Ferencváros vs Braga – News and Probable Lineups

After narrowly defeating Ludogorets in the playoffs, Ferencvaros are set to compete in the Europa League round of 16, welcoming Braga to the Groupama Arena on Thursday.

Os Arcebispos, one of only three teams to remain unbeaten away from home in the tournament, will make the trip to Hungria aiming to continue this commendable track record and secure a crucial advantage in the quest for the quarter-finals.

Match overview

A 2-0 triumph over Ludogorets in the second leg of the Europa League playoff on February 26 enabled Ferencvaros to progress to the round of 16, overcoming a first-leg deficit to achieve a 3-2 aggregate victory.

After suffering a 2-1 loss at the Ludogorets Arena a week prior, the Hungarian giants executed a comeback in front of their home fans, with Gabi Kanichowsky and Kristoffer Zachariassen scoring first-half goals to turn the match around.

Having achieved four victories and three draws in their opening seven matches, Ferencvaros were frustrated during their group finale on January 29, where they faced a 4-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest at Home Park, a result that denied them automatic qualification to the round of 16 by a single point, finishing in 12th place in the group.

Robbie Keane’s squad enters Thursday’s first leg riding high after moving to the top of the Hungarian NB I table with a 3-1 win at home against Nyiregyhaza Spartacus, featuring goals from Mohammad Abu Fani, Yusuf Bamidele, and Mariano Gomez.

This victory over Nyiregyhaza marked five consecutive wins across all competitions for Ferencvaros, which included an impressive 5-0 rout of Kazincbarcikai SC in their Magyar Kupa quarter-final at the Varady Bela Sportkozpont.

Braga, after convincingly beating Lincoln Red Imps 9-1 on aggregate in the Europa League qualifying playoffs in August, secured successive victories over Feyenoord, Celtic, and Red Star Belgrade in their initial three group matches, netting five goals while maintaining three clean sheets in a remarkable start to the season.

Carlos Vicens’s team faced their first setback on November 6, suffering a narrow 4-3 defeat to Belgian side Genk at the Estadio Braga Municipal, but managed to secure two wins and two draws in their last four fixtures, finishing sixth in the standings with 17 points, earning their place in the round of 16.

Braga continued their strong form in the Portuguese Primeira Liga on Saturday, battling back from behind twice to secure a 2-2 draw against title contenders Sporting Lisbon, which could be a significant result for their European qualification ambitions.

Goncalo Inacio and Luis Javier Suarez scored either side of Ricardo Horta’s equalizer in the 34th minute to give Sporting Lisbon the lead at halftime, but Rodrigo Zalazar converted a penalty in the dying moments of the game to level the match.

Following that outcome, Os Arcebispos have gone unbeaten in nine of their last 10 games across all competitions, achieving seven wins and two draws, with a 2-1 defeat to Gil Vicente on February 14 marking the only exception.

Braga currently holds fourth place in the Primeira Liga, five points above fifth-placed Gil Vicente, situated just below the UEFA Conference League qualifying position, and they now set their sights on the Europa League, where they completed the group stage unbeaten away from home, gathering eight points from four matches, securing the sixth-best away record.

Team News

Ferencvaros will continue to miss Swiss defender Stefan Gartenmann, who is on a lengthy recovery path after suffering a serious injury in November, leaving the 29-year-old out of action.

Bence Otvos has also been sidelined for the last three matches after getting injured against Ludogorets on February 26, and he won’t feature in Thursday’s encounter either.

On Braga’s side, Vicens will not have the services of Spanish defender Victor Gomez, currently suspended due to accumulating yellow cards during the group stage.

In terms of injuries, Sikou Niakate (muscle), Amine El Ouazzani (foot), and Bosnian defender Adrian Barisic (adductor) are also on the injury list and will not be available for Thursday’s match.

They are joined in Os Arcebispos’ injury report by Brazilian midfielder Vitor Carvalho, who is set to miss his seventh consecutive game after getting hurt against Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League group stage finale on January 29.

Ferencvaros probable starting XI:

Grof; Cisse, Raemaekers, Gomez; Makreckis, Kanichowsky, Fani, Madarasz; Cadu, Joseph, Bamidele

Braga probable starting XI:

Hornicek; Arrey-Mbi, Oliveira, Lagerbielke; Martinez, Moutinho, Grillitsch, Dorgeles; Zalazar, Horta, Victor

Despite an impressive campaign in the Europa League thus far, Braga will need to perform at their highest level against a Ferencvaros side that has secured five consecutive victories and has proven difficult to defeat on home soil.

While Ferencvaros will feel they hold the advantage due to playing at home, the Portuguese team possesses a somewhat stronger lineup on paper, and a narrow victory for them is predicted.