Ace Football previews the Champions League match between Ferencvaros and Juventus, and offers betting tips, odds, line-ups, and team news.
A 100th Champions League win is the target for Juventus on Wednesday night away to Ferencvaros in Hungary.
The Serie A champions sit second in Group G on three points from two games behind Barcelona, whom they lost 2-0 to last time out. It’s not an ideal start, but victory at the Puskas Arena would set them up nicely for a knockout spot.
Although Ferencvaros proved their no pushovers in their previous fixture. They fought back from a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 against Dynamo Kyiv, winning a first-ever Champions League point in the process.
The hosts may very well be the underdogs, as far as everyone may be concerned, but they’ll fancy pulling off an upset on the big stage.
Ferencvaros Form & Stats
The 31-time Hungarian champions have a glory-laden background in terms of domestic honors, but haven’t fared so well in Europe. Their greatest moment is arguably the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup triumph in 1965 – exactly 55 years ago.
Moreover, Ferencvaros are only making their second appearance in the Champions League group stages after first featuring in 1995/96.
But while hopes of reliving past glories are off the table, in terms of silverware anyway, only Barcelona have defeated Ferencvaros in their last seven Champions League games. And with home advantage, they’ll hope to extend that run against Juventus.
Things are also going smoothly on the domestic front, with Serhiy Rebrov’s side beginning their league title defense by going unbeaten in their opening seven games (W5 D2) to take an early lead in the standings.
Key Team Stats
- BTTS in three of their last four games in all competitions.
- Over 2.5 goals in five of their last six Champions League games.
- Lost just one of their last seven Champions League games (W3 D3).
Juventus Form & Stats
The pressure is on for Andrea Pirlo to deliver all three points in Budapest following a 2-0 home defeat to Barcelona last time out. Anything less would be considered a huge disappointment, especially if Barca beat Dynamo Kyiv. It would leave his hopes of topping Group G in serious doubt.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s return, however, is a massive boost for the Juventus boss. The Portuguese ace scored twice in a 34-minute cameo on his comeback against Spezia last weekend to help the club win 4-1. He’ll now hope to open his goal account in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Although quite a few other players have shown promise for the Bianconeri recently. Dejan Kulusevski, for one, is steadily becoming a more influential member of the squad, and Federico Chiesa was solid at Spezia. While Alvaro Morata has also been among the goals since his return.
The Italian champions are clear favorites for victory, with a solid recent away record in the Champions League and an in-form Ronaldo on their side.
Key Team Stats
- Cristiano Ronaldo has scored eight goals in his last six games for club and country.
- Won three of their last four away Champions League games (L1).
- BTTS in seven of their last eight away league games.
Team News
Ferencvaros: Myrto Uzuni, Serhiy Rebrov, Ammar Ramadan, & Andras Csonka (all out); Eldar Civic (doubt).
Juventus: Alex Sandro, Merih Demiral, & Matthijs de Ligt (all out).
Predicted Line-up
(Note: The image will change to the official XI once they’re both announced)
3 Players to watch
Head-To-Head Analysis
Wednesday’s match will be the first time that Ferencvaros and Juventus have met in an official fixture.
Here are some key head-to-head stats from the clubs’ latest Champions League games instead.