Celtic vs Ferencvaros - prediction, team news, lineups

Celtic volition invited Ferencvaros to Celtic Park connected Thursday nighttime successful the opening circular of the Europa League league phase. 

The hosts were demoted to this contention aft losing successful the Champions League playoff qualifying round, portion the visitors defeated Trabzonspor to guarantee their league signifier place.

Match preview

Celtic are backmost successful the Europa League successful 2026-27 aft failing to suffice for the Champions League for the 2nd consecutive season. 

After falling to a devastating punishment nonaccomplishment to Kairat Almaty successful past year's Champions League playoff round, the Bhoys erstwhile again suffered a heartbreaking playoff circular decision this term. 

Martin O'Neill's broadside really recorded a 3-0 first-leg triumph against LASK Linz successful the playoff qualifying round, followed by going 1-0 up successful the 2nd limb to instrumentality a 4-0 aggregate lead. 

However, a catastrophic 100 minutes followed, with LASK scoring 5 goals without reply from the Bhoys, resulting successful a 5-4 aggregate loss, their demotion to the Europa League and 1 of Celtic's worst results successful modern memory. 

Although they initially bounced backmost from that disappointment with 4 consecutive Scottish Premiership wins, Celtic suffered different humiliating nonaccomplishment past clip out, losing 3-0 to Old Firm rivals Rangers successful the Scottish League Cup quarter-finals. 

O'Neill volition beryllium hopeful that a instrumentality to Celtic Park volition assistance his broadside get disconnected to a affirmative commencement successful the Europa League, particularly with the Bhoys unbeaten astatine their location crushed successful the past 10 matches. 

Celtic did, however, conflict astatine location successful the Europa League past season, losing 2 of their 4 league signifier fixtures earlier suffering a lacklustre 4-1 archetypal limb nonaccomplishment to Stuttgart successful the playoff knockout round, which they yet mislaid 4-2 connected aggregate.

Ferencvaros, meanwhile, caput into Thursday's fixture having enjoyed a superb commencement to the caller campaign, with the distant squad losing lone 1 of their opening 15 games crossed each competitions, alongside 10 wins and 4 draws.

The Greens managed to unafraid their spot successful the Europa League for the 3rd consecutive play during that awesome commencement to the 2026-27 campaign, beating Vojvodina (5-1), Twente (3-2), Gornik (2-1) and Trabzonspor (5-0) successful the qualifying rounds.

Balazs Borbely's broadside are besides unbeaten successful their past 8 matches heading into Thursday's clash with Celtic, and Ferencvaros volition beryllium hoping to widen that tally arsenic they question revenge for their back-to-back defeats against the Bhoys successful Group G of the 2021-22 Europa League.

Ferencvaros person proved themselves arsenic a beardown contender successful the Europa League successful caller seasons, making the knockout stages successful each of the past 2 years, though they person faced difficulties connected the roadworthy during that time. 

The Greens person mislaid 7 of their 11 distant fixtures successful the Europa League due crossed the past 2 years, though they volition gully assurance from remaining unbeaten connected their travels during the qualifying stages this term. 

Celtic signifier (all competitions):

Ferencvaros Europa League form:

Ferencvaros signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Celtic are acceptable to beryllium without Callum Osmand, Alistair Johnston and Jota owed to wounded issues, portion Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is unavailable owed to a suspension helium picked up portion astatine Besiktas.

O'Neill is apt to marque respective changes from the broadside that mislaid to Rangers astatine the weekend, with the likes of Auston Trusty, Haissem Hassan and Jordan Lotomba perchance successful enactment to start.

Meanwhile, Ferencvaros are without immoderate wounded worries heading into this Europa League matchday 1 clash, giving Borbely a afloat disposable squad to take from. 

Lenny Joseph scored 4 goals during the qualifiers but has failed to find the nett successful the past 7 matches, and Borbely volition beryllium hoping to spot much from his striker connected Thursday.

Celtic imaginable starting lineup:

Johnstone; Lotomba, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Tierney; McGregor, Baur; Hassan, Nygren, Tounekti; Hogh

Ferencvaros imaginable starting lineup:

Dibusz; O Nagy, Raemaekers, Gomez, Cadu; A Nagy, Corbu; Bamidele, Zachariassen, O'Dowda; Joseph

We say: Celtic 2-1 Ferencvaros

Celtic whitethorn person suffered a disappointing decision to Rangers, portion Ferencvaros are successful superb signifier coming into Thursday's game, but the Bhoys are formidable astatine Celtic Park and should person the prime to assertion the win.

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