West Ham United have breezed through the UEFA Europa Conference League so far, and they will have the opportunity to finish a flawless group campaign when they travel to Romania to face FCSB.
Many predicted that the third-tier European tournament would be a headache for West Ham, who face FCSB next, at the start of the campaign and speculated whether they should focus on domestic circuits.
However, it is quite the opposite; the Hammers are comfortably through to the Round of 16 after dominating the group stages, scoring ten goals and allowing only four. If anything, facing lower-calibre opponents has helped them to regain their groove in what has been a slow start to their domestic season.
A narrow 1-0 loss to Manchester United has left David Moyes’s side 13th in the English top flight. And with the competition for top-six spots looking ever stronger, promotion by winning the Europa Conference League could well prove to be the Irons’ major pathway to securing Europa League football next season.
So, David Moyes and co. should take it seriously. And from the looks of things, West Ham are doing just that and are eager to win a trophy after reaching the Europa League semi-finals last season.
By stark contrast, FCSB have largely struggled for consistency this season. They have yet to win a game and have just two points from a possible 15 to show for their efforts. Domestically, things are not any better either, as they sit 7th in the relegation round spots in Liga 1.
They have only won twice in their past six games and lost the reverse fixture 3-1 at the London Stadium, conceding a whopping 20 shots in the process. So they will have to step up their game if they are going to cause problems for West Ham, even if the Hammers do not play their best XI.
Team News & Tactics
FCSB
View this post on Instagram
As if the task of facing a Premier League side was not big enough, FCSB will be without some of their key players ahead of West Ham’s visit to the National Arena. David Miculescu is suspended, while Ovidiu Popescu, Ionut Pantiru, and Lucian Cristea are all ruled out with their respective knee issues.
FCSB come into this game off the back of a 2-1 defeat at the hands of U Cluj in Liga I on Tuesday, where they took 25 shots to the opposition’s 15 and still came out on the wrong side of the result. They will hope for better luck in front of the goal this time around.
Andrea Compagno netted against Anderlecht in FCSB’s last European game and has been quite productive this season. The Italian has 11 goals in 19 games and will look to add to that tally here, with Andrei Cordea, who scored in the reverse tie between the two sides, and Florinel Coman providing service from the flanks.
FCSB boss Nicolae Dica will play a transitional brand of football to try to compensate for West Ham’s superior quality. This approach worked well in the reverse fixture, where they contained West Ham very well for an hour or so until impact substitutions were made.
Joonas Tamm and Joyskim Dawa will form the centre-back partnership for the hosts in front of goalkeeper Stefan Tarnovanu, with Risto Radunovic and Valentin Cretu slotting in as the full-backs to complete the backline.
Defensive midfielder Malcom Edjouma will be responsible for keeping an eye on West Ham’s advanced midfielders and stopping the visitors from playing a free-flowing game. He will be supported by the likes of Razvan Oaida and Darius Olaru.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Tarnovanu; Cretu, Dawa, Tamm, Radunovic; Oaida, Edjouma, Olaru; Cordea, Compagno, Coman
West Ham United
With a place in the Last 16 already guaranteed as group winners, David Moyes will deploy a heavily-rotated team for the trip to Bucharest ahead of a vital Premier League encounter against Crystal Palace at home.
The Hammers, though, will be eager to make it six from six and a clean sweep in the group stage, which would be a huge confidence boost going into the knockout rounds. Lucas Paqueta (shoulder) will miss out, while Maxwel Cornet (calf) and Lukasz Fabianski (knee) are also unlikely to feature here.
Fabianski was forced off at half-time in the 1-0 loss to Manchester United after falling clumsily and injuring his knee while sprinting off his line to attempt a clearance. The Polish shot-stopper has been ruled out of this week’s games, with deputy Alphonse Areola set to take his place as the first choice in the West Ham goal in the meantime.
Training ✅ pic.twitter.com/VZCLHA0TGH
— West Ham United (@WestHam) November 1, 2022
Moyes could experiment with a back-three system, with summer signing Nayef Aguerd marshalling the backline from the heart of the defensive unit. Ben Johnson and Angelo Ogbonna on either side of the Moroccan defender.
Vladimir Coufal will take up his position at right wing-back, whereas Emerson Palmieri will be the change at left-back. Both will be given a license to bomb forward at every opportunity and cause destruction at the back post.
Manuel Lanzini has starred for the Hammers in European games and will slot into the attacking midfield role, as will Pablo Fornals. Youngster Connor Coventry could be handed the chance to impress in the single-pivot role. Meanwhile, Said Benrahma and Michail Antonio will comprise the front two, with both looking to rediscover their shooting boots in front of the goal.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Areola; Johnson, Aguerd, Ogbonna; Coufal, Fornals, Coventry, Lanzini, Palmieri; Antonio, Benrahma
Key Stats
- This will be the fourth-ever meeting between these two sides on the European stage, and their first on Romanian soil since October 1999, when FCSB upset West Ham United 2-0 in a UEFA competition.
- FCSB have won only one of their past five home games in UEFA competitions (D2 L2), and their most recent was a five-goal defeat to Silkeborg IF), their biggest home defeat in Europe.
- FCSB have shipped 15 goals in the Europa League this season, the most in the competition.
- The Irons are the only side with a 100% win record in the Europa League this season after five matchdays.
- West Ham United have gone undefeated away from home in their last five group-stage European competition games (W4 D1).
Player to Watch
Michail Antonio
Antonio is likely to get the nod up front to lead the line for the Hammers, with Italian striker Gianluca Scamacca the preferred striker in the Premier League. The Jamaican international looked lively against Manchester United last time out, using his power and physique to dominate defenders.
He has not been at his prolific best this season, boasting only two Premier League goals so far this season. And Antonio will aim to get on the scoresheet here to restore his confidence up top as he looks to reclaim his starter position.
Prediction
FCSB 0-2 West Ham United
It is first against last in Group B, and both teams have nothing to play for. So this dead rubber game could easily turn into a practice game. The hosts have struggled to find any type of form in all competitions so far this season.
West Ham are the overwhelming favourites for this one and are also expected to take a large number of shots, which will inevitably lead to a couple of goals and a comfortable victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for David Moyes and his charges.
