Aberdeen vs FCSB
Back a high-scoring and chaotic first leg at Pittodrie
Aberdeen will be fighting for a place in the Europa League on Thursday night as they take on FCSB at Pittodrie. The Dons have endured a challenging start to the season, suffering back-to-back 2-0 defeats to Celtic and Hearts. However, their performance in the Scottish League Cup, albeit against lower-ranked opposition, should give them plenty of confidence heading into Thursday's clash.
Jimmy Thelin's men are fairly inconsistent; however, they are rarely. 63% of their home games last season featured three or more goals, and they don't tend to keep many clean sheets under the Swedish coach.
Winning this two-legged contest could be potentially lucrative for the Dons, who will drop into the Conference League should they fail to prevail.
FCSB have had a busy start to the 2025-26 season, with their Champions League qualification campaign starting on July 9th. The Romanian champions surprisingly crashed out of the competition against minnows Shkendija and only just snuck past Inter Club d'Escaldes.
They beat Drita to get to this stage of the qualification process, with the two legs producing nine goals. They've also struggled to keep clean sheets domestically, and this is their toughest assignment so far.
The visitors are far from convincing at the back; however, they do look dangerous going forward. Aberdeen will look to establish an early advantage in this one, and that could result in a high-scoring contest.
Jack’s football journey began in the early 2000s at Bloomfield Road, sparking a lifelong passion for the EFL and beyond. With over a decade of writing and tipping experience, he delivers sharp insights and value-driven betting advice across football, darts, tennis, and horse racing.
When he’s not analysing stats, Jack is on commentary duty for Stoke City and occasionally heard at Owlerton Greyhound Stadium. Based in Leeds, he’s as reliable with a brew as he is with a bet.