LIVE FCSB – Oțelul, tough duel in the 4th stage of the Superleague play-out

LIVE » FCSB – Steel 0-0

FCSB – Steel, starting teams:

FCSB (4-3-3): Târnovanu – Crețu, Dawa, M. Popescu, Joao Paulo – Fl. Tănase, Chiricheș, Olaru (capt.) – Miculescu, Stoian, Cisotti
reserves: Matei Popa – Duarte, Graovac, Arad, Toma, Cercel, Pantea, Ngezana, Radunovic, Oct. Popescu, Alhassan, Thiam
Absent: Bîrligea (injured), Lixandru (suspended)
Coach: Mirel Radoi

• It is Mihai Popescu's first tenure after 6 months. On October 12, 2025, he seriously injured his knee, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament.

• Mirel Rădoi decided to bring back Ștefan Târnovanu between the sticks. In this context, the “under” used by FCSB is the forward Alexandru Stoian.

Steel (4-2-3-1): Dur-Bozoancă – Zhelev, Zivulic, Lopes, Ferreira – A. Ciobanu, Lameira (capt.) – Bană, Andrezinho, Conrado – Patrick
reserves: I. Popescu, G. Ursu, S. Rus, P. Iacob, Chira, Bordun, DE Neicu, Bruno Paz, Pedro Nuno, DC Neicu, Debeljuh, Luan De Campos
Coach: Stjepan Tomas

Referee: Gabriel Mihuleac // Assistants: Adrian Vornicu, Romica Bîrdeș
VAR Referee: Horia Mladinovic / Assistant VAR: Mircea Orbuleț

UPDATE at 19:15 | Ionuț Badea comments on FCSB's first “11”.

Ionuț Badea, coach free of contract from 2022, now TV analyst, commented on the FCSB starting formula at DigiSport:

I would start with Stoian. It seems to me that he is a player who could have caught a lot more minutes than he did. In all the minutes played he showed potential, creative and finishing tendencies. I really think he is a player who will knock on the door of his definition as a player very soon.

Then, Popescu and Chiricheș are two players that I think FCSB could have needed in the previous matches. But all these entry-exit situations of some players blocked this continuity, at least for Chiricheș.

I think it is a team that is both stable and creative, and with players who can finish, but also combative. You also have Olaru and Cisotti, and Miculescu can turn into a scorer at any time, next to Stoian.

UPDATE at 18:50 | Grade 10 lawn

The grass at the National Arena looks excellent, something the players also noticed when they came out to inspect the pitch.

UPDATE at 18:35 | Images and information from the National Arena

Spectators are allowed to enter the stadium starting at 6:30 p.m. A few minutes before the gates opened, several dozen people were waiting to enter. A low attendance is expected today as well, with the champions being deserted by their supporters in their first play-out appearance.

UPDATE at 18:25 | The FCSB team arrived at the stadium

The FCSB coach arrived at the stadium about an hour and a half before the first whistle of the match.

The live ranking from the Superliga play-out

The most important statistics before FCSB – Steel

• Eight wins, four draws and five defeats is the record recorded by the red-blues in the current season at home. FCSB have scored in 13 of their 17 home games, but have conceded at least one goal in 10 of those games.

• The Galatasarays won in four of the 16 matches, and four other times they ended in a tie. From the position of visitors, the steel players have nine games without scoring a goal.

• 12 goals were scored by the Bucharest players after the 75th minute, double the number of goals received by the Moldovans in the same interval.

• With 12 goals scored and eight decisive assists, Florin Tănase is the player with the most offensive contributions in the first 33 rounds of the current season.

• The Bucharesters won five of the previous 10 direct disputes in the main domestic competition, during which the Galatasarays prevailed three times, each time away.

• The last victory marked by the Moldovans in the championship was recorded on July 26, 2024, FCSB-Oțelul 0-2.

• The most recent confrontation in the Superliga took place on February 8, 2026, Oțelul-FCSB 1-4 (scorers: Milen Zhelev / Daniel Bîrligea – double, Darius Olaru, Florin Tănase)