Barcelona vs Ferencvaros: Koeman's men to dominate CL curtain-raiser

FC Barcelona might not be in the best of forms but are overwhelming favorites to return to winning ways against the Hungarian champions.

After suffering a humiliating 8-2 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich and subsequently getting kicked out of the competition last season, FC Barcelona will return to the Champions League on Tuesday.

The Blaugrana have been handed a perfect opportunity to repair their status in Europe as a fearful force as they face a team returning to Europe’s premier club competition for the first time in a quarter of a century.

Ferencvaros, a relatively unsound and unknown team, is who they will be playing against on matchday 1 of the group stage of the competition.

The Lionel Messi-led Barca should feel more than optimistic about snatching all three points- and that too emphatically. But make no mistake – the Hungarian champions do have what it takes to pull off an upset.

Barcelona vs Ferencvaros Form:

The start to this season under the new boss for Ronald Koeman’s side was quite positive, but their performances have dropped as of late. A 1-1 draw to Sevilla followed by a 1-0 defeat against Getafe is what Barca will be hoping to bounce back from on Tuesday night.

Also, a win would give them a morale boost ahead of El Clasico at home on October 24.

The Hungarian side, meanwhile, will take to the pitch with heads held high, having recorded a 2-0 win in their last match on Friday. They have been in sublime form in 2020/21, picking up 13 points from five matches to take the lead in their league.

As mentioned previously, they will be playing their first Champions League match since the 1995-96 campaign and will be aiming to mark their return with a favorable result.

Barcelona vs Ferencvaros Head-to-head:

The two teams have not yet faced each other and Tuesday night will mark them going head to head for the first time in history.

Barcelona vs Ferencvaros Team News:

Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Jordi Alba remain unavailable for selection with both recovering from injuries. A knee problem sees Samuel Umtiti also ruled out of contention.

No issue is faced by Sergiy Rebrov regarding his squad – other than their inexperience in the competition. Robert Mak and Oleksandr Zubkov are the only two players for Ferencvaros who have played in the group stages of the Champions League.

Predicted line-ups: