Ferencvaros and Young Boys will lock horns on Tuesday. August 24, in the finals of UEFA Champions League Qualifiers. The first leg between these two sides ended in a 3-2 victory for the Swiss side, who edged the Hungarians in their home stadium and will now take a trip to Groupama Arena, where they’ll look to keep their aggregate score intact.
Ferencvaros vs Young Boys
When: Tuesday, August 24 – 21:00 CEST
Where: Groupama Arena in Budapest, Hungary
Weather: Cloudy, 19°C
Referee: Sergei Karasev (RUS)
Young Boys edged out Ferencvaros in what can only be described as a highly entertaining first leg of the UEFA Champions League qualifiers. Although it was a chaotic and unpredictable night in Bern, Young Boys deserved to win, and the final score (3-2) is a fair representation of what happened on the pitch.
With one goal up, Young Boys now travel to Budapest, where they could lock in a spot at the UEFA Champions League, and they only need to force a draw against the Hungarians. That, however, might be easier said than done as David Wagner is missing a nice portion of his squad.
Strong Performance From Young Boys
The Swiss won the first leg 3-2, thanks to goals via Meschack Elia, Vincent Sierro, and Ulisses Garcia. Although some could be quick to point out that Ferencvaros missed a penalty and had a 28’ minute goal disallowed, it’s also important to note that Young Boys were playing with 10 men since the 25th minute, when Silvan Hefti got sent off with a red card.
Whether William Callum was justified to send off Hefti is debatable; however, in the end, Young Boys didn’t need to have all 11 men on the pitch to win, which is a good sign ahead of the second leg.
Perhaps the most impressive was the fact that Young Boys continued to attack with the ball even though they were a man down and have done an excellent job to bounce back after conceding the first goal in 14’.
Young Boys were the better team on the day and deservingly grabbed themselves a lead ahead of the second leg. Whether they will manage to emulate that success in Budapest is anyone’s guess, but it’s hard not to be impressed with what they showed last week.
Ferencvaros Count On Home Advantage
Ferencvaros will look to close the gap in their home stadium, where they have been playing relatively well. The Hungarian side are 4-1 at home across their last five, which includes wins against Prishtina (3-0), Zalgiris (2-0), Slavia Prague (2-0), and Mezokovesf-Zsory (4-1). Their only loss over that stretch happened against Kisvarda (1-2).
If we look further back, Ferencvaros have suffered only one loss (against Kisvarda) across their last 13 home games, which shows all wins besides a 1-1 draw against Puskas Academy in April.
The Green Eagles will want to win here to return to the European’s big stage; however, if we go back to last year, when Ferencvaros played in the group stage, they weren’t too impressive. They could only manage one point from six games.
Heading into the second leg, Ferencvaros will be without David Siger, Igor Kharatin, and Franck Boli, who are out with injury. Boli has scored both of Ferencvaros’ goals in the first leg, and has four goals across his last two appearances, so it’s fair to say that his absence will be noticeable.
Young Boys vs Ferencvaros Betting Pick
Due to how important this match is for both teams, they have been handed a weekend off by their respective football federations, so they should be well-rested and ready to compete for the coveted UEFA Champions League ticket.
That, however, should favor the Swiss, who have proved themselves as the stronger side last time out and should get the job done tonight. Although they haven’t been too impressive in their previous away game against Sion (0-1), Young Boys are still 5-2-3 across their last 10 away games.
In their most recent CL qualifiers away game, Young Boys could manage only a draw against Cluj (1-1); however, the game should have ended much differently. Young Boys were the better team on the day and should have won with a bit to spare.
One big concern for both teams is that they’re missing a nice chunk of their squad; Young Boys will be without six, while Ferencvaros will miss at least three. However, Wagner has a long bench and far more options to fill in the gaps. We like Young Boys, who should secure their UEFA Champions League ticket with style.
Prediction: Young Boys to win – 2.21 at Betfair
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