Article by Mihai Șovei – Published Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 2:41 p.m. / Updated Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 2:41 p.m.
Darius Olaru (27 years old), captain of the FCSB team, spoke about the last match that the Romanian champions will play in the single Europa League group. The match with Fenerbahce is scheduled for Thursday, January 29, from 22:00, at the National Arena.
Before the decisive game in the Europa League, the midfielder watched the opponents at work in the derby with Galatasaray, a match in which Fener won 2-0. He considers it a very good team, but believes that anything can happen in football.
VIDEO. Darius Olaru spoke about the match with Fenerbahce and the opponents in the Europa League
The captain of the champion believes that the opponents of this European season were much more difficult than those of last season, when FCSB reached the round of 16 of the Europa League. 5 of the 8 teams with which Darius Olaru's team was assigned in the single Europa League group played in the Champions League last season: Feyenoord, Dinamo Zagreb, Bologna, Red Star Belgrade and Young Boys.
Despite the fact that Fenerbahce is a favorite going into the duel with FCSB, Darius Olaru is confident in the chances of the champion.
“I saw their match against Galatasaray. They have a very good team with some big names. It will be difficult, but in football anything can happen.
Considering that out of eight teams, five were in the Champions League last year, we can say they were very good opponents. Last year we had the chance to play the first game at home against a team that everyone considered the weakest (No RFS). I got three important points. This year they were much stronger opponents than last season“, said Darius Olaru, for eAD.
With 2 wins and 5 losses in this European season, FCSB will not be sure of qualifying for the knockout stage, even if they beat the Turks.
Calculations: how FCSB qualify for the Europa League “best” play-offs
To qualify for the next stage, FCSB must beat Fenerbahce. It would reach 9 points, but it would not be enough. The planets should line up and cross at least 5 formations now in front of her. Mathematics allows this:
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Young Boys to lose away to Stuttgart. The Swiss have a -5 goal difference now, they would finish under FCSB regardless of the score difference
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Celtic to lose with Utrecht. Or draw, but FCSB's goal difference should be better than the Glasgow team (Celtic -4)
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Ludogorets not to win at home with Nice
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Feyenoord not to win away to Betis. Or win but finish with a lower goal difference than FCSB (Feyenoord -3)
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FC Basel not to win at home with Plzen. Or to win but finish with a lower goal difference than FCSB. (Basel-3)
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Salzburg not to win at Aston Villa. Or win but finish with a lower goal difference than FCSB (Salzbug -4)
Five of the above 6 scenarios should be met, doubled by FCSB's win with Fenerbahce.
Europa League standings
