After failing to make the cut in the Champions League qualifiers, Ferencvaros and Shamrock Rovers will turn their attention to the Europa League as they meet in the playoff first leg. The Hungarians have more pedigree at this stage of European football and will be confident of claiming a solid first leg advantage.
Ferencvaros are in the Europa League after suffering a 4-2 aggregate defeat to Qarabag in the UEFA Champions League third round. They looked to be well on course to progress following a 1-1 draw in the first leg but were beaten 3-1 at home in the second fixture for a 4-2 aggregate defeat.
While it would be disappointing crashing out of the Champions League, Ferencvaros have generally been in good form this season. They are top of the table in the Hungarian league and warmed up for the visit of Shamrock Rovers with a 4-0 victory over Fehervar in a domestic fixture last Sunday.
Ferencvaros head into Thursday’s clash with just one defeat in their last five matches across all competitions. There have been a few one-sided results in that run, including a 4-1 victory over Slovakian side Slovan Bratislava.
Shamrock Rovers also crashed out of the Champions League, although they were knocked out earlier than Ferencvarosi. They reached the Europa League playoffs after doing the double over Macedonian side Shkupi for a 5-2 aggregate victory.
Stephen Bradley’s men have also been in good form and are four points clear at the top of the Irish Premier Division. They travel to Budapest with just one defeat in their last 10 matches across all competitions.
One problem for Shamrock Rovers is a slight inconsistency on their travels. They have won just two of their last five away matches across all competitions and were held to a 0-0 draw at Derry in their last domestic fixture.
How the bookies view it
Ferencvaros are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 1/2 by William Hill. A victory for Shamrock Rovers is valued at 6/1 by Unibet while a draw is set at odds of 7/2 BetVictor.
Head to head
This will be the first ever meeting between Ferencvaros and Shamrock Rovers.
Players to watch
Adama Traore has impressed for Ferencvaros this season and heads into Thursday’s clash with five goals in his last seven appearances across all competitions. The Malian striker is valued at odds of 5/4 by Unibet to find the net on Thursday.
Shamrock Rovers have some attacking quality of their own with the likes of Aidomo Emakhu, Graham Burke and Rory Gaffney all impressing. Unibet is offering odds of 27/10 on any Shamrock player getting on the score sheet on Thursday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Ferencvaros have earned a few one-sided victories lately and are expected to once again be comfortable in this one. A -1 handicap can be considered at 13/10 with Boylesports, while bet365 is offering odds of 11/8 on the Hungarians to score in both halves.
Given the attacking quality expected to be on display, both teams could be backed to score at evens with bet365. There were over 3.5 goals in Ferencvaros' last two matches and a repeat could be considered at 2/1 with SBK.
This UEFA Europa League match between Ferencvarosi TC and Shamrock Rovers will be played on Aug 18, 2022 and kick off at 18:00. Check below for our tipsters best Ferencvarosi TC vs Shamrock Rovers prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.