Article by Sergiu Alexandru – Published Friday, April 10, 2026, 4:23 p.m. / Updated Friday, April 10, 2026, 4:24 p.m.
For the last matches of this season, Mirel Rădoi has a complicated decision to make: who will be the central striker from FCSB.
The red-blue formation is fighting in the second part of the season to grab a place that will take it to the playoffs for the Conference League, but received an important blow. Daniel Bîrligea, one of the most important people of the team, was injured and will not play again this season. And Mirel Rădoi has to decide who he will bet on to take his place.
David Miculescu or Thiam instead of Bîrligea?
With Alexandru Stoian still unfinished, FCSB still has only one professional striker in the squad: Mamadou Thiam. In the number 9 position, the red-blues can also call on David Miculescu. But neither of the two gave the desired performance this seasonand Mirel Rădoi will have the difficult mission of making one of them play better than they did in that position and forget the absence of Daniel Bîrligea.
13 goalsscored Daniel Bîrligea this season, in 37 matches.
Brought in the summer from U Cluj, the French Mamadou Thiam (31 years old) has his days at FCSB numbered. His contract will expire at the end of the season, and Gigi Becali will not offer him an extension, being dissatisfied with the performance shown so far.
Thiam, also used as a winger in some games, has played 35 games this season in all competitions. And he scored 5 times. He scored once in the victory with Feyenoord (4-3), at the score of 2-3, scored in the defeat with FC Botoșani (1-3), once in a 4-0 with UTA, once in the 3-3 draw with Hermannstadt and has a goal in a victory with FC Botoșani (2-1), in a match played on February 5. Since then he has had 6 appearances, without a goal.
Even David Miculescu, used most of the time in the right lane, does not have a better performance. In total, he has 9 goals this season in 44 games. Of these, four were scored from the top position.
David Miculescu's figures in the forward position
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In 9 matches he played as a top, either from the beginning or along the way
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4 goals
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23 shots → 11 on goal
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41 ball touches in the box
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30 aerial duels → 43.3% won
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xG – 0.77 per game
