Ludogorets vs Ferencváros – News and Probable Lineups

Aiming to prevent a second loss of the season, Ludogorets Razgrad hosts Ferencvaros at Huvepharma Arena for the initial leg of their Europa League knockout play-off on Thursday night.

The Eagles have had a remarkable success streak domestically since completing the League Phase on the European stage, while Fradi has faced significant challenges in the Hungarian title race this past weekend.

Match overview

After claiming the Bulgarian title for 14 consecutive seasons, Ludogorets Razgrad finds itself in considerable jeopardy of losing their grip on the trophy, currently trailing league leaders Lexi Sofia by seven points after 21 fixtures.

Nevertheless, the Eagles have enjoyed a fruitful five-match winning run across both domestic and Europa League competitions since late January, securing victories over Lexi in the Bulgarian Super Cup (1-0) and Bulgarian Cup (1-0).

Intent on achieving six consecutive wins for the first time this season, Ludogorets is participating in the knockout round of the Europa League after finishing 22nd in the League Phase, only one point clear of 25th-placed Young Boys in the relegation zone.

Having scored the late decisive goal at Huvepharma Stadium during their league victory over Beroe, Petar Stanic has stood out as a crucial player for Per-Mathias Hogmo’s squad during European fixtures, contributing to nine goals in 10 Europa League matches.

Hoping to establish a strong lead in the first leg before facing a challenging away match against the Hungarians next week, the Eagles are buoyed by a current undefeated run of eight games (W6 D2) at Huvepharma Arena, dating back to late November.

Like their hosts on Thursday night, Ferencvaros has been a dominant force in their domestic league but faces an unexpected rival this season, as Gyori ETO currently leads the Hungarian top division by three points over Robbie Keane’s team.

In fact, Fradi’s aspirations for an eighth consecutive league title suffered another setback on Saturday evening when midfielder Bence Otvos’s opening goal couldn’t avert a 3-1 defeat against Zalaegerszeg at ZTE Arena.

Turning attention to the Europa League, Ferencvaros was close to automatic qualification for the last 16, but a narrow point loss kept them from a top-eight placement after a 4-0 defeat to Sean Dyche’s Nottingham Forest during the final night of the League Phase.

With a respectable tally of 15 points from eight matches, the knockout play-offs and two clashes against Ludogorets now await Keane’s squad, who previously achieved a 3-1 win over the Bulgarian champions in Budapest on November 6.

Except for the challenging encounter at the City Ground in late January, Ferencvaros has performed admirably on their travels in the Europa League this season, managing to secure a draw against the tough atmosphere at Fenerbahce after winning all available points at both Genk and RB Salzburg.

Team News

Having made just one league appearance for Ludogorets this season, Aguibou Camara is expected to remain sidelined until April due to a muscle injury.

Scoring last weekend for the Eagles, Kwadwo Duah has been included in the hosts’ squad for the knockout rounds of the Europa League and is anticipated to participate in the first leg.

Enjoying a remarkable goal-scoring season, 24-year-old Stanic is set to feature in midfield for the Bulgarians.

Last on the pitch at the beginning of November, Ferencvaros’ Stefan Gartenmann will likely be out for Thursday night’s match.

After being substituted at halftime during the defeat to Nottingham Forest, Jonathan Levi is facing a tough challenge to retain his position in the starting XI.

Ludogorets Razgrad probable starting XI:

Bonmann; Son, Verdon, Almeida, Nedyalkov; Naressi, Duarte, Caio, Stanic, Marcus; Bille

Ferencvaros probable starting XI:

Count; Otvos, Cisse, Szalai; Makreckis, Romao, Kanichowsky, Keita, Cadu; Bamidele, Zachariassen

On an eight-match unbeaten streak at Huvepharma Arena, Ludogorets will be confident in securing a win at home in the first leg this Thursday night.

Ferencvaros faced significant difficulties on the road domestically over the weekend and may encounter similar challenges in Bulgaria.