Cold start for Ferencvaros
The Champions League anthem sounds again, but only in the qualifiers. Hardly any team that is already in the competition will actually make it to the group stage of the top division. Via the Champions Path, there are only three slots in the end. Hungarian title holders Ferencvaros Budapest will be hoping for one of them when they travel to Tobol Kostanay in Kazakhstan for the first leg on Wednesday.
The Kazakhs are still a largely unknown quantity at this level. After all, Tobol won the Kazakh championship title last year. However, the Kazakhs are still the underdogs in this duel for the betting providers tested, even in this first leg. Even for a Hungarian team, however, it is difficult to kick this far east.
The Hungarian champions, on the other hand, have a big name. With 33 national championships, they are not only the record holders, but also reached the final of the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1975. From a purely traditional point of view, Stanislav Cherchesov’s team can certainly be imagined in the top flight, but we venture a prediction ahead of the first leg between Tobol and Ferencvaros that neither of them will play in the Champions League group stage.
The later you fail in the qualifying rounds, however, the greater the chance of playing group matches in the Europa League or the Conference League. Getting through in the first round would almost be a milestone. We think that in terms of progress between Tobol and Ferencvaros we would rather bet on the Hungarians.
Tobol – Statistics & current form
Those who are familiar with the first qualifying rounds of the European Cup will have come across FC Tobol, even though the Kazakhs have not played many international matches. In fact, they have only won twice in a European duel, namely against FC Samtredia from Georgia in 2018 and against Hajduk Split last year.
Bearish home record at Tobol
An advantage of the Kazakhs could also be that they are in the middle of the season. In the national league, the champions with coach Milan Milanovic, who was just hired in May, are in third place behind Astana and Aktobe. After 15 games, they have 25 points. They are only two points off the top. In addition, Tobol Kostanay are still active in the Kazakh Cup, where the group stage starts this weekend.
The Kazakh champions have picked up ten points from their last four matches. At home, FC Tobol are undefeated in nine games and have won seven of them. Therefore, you should keep an eye on the odds for a home win or the double chance 1X in the duel Tobol vs Ferencvaros on Wednesday.
Last weekend, however, Milan Milanovic’s team lost a point away from home, but the 2-2 draw at Turan Turkistan was more than fortunate for Tobol, as Turan were 2-0 up until the 87th minute. Then Sergeiy Maliy scored the equaliser. In the tenth minute of injury time, Dusan Jovancic even scored the equaliser from the penalty spot.
Predicted line-up of Tobol:
Mokin – Maliy, Marochkin, Kairov – Jovancic, Zharynbetov, Tagybergen, Muzhikov – Brigido, Tosic, Sergeev – coach: Milanovic
Last matches played by Tobol:
Premier League
01/07/2022 – FC Turan 2 – 2 Tobol Qostanai
26/06/2022 – FC Kyzylzhar Petropavlovsk 1 – 3 Tobol Qostanai
19/06/2022 – Tobol Qostanai 1 – 0 Kaspiy Aktau
22/05/2022 – Tobol Qostanai 4 – 2 Maktaaral FC
14/05/2022 – FK Aqtöbe 2 – 1 Tobol Qostanai
Ferencvaros – Statistics & current form
For Ferencvaros Budapest it is a cold start into the new season. Stanislav Cherchesov’s team has just played a few test matches, but is basically still in the middle of the preparation for the new season, as the new season in the Hungarian Nemzeti Bajnoksag does not start until the end of July. By then, the Hungarian champions could have already played four games in the Champions League qualifiers.
Without a competitive match in the European Cup
Should they prevail against the Kazakh title holders, the winner of the clash between Slovan Bratislava and Dinamo Batumi awaits them in the second qualifying round. However, it is difficult to say where the Hungarian champions stand at the moment. After all, Stanislav Cherchesov already has some insights from test matches.
Among other things, they suffered a 3-0 defeat against Sepsi. Things got better against Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Rasgrad, when they won 3-0. After that, there was another match against the German second division team from Karlsruhe. There, too, the Hungarians clearly kept the upper hand with a 4:1 victory. That at least sounds like Budapest is ready for the first round of the Champions League qualifiers.
Therefore, we can imagine that in this first leg between Tobol and Ferencvaros you can be successful with a prediction on goals from both teams. The Hungarian champions will probably only have to do without Tunisian attacker Ryan Mmaee on Wednesday, who is still out of action after an ankle injury. Otherwise, Stanislav Cherchesov should be able to field his preferred team.
Predicted line-up of Ferencvaros:
Bogdan – S. Mmaee, Kovacevic, Civic, Botka – Esiti, Vecsei, Merchier, Loncar – Nguen, Traore – Coach: Cherchesov
Last matches played by Ferencvaros:
NB I
14/05/2022 – Gyirmot 1 – 2 Ferencvaros
Cup
12/05/2022 – Ferencvaros 3 – 0 Paksi SE
NB I
07/05/2022 – Ferencvaros 0 – 3 MTK Budapest
04/05/2022 – Ferencvaros 5 – 3 Zalaegerszeg
30/04/2022 – Paksi SE 1 – 2 Ferencvaros
Tobol – Ferencvaros Direct comparison / H2H balance
Tobol FC Kostanay have not had much experience on the international stage to date. When they have qualified for the European Cup, it has usually been over in the first rounds. Against Ferencvaros, and generally against a Hungarian club, there has never been a match at international level. Nor have the Hungarians ever faced a team from Kazakhstan.
Tobol – Ferencvaros Tip
Although it cannot be assumed that the two opponents will actually end up with a slot in the Champions League group stage, this first qualifying round is extremely important. If you lose in this round, you will go straight through to the qualifiers for the Conference League. If you are eliminated in the second round, you still have the Europa League in between.
Therefore, we expect two committed teams who know what is at stake. The Kazakhs have not lost at home for nine games. The time difference of four hours does not make it easier for the Hungarians. Therefore, we would rather advise against placing a bet on an away win in the duel between Tobol and Ferencvaros, even with a Bildbet voucher.
We can imagine that the home side will play to win, but we clearly see the greater quality in the Hungarian squad. It sounds a bit like there won’t be a winner in the first leg. However, we have decided to play the betting odds on goals for both teams between Tobol and Ferencvaros
