FCSB v West Ham United
UEFA Europa Conference League Group B, National Arena, Bucharest, Thursday 3 November 2022, 8pm GMT (10pm EET)
West Ham United complete their UEFA Europa Conference League group-stage campaign with a trip to Romanian capital Bucharest to face FCSB.
The Hammers have already secured Group B by winning all five of their ties to date, including a 3-1 victory over Thursday's opponents at London Stadium back on 8 September.
Since then, David Moyes' side have beaten RSC Anderlecht of Belgium and Silkeborg IF of Denmark home and away to make it 15 points from a possible 15. Another win on Matchday Six would see West Ham make history by becoming the first team in UECL history to win six out of six, and just the fourth English club in European history to go through a group stage with a perfect record.
FCSB, in contrast, remain winless and have been eliminated. Indeed, even victory at the National Stadium will not be enough to lift Nicolae Dică's team off the bottom of Group B.
Kick-off on Thursday is at 10pm local time, which is 8pm back in the UK, where the game will be broadcast live by BT Sport 3.
Tickets…
West Ham United's allocation of 2,849 tickets for this match sold out to Bondholders, Season Ticket Holders and Claret Members.
How To Follow…
Thursday's tie will be broadcast live in the UK by BT Sport 3 from 7.30pm.
You can also follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app and across our social media channels. We will also have highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle.
Matchday...
Tickets can be collected during the allocated timeslot communicated to supporters from the Grand Hotel, Bulevard Nicolae Balcescu 4, Bucharest 010051.
From Bucharest's Old Town, where a number of bars and restaurants are situated, the Arena Națională is around three-and-a-half miles to the east of the city centre. To get there, take an Uber or Bolt or ride the dedicated bus service from the Old Town at 7pm EET. The journey should take less than half an hour.
On arrival at Arena Națională, Supporters should follow directions to the visiting section at entrances G & H, located on the North side of the stadium. The visitors section opens two hours before kick-off.
Travelling Supporters with any matchday ticketing or pre-match enquiries, should speak to our Supporter Services team who will be based at the Stadium from 7.30pm EET.
Supporters should be made aware that there will be no alcohol will be sold at the Arena Națională. Smoking, lighters, coins and battery power backs are prohibited.
The emergency services contact number in Bucharest is 112.
Click here to read our Over Land and Sea guide for travelling supporters.
Team News...
With Group B already won, David Moyes will have one eye on Sunday's Premier League home fixture with Crystal Palace when it comes to selecting his team for Thursday's tie.
A number of Academy of Football prospects have made the trip to Bucharest alongside their senior squad-mates.
Injury-wise, Łukasz Fabiański was withdrawn at half-time in Sunday's 1-0 defeat at Manchester United with a knee complaint, but Alphonse Areola has been West Ham United's regular UECL goalkeeper this season, anyway.
Maxwel Cornet (calf) remains on the sidelines, while Lucas Paquetá (neck) is closer to returning to full fitness.
Opposition…
In the seven seasons since FCSB were crowned Romanian champions for the 26th and most recent time, Thursday’s visitors have finished second on no fewer than six occasions.
CFR Cluj, five times, West Ham United’s UEFA Europa League qualifying nemesis Astra Giurgiu, and the club owned by the finest player in the club’s history, Gheorghe Hagi’s Viitorul Constanța, once each, are the three clubs who have blocked FCSB’s path to that elusive 27th title.
During that period of frustration, FCSB have also suffered the loss of their historic name – Steaua – after a 2017 court case granted it to the second-tier club run by the by Romania’s Ministry of National Defence.
To explain – the original club was founded in 1947 as Asociația Sportivă a Armatei București (Army Sports Association Bucharest), before changing its name to Steaua – ‘The Star’ in Romanian – in 1961.
In 1998, the football club was allegedly separated from the Sports Association (then known as Clubul Sportiv al Armatei Steaua București or CSA Steaua București) and privatised. However, that separation was then contested by CSA and, after years of legal wrangling, the Liga I club was required to change its name to FCSB, while CSA Steaua București was reactivated and joined Romania’s fourth tier in 2017.
The controversy split the club’s traditional and passionate support, with some groups sticking with FCSB and others following CSA.
And another ruling in 2019 suggested FCSB should not be able to claim Steaua’s historic honours from before 2003, including 21 of 26 Liga I titles, 21 of 24 Romanian Cups and the 1986 European Cup and European Super Club, which they won by defeating Barcelona and Dynamo Kyiv respectively.
Got all that? OK, we will move on to the present day.
As we mentioned at the start, FCSB are desperately trying to dethrone Cluj as Romanian football’s dominant team of the 2020s, with the latter winning Liga I in each of the last five seasons.
Last season, FCSB finished second to Cluj in the Championship round by just one point, despite winning eight and losing just one of their ten matches – to Cluj.
That vital 1-0 defeat and a 1-1 draw with Voluntari in their final game, meant the club from Romania’s capital was forced to settle for a place in the UEFA Europa Conference League, while Cluj – from the province of Transylvania – went into the UEFA Champions League qualifiers.
This season has not brought any further cheer, with FCSB eliminated after failing to win any of their five Group B ties, while they sit seventh in Liga I, a full 17 points behind leaders Farul.
Match Officials
Referee: Sascha Stegemann (GER)
Assistant Referees: Marco Achmüller (GER) & Christof Günsch (GER)
Fourth Official: Florian Badstübner (GER)
Thursday's officials hail from Germany, led by 37-year-old referee Sascha Stegemann.
Born in Niederkassel in the west of the country, Stegemann has been officiating in the Bundesliga since 2014 and joined the FIFA list in 2019. He works in public administration when not on the football pitch.
No VAR will be in operation in the UECL this season, while they will also be no goalline technology used in Bucharest on Thursday evening.
