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The Europa League league phase begins this week, with Celtic kicking off their European campaign against Hungarian outfit Ferencvaros at Celtic Park on Thursday evening.
Martin O'Neill's men dropped into the competition after failing to reach the Champions League following a dramatic collapse against LASK in the playoff round, while Fradi have successfully navigated every round of qualifying to reach the main stage of the Europa League.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Celtic vs. Ferencvaros key stats
- No side has a better attacking or defensive record than Celtic in the Scottish Premiership so far this season.
- The Bhoys have won four consecutive home matches, conceding just once during that run.
- Ferencvaros have the worst home record in their division but the best away record.
- Balazs Borbely's side have not lost in eight matches, including a 5-0 aggregate victory in Europa League qualifying.
Celtic vs. Ferencvaros preview: Can Celtic avoid a European hangover?
Celtic vs Ferencvaros — Tale of the Tape
| Celtic (Scottish Premiership) | vs | Ferencvaros (Nemzeti Bajnoksag I) |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Position | 5th |
| 18 | Points | 11 |
| 14 | Goals For | 10 |
| 3 | Goals Against | 7 |
| 3 | Clean Sheets | N/A |
| 2nd / 2nd | Home / Away Rank | 12th / 1st |
Celtic looked set to close out August by securing Champions League qualification after entering the second leg of their playoff tie with a three-goal aggregate advantage.
However, the Bhoys suffered a remarkable collapse in Austria, suffering a 5-1 defeat on the night to bring their Champions League hopes crashing down in what was described as one of the worst nights in the club's history.
Celtic responded impressively to that setback, winning four consecutive Scottish Premiership matches to climb to 18 points and maintain their unbeaten start to the league campaign.
That winning run came to an abrupt end at the weekend, though, when Martin O'Neill's side were beaten 3-0 by arch-rivals Rangers at Ibrox in the Scottish League Cup quarter-finals, giving Celtic another painful defeat to quickly put behind them.
They now have the perfect opportunity to respond on the European stage, and Celtic will enter Thursday's contest as clear favourites despite their recent disappointment and their previous Champions League collapse.
As for the visitors, Ferencvaros have enjoyed considerably more success in Europe after beginning their campaign in the opening qualifying round following a second-placed finish in the Hungarian top flight.
Balazs Borbely's side overcame Vojvodina, FC Twente, Gornik and Trabzonspor across four rounds of two-legged ties to successfully secure their place in the Europa League league phase.
Their impressive European run has coincided with strong domestic form, with the Budapest-based side currently sitting fifth after six league matches, although they know a victory in their game in hand would be enough to send them to the top of the table.
Ferencvaros have played four matches since securing their place in the main stage, beating Puskas Akademia and Gyor in the league before drawing with Ujpest, while they then thrashed DEAC 7-0 in the cup.
That strong run means they arrive in Glasgow unbeaten in their last eight matches in all competitions, setting up a potentially difficult test for a Celtic side looking to put their latest derby defeat behind them.
Celtic vs. Ferencvaros form guide & betting tips
| Celtic | vs | Ferencvaros |
|---|---|---|
W
W
W
W
L
|
Form (All Comps) |
W
W
W
D
W
|
| 8 | Goals For | 18 |
| 5 | Goals Against | 3 |
| N/A | Europa League |
D
W
D
W
W
|
Whispers predicts: Celtic 3-1 Ferencvaros
Celtic's European form has been difficult to predict in recent seasons, but we expect O'Neill's side to respond to their disappointing defeat against Rangers by making a winning start to their Europa League campaign.
The hosts are priced at 4/6 to secure all three points on Thursday evening, and we expect them to have enough attacking quality to overcome a Ferencvaros side that have been in excellent form.
Celtic failed to score at Ibrox at the weekend, but they had previously scored freely during their four-match winning run, and we expect their attacking threat to return here.
Our 3-1 correct score prediction is priced at 11/1, while Over 2.5 goals is available at 8/15.
Kasper Hogh is one of three Celtic forwards to have already scored three times in the league, and he is priced at 1/1 to find the net in this one.
> Celtic to win at 4/6 | Likelihood: Probable
> Kasper Hogh to score at 1/1 | Likelihood: Probable
> Over 2.5 goals at 8/15 | Likelihood: Probable
> Correct score of 3-1 at 11/1 | Likelihood: Outsider