most of the statistics except the wonder that mattered most, which was scoring a goal.

The Romanians side will have home support behind them this time, but their recent form suggests they might struggle to make it count all the way.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.