FK Qarabag welcome Ferencvaros for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League third round qualifier on Wednesday. Both teams have impressed so far in the competition and there appears to be little to separate them at the moment.
Qarabag last played in the group stage of the Champions League in the 2017-18 season where they finished bottom of their standings. Having progressed all the way to the quarter-finals of last year’s Europa Conference League, they will be looking to go on a similar run and book their place among Europe’s elite.
The Azerbaijani champions have looked the part so far, coming through tricky opponents in the opening two rounds. First, they overcame Lech Poznan 5-2 on aggregate before seeing off the more experienced FC Zurich 4-3.
Qarabag are likely to be well rested for the visit of Ferencvaros having not played since the 2-2 draw with FC Zurich in the previous round. Garbanzo Gurbanov’s men head into Wednesday’s clash with just one defeat in their last 10 matches across all competitions.
Ferencvaros have had a more recent foray into the group stage of the Champions League having progressed to the main draw in the 2020-21 season. However, they were less successful in last season’s competition, falling at the playoff stage.
There is reason to be hopeful of a better campaign this season given their showings in the opening two rounds of the competition. The Hungarian champions saw off Tobol 5-1 on aggregate in the first round before claiming a 5-3 victory over Slovan Bratislava to book their place in Wednesday’s clash.
Beyond the Champions League qualifiers, Ferencvaros have generally been in good form lately. Stanislav Cherchesov’s men have lost just once in their last seven matches across all competitions and began the defence of their Hungarian title with a 1-0 victory over Puskas last Saturday.
How the bookies view it
Qarabag have the upper hand among the bookies with a home win priced at 6/5 by BetVictor. A victory for Ferencvaros is valued at 23/10 by bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 12/5 by Unibet.
Head to head
This will be the first ever meeting between Qarabag and Ferencvaros.
Players to watch
Goals have not been a problem for Qarabag in the early stages of the Champions League with Kady and Ibrahima Wadji impressing. Both men are expected to continue in attack and can ensure the hosts find the net on Wednesday at 2/9 with Paddy Power.
Ferencvarosi have also shown their attacking quality in the opening rounds of the Champions League with Kristoffer Zachariassen scoring in his last three matches. The forward is expected to retain his place in the team and can ensure the Hungarians get on the score sheet at 2/9 with Paddy Power.
Anything else catch the eye?
Given the attacking quality expected to be on display, goals can be expected on Wednesday. Both teams could be backed to score at 10/11 with Unibet, who are also offering 23/20 for over 2.5 goals while over 3.5 goals is priced at 14/5 by 10bet.
Both teams have had a few late showings in the competition, so the second half can be tipped to produce the most goals at 11/10 with William Hill.
This UEFA Champions League match between FK Qarabag and Ferencvarosi TC will be played on Aug 3, 2022 and kick off at 19:00. Check below for our tipsters best FK Qarabag vs Ferencvarosi TC prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
