Anderlecht has started the season in remarkable form, remaining unbeaten across all competitions leading up to the international break.
This includes back-to-back victories over Dinamo Minsk in the Europa League play-off, winning 1-0 both home and away. Following the break, Anderlecht aimed to carry their momentum into matches against Westerlo, Genk, and Charleroi in the Belgian league.
Ferencvaros, on the other hand, had a more challenging route to the Europa League group stage.
After being eliminated in the third round of the Champions League qualifiers by Danish side Midtjylland, they secured their Europa League spot by overcoming Borac Banja Luka through a penalty shootout.
Similar to Anderlecht, Ferencvaros had been in strong form until the break, with their only loss coming against Midtjylland.
Prior to this encounter with Anderlecht, Ferencvaros played in the Hungarian Cup against Budafoki and faced MTK Budapest in the league.
Thorgan Hazard, former Borussia Dortmund player and brother of Eden Hazard, is expected to miss this match due to injury. Marco Kana, who has played a limited role, is also doubtful.
However, Anderlecht’s squad remains mostly strong, with players like 19-year-old Mario Stroeykens (1 goal, 2 assists in the league), Swedish international Ludwig Augustinsson (signed from Sevilla), and Ghanaian midfielder Majeed Ashimeru (1 goal in the league) available.
Francis Amuzu, who scored 4 goals last season, will also look to contribute, while Kasper Dolberg (15 goals, 4 assists last season) and Anders Dreyer (19 goals, 9 assists) are still searching for their top form this season.
For Ferencvaros, Hungarian international Ryan Mmaee Varga, who scored 20 goals and provided 3 assists last season, remains a key attacking player.
Tunisian international Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane has also started the season well with 2 goals in the league and added another during the recent Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Gambia.
However, Kenan Kodro (13 goals last season) has been surprisingly loaned to Gaziantep, while 19-year-old talent Krisztofer Lisztes, who scored 8 goals last season, has moved to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Prediction
Anderlecht is known for playing in low-scoring games in the Europa League, with 14 of their last 17 matches featuring under 2.5 goals. Ferencvaros has shown a similar trend, as 9 of Anderlecht’s last 12 games also ended with fewer than 3 goals. A close, low-scoring match is expected.
Prediction: Anderlecht 0-1 Ferencvaros
