In the second leg of their Champions League first qualifying round contest, Ferencvaros and Tobol will face off on Wednesday evening with the tie delicately poised at 0-0 with kickoff at 9 pm.
Ferencvaros are the 33-time Hungarian champions, having secured the trophy last season in comfortable fashion, finishing 11 points clear at the top of the division.
The Green Eagles played in the group stage of the 2020-21 European Cup, finishing bottom of a section which included Juventus, Barcelona and Dynamo Kiev, picking up just a single point in the process.
Last season, the Hungarian giants beat Prishtina, Zalgiris and Slavia Prague to advance to the playoff round of the Champions League but were beaten by Young Boys.
Ferencvaros would face either Slovan Bratislava or Dinamo Batumi in the next round if they were to advance on Wednesday and will be heavy favourites against either side at home.
Because they have only played five friendlies ahead of the first leg with Tobol, the Russia manager believes there is room for improvement and should be able to get his team playing better in the second leg.
Meanwhile, Tobol has won two Kazakhstan Premier League titles and is bidding to make the Champions League group stage for the first time in its history after falling in the third qualifying round for Europa League last season and being eliminated in the first qualifying round of Europa League in 2019-20.
Ferencvarosi vs Tobol Head to Head
Both sides have one game against each other that ended in a draw. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Tobol 0-0 Ferencvarosi
- Ferencvarosi 4-1 Karlsruher
- Ludogorets 0-3 Ferencvarosi
- Ferencvarosi 0-3 Sepsi
Away
- Taraz 6-1 Tobol
- Tobol 0-0 Ferencvarosi
- Turan 2-2 Ferencvarosi
- Petropavlovsk 1-3 Tobol
Ferencvarosi Team News
Ferencvaros have not reported any injury concerns, so it would not be a surprise to see the same XI take to the field for this match. Marquinhos is pushing for a spot in an advanced area, while Anderson Esiti and Fortune Bassey are also options for change if Cherchesov decides to freshen the side.
Tobol Team News
Meanwhile, the home side have made a host of changes for the cup game with Taraz on Saturday, but their key players are expected to be back in the side for this match. Former Manchester United player Zoran Tosic will start down the right for the visitors and a 4-2-3-1 formation should also see Ruben Brigido featuring as a forward.
Prediction and Odds
We expect a close match but believe that Ferencvaros will ultimately prevail and are backing the Hungarian side to advance to the next stage of the competition.
- Home Win
- Goals Over 1.5
- Both Teams to Score
