The second leg of the Europa League 2024/25 Round of 16 between Lyon (France) and FCSB (Romania) will take place on March 12 at the National Arena in Bucharest. The first match ended 3-1 in favor of Lyon. Lyon vs. FCSB: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Lyon
The French side secured a comfortable lead in the first leg with a 3-1 victory. Paulo Fonseca's team remains unbeaten in six Europa League matches (3 wins, 3 draws). However, they have managed to keep a clean sheet only once during this stretch. To progress to the quarter-finals, Lyon can even afford a narrow loss. The club has suffered just one defeat in the current Europa League campaign, a 0-1 loss to Besiktas.
- Both teams scored in 5 of Lyon's last 6 matches in this European competition.
- At home, the team has not won in 5 of their last 7 Europa League encounters (3 draws, 2 losses).
- In 5 of their last 7 home games in the Europa League, Lyon did not score more than one goal.
Predicted lineup for Lyon (4-4-2)
Lucas Perry – Nicolas Tagliafico, Moussa Niakate, Clinton Mata, Ainsley Maitland-Niles – Rayan Cherki, Tanner Tessmann, Nemanja Matic, Corentin Tolisso – Ernest Nuamah, Georges Mikautadze.
FCSB
The defeat in the last match was only the second in eight recent Europa League games for the Romanians (4 wins, 2 draws), but it has almost dashed their hopes of advancing to the next round. In the return leg, Elias Charalambous's side needs to win by at least three goals. FCSB's last four big wins in this tournament came during the qualifiers, and they have not thrashed an opponent in the main Europa League round since 2017. If the Romanians win by a two-goal margin, extra time will be required.
- FCSB scored in 4 of their last 5 Europa League matches.
- Away from home in this tournament, the club has not lost in 6 of their last 7 matches (3 wins and 3 draws in regular time).
- In 8 of their last 11 away games in the Europa League, the Romanians did not concede more than one goal.
Predicted lineup for FCSB (4-5-1)
Stefan Tarnovanu – Risto Radunovic, Siyabonga Ngezana, Mihai Popescu, Joyskim Dawa – Adrian Sut, Baba Alhassan, Florin Tanase, Yuri Chizotti, Malcom Edjouma – David Miculescu.
Forward Daniel Birlighea, midfielders Darius Olaru and Octavian Popescu are injured.
Match Prediction: Lyon vs. FCSB
The French side secured a victory in the first match with their class. Although, if not for lineup issues, the Romanians would likely have scored more than one goal. Lyon's defense lacks reliability. As long as there's a chance to advance, Elias Charalambous's team will continue to seek opportunities in attack.
FCSB scored in 4 of their last 5 Europa League matches. Away in this tournament, the team scored in 9 of their last 12 encounters. Considering that the Romanians need to overcome a two-goal deficit, they will spend a lot of time in attack.
Lyon has kept just two clean sheets in the 2024/25 Europa League, the fewest among the Round of 16 participants. Even at home, the team struggles to shut out opponents, conceding in 6 of their last 7 Europa League matches. The comfortable scoreline from the first leg might lead Paulo Fonseca's team to lower their guard.
My prediction: FCSB Individual Total Over 0.5
