LASK Kicks Off European Cup Season

LASK's recent European Cup record is impressive. Over the past five years, the club has qualified for a European group stage four times, reaching the round of 16 in both the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League. This year, the Black and Whites have already secured a spot in the new league phase, but their matchups against FCSB Bucharest will determine which competition they'll compete in. In the first leg at the Raiffeisen Arena, LASK aims to secure a strong position for the second duel next week.

FCSB, from the Romanian capital, has a rich history of success. They narrowly missed out on the UEFA Champions League group stage, falling to Sparta Prague with an aggregate score of 3-4 in the third qualifying round. FCSB boasts 27 league titles, 24 cup victories, and seven Super Cup wins. Internationally, they won the European Cup in 1986 by defeating FC Barcelona in the final. The club last appeared in the Champions League in 2013, and last year, their journey in the Conference League ended in the third qualifying round. Formerly known as Steaua Bucharest, the club has been competing under the name FCSB since 2017.

Twenty-five years ago, LASK and the Romanian side Steaua faced off in the first round of the UEFA Cup, with Steaua advancing with a 5-2 aggregate victory. Christian Stumpf and Souleymane Sane scored for LASK in the home leg in front of 7,000 fans. More recently, the two clubs met in a friendly last winter, where FCSB won 3-1. In the new Raiffeisen Arena, LASK has played four European Cup matches so far, securing victories in the play-off against Zrinjski Mostar and in the group stage against Saint-Gilloise.

For FCSB, offensive midfielder and captain Darius Olaru is a key player in their common 4-2-3-1 formation, having already scored seven goals and provided three assists in ten competitive matches this season. The team’s most internationally experienced player is Vlad Chiricheș, with 42 European Cup appearances, while Florin Tănase has the most goals with seven. On the LASK side, Jérôme Boateng (126 European appearances) and Valon Berisha (9 goals) lead the stats. Altogether, the current LASK squad has amassed 485 international matches.

UEFA Europa League, Play-off, First Leg
Thursday, 22.08.2024, 7:00 PM
LASK - FCSB Bucharest
Raiffeisen Arena, Referee: Allard Lindhout (NED)

Unavailable: Ljubic, Mustapha, Flecker, Entrup, Andrade

Tickets: LASK - FCSB Bucharest