Ferencváros Scout Report: How Celtic’s Europa League Foes Are Gearing Up for Glasgow Showdown

Celtic’s opening Europa League opponents, Ferencváros, got their preparations for this month’s visit to Glasgow off to a perfect start with a 2-1 away victory at Hungarian NB1 table-toppers Puskás Akadémia.

Second-half goals from Kristoffer Zachariassen and young talent Krisztián Lisztes, either side of Georgy Arutyunyan’s leveller, were enough to seal the three points for Balázs Borbély’s men on Sunday. However, things could have been vastly different had VAR not correctly intervened in the dying moments to disallow a last-minute Lamin Colley strike for the hosts.

Sunday’s victory lifted Ferencváros to seventh in the table, five points behind Puskás Akadémia but crucially with two games in hand. Fradi took full advantage of the opportunity to postpone earlier domestic league fixtures to concentrate heavily on their European qualifiers. That risky decision was fully vindicated in the previous midweek as the Budapest giants swatted aside a Trabzonspor outfit - led by Mo Salah - with a commanding 4-0 win, cruising through 5-0 on aggregate.

Match Analysis

Head coach Balázs Borbély made three changes to the side that won so comfortably in Europe in midweek, opting for fresh energy in the wide positions by handing starts to young prospect Zétény Varga and ex-Celt Daniel Arzani.

First-Half Stalemate and Injury Worry

The first half was a tense, cagey affair at the home of the league leaders - a club famously favoured by former PM Viktor Orbán and known for having a stadium with a capacity larger than the population of Felcsút, the town where it is situated.

With neither side capable of breaking the deadlock, the biggest talking point of the opening 45 minutes was the loss of Ferencváros’ main striker, Lenny Joseph, to injury. The Haitian international, who came off the bench against Scotland at the World Cup, has recently been linked with a move to Dutch outfit Feyenoord.

Fans of Ferencváros will be sweating on their star striker's fitness ahead of the Europa League, should he remain in Budapest.

A Three-Goal Explosion

After a goalless first period, the match exploded into life after the interval with a burst of three goals in ten chaotic minutes.

On 52 minutes, former Celtic loanee Daniel Arzani saw his deep cross powerfully headed home from close range by Kristoffer Zachariassen. The thrice-capped Norwegian international has become a mainstay at Fradi since signing from Rosenborg in 2021 and looked highly dangerous in his favoured attacking midfield role.

The lead did not last long; just five minutes later, Puskás Akadémia were level. Ferencváros keeper Dénes Dibusz was caught stranded in no man's land after recklessly coming off his line to claim a cross. He failed to collect it, and the loose ball was ruthlessly dispatched into the net by Georgy Arutyunyan.

However, just five minutes later, Fradi showed their steel and elite mentality by responding immediately to regain the lead. This time, it was Krisztián Lisztes who was on hand to sweep home a cross from the right-hand side to restore the away side's advantage.

Lisztes, the son of Fradi legend Krisztián Lisztes Snr, is currently in his second spell at the club, having returned on loan after a tough introduction to life in Germany with Eintracht Frankfurt. The 21-year-old attacker looks reborn back in Hungary and will be a major handful at Parkhead.

There was, of course, one final moment of drama as Lamin Colley thought he had snatched a point for the hosts in the final minute. However, his effort was correctly ruled offside following a VAR review.

Despite the loss, Puskás Akadémia remain top of the table, but they will see this as an opportunity lost to open a tangible lead over their rivals.

Colley’s late effort aside, Ferencváros will be largely happy with their performance. They defended resolutely to keep the home side at bay, and Borbély utilized his bench brilliantly, introducing Irish international Callum O’Dowda to provide the fresh legs and defensive impetus needed to seal the three points.

Interestingly, this matchup has traditionally been a tight affair; the previous three meetings between these teams also ended 2-1 - twice in favour of Robbie Keane’s Ferencváros, and once for Puskás. Tonight’s outcome continues that trend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkT_3UpDfis

Fradi’s Upcoming Fixtures

While Ferencváros have laid down a marker, they face a tough couple of games in the run-up to the clash at Celtic Park.

First up on Thursday night is a trip to Győr to face reigning champions Győr ETO, now coached by former Celtic midfielder Efrain Juarez. Last season, Győr, then coached by Balázs Borbély, defeated Ferencváros twice en route to securing the league title (their first since 2012/13).

Then, on Sunday, Ferencváros play host to Újpest - another club boasting historic links to Celtic - in one of the main Budapest Derbies.

There is still a lot of football to be played before the Europa League meeting in Glasgow. Those of a Fradi persuasion will be hoping that Borbély can continue his strong start at the helm of Hungary’s biggest club and build positive momentum before the Celtic Park showdown.

For those of us with a Celtic State of Mind, the hope is that the Hoops finally start performing to the consistently high, ruthless standard we know they are capable of. If they do, it will make nights like September 17th that little bit easier to negotiate.

If not... well, let’s not think of that just yet.