Ferencvaros celebrate winning their 31st Hungarian title in June
Champions League: Celtic v Ferencvaros | |
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Venue: Celtic Park, Glasgow Date: 26 August Time: 19:45 BST | |
Coverage: Listen to commentary on BBC Radio Scotland and follow live updates on the BBC Sport website and app |
When they were preparing for last week's Champions League qualifier against Celtic, KR Reykjavik manager Runar Kristinsson was at pains to suggest that it would be a miracle if his team would be able to upset the odds and progress beyond the tie in Glasgow.
As it transpired, his hypothesis was correct as the Scottish champions rifled six unanswered goals past his Icelandic champions.
Fast-forward a week - and a round - and the noises coming from Celtic's opposition at the second qualifying hurdle are in stark contrast.
Hungary's most famous and successful football club are in town and some within their camp believe you could toss a coin to predict the winner.
Whether that is the reality will only become clear as the match is played out at an empty Celtic Park.
Celtic will start as favourites on their own patch in this latest one-legged tie. As it stands, Neil Lennon's men are the top seeds in the qualifying tournament until it reaches the play-off stage. They have street smarts in these European games.
However, this is a huge step up in class from last week's opposition, which was akin to a training session at times.
Hungary's Green Eagles have just secured back-to-back titles under Ukraine football legend Sergei Rebrov.
They also created some waves in the Europa League last season as they enjoyed group-stage football for the first time since John Robertson was accused of aiming a kick at their head coach, Csaba Laszlo, when they beat Hearts at Murrayfield in the Uefa Cup in 2004.
An away victory over CSKA Moscow and a credible draw at La Liga side Espanyol in Barcelona last term are testament to that.
Ultimately, they narrowly missed out on the last 32 to Bulgarians Ludogorets, who they had dispatched in the Champions League qualifiers before having that dream ended by Dinamo Zagreb.
It is a dream that has been shattered since their only group-stage campaign in Europe's premier competition in the mid-1990s and they are determined to build on last week's victory over Swedish champions Djurgarden.
Players to watch
Tokmac Nguen
Tokmac Nguen is a right-footed winger who operates on the left flank for Ferencvaros
The Kenya-born Norwegian scored both goals against Djurgarden in the first qualifying round and is the playmaker of the side. He played under Ronny Deila at Stromsgodset, helping the former Celtic manager to deliver the Eliteserien to the club for the first time in 43 years.
Isael
An attacking midfielder, he can play wide or through the middle and has impressed on Scottish soil before when he was part of the Kairat side that beat Aberdeen in the Europa League qualifiers in 2015. The experienced Brazilian played on the right of a three behind the striker in last week's success over the Swedes.
Franck Boli
Boli is another who was educated in the Norwegian top flight during two spells with Stabaek. He joined in the summer of 2019 and went on to be Ferencvaros' top scorer as they lifted their 31st Hungarian league title.
