Evenly poised after a 1-1 draw in the first leg, Ferencvaros and Qarabag FK resume their battle for place in the Champions League playoff round on Tuesday evening.

The teams reconvene in Budapest to decide their third qualifying round tie, and both have already started the defence of their domestic crown by winning their opening league game.

Match preview

Having started at the first stage of the qualification process, Ferencvaros had already eliminated FC Tobol and Slovan Bratislava to advance to the third round, before travelling to Azerbaijan for their opening encounter with Qarabag.

The 33-time Hungarian champions - who finished 11 points clear at the top of the table last season - went a goal up in Baku last Wednesday, but Franck Boli's 17th-minute strike was cancelled out by their hosts before the half-time break.

Nonetheless, with the scores level heading back to Hungarian soil, the Green Eagles can confidently aim to at least emulate their run of last year, when they reached the playoff round but were eliminated at that final qualification hurdle.

Fradi did go on to reach the Europa League's group stage last term, but finished fourth in their section, which represented a stark disappointment after mixing it with Juventus, Barcelona and Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League a year previously.

Stanislav Cherchesov's current side came out on top in their opening league fixture last week - a 1-0 win over Puskas Akademia - and have since been granted a free schedule between the first and second legs of their continental tie.

Such preparation time could prove invaluable for the former Russia boss, who returned to management last December with the aim of establishing Ferencvaros as regulars on Europe's grandest stage.

Following their failure to take full advantage of the home leg at Tofiq Bahramov Stadium, Qarabag travel to Hungary with plenty of work to do, but they are no strangers to a struggle in this season's qualifying process.

The Baku-based outfit's latest attempt to reach the Champions League proper for just a second time kicked off with a 1-0 defeat to Lech Poznan last month, but they bounced back with a 5-1 win at home to progress to the second round.

There, Qarabag met FC Zurich, who they edged past 5-4 on aggregate thanks to Owusu Kwabena's extra-time winner in the second leg, continuing some impressive form in European competition over recent years.

Previously the first Azeri club to advance to the Champions League group phase, back in 2017, long-serving coach Gurban Gurbanov led his charges to the knockout rounds of last season's inaugural Europa Conference League.

Formerly in charge of the Azerbaijan national team, the 50-year-old also returned his club to top spot in the league last term, having failed to claim the domestic title for the first time in eight years in 2020-21.

Also completing a double by winning the cup in May, the Horsemen are undoubtedly top dogs in Azeri football, and started the new season with a 3-1 win over Sabail FK on Saturday, but now seek more success amid Europe's elite.

Team News

As Ferencvaros have been ticking over nicely in the early stages of the new season, Stanislav Cherchesov could consider selecting the same XI that drew 1-1 in Baku.

His preferred 4-2-3-1 formation is set to see Adama Traore and Tokmac Nguen feature on the flanks, with Franck Boli playing a central role in the hosts' attack.

Goalkeeper and captain Denes Dibusz is the only Hungarian virtually guaranteed a place in Fradi's starting lineup, but national team colleague Endre Botka is likely to keep his place at right-back on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, barring any tactical trickery on Tuesday night, Gurban Gurbanov is also expected to persist with a similar setup to Cherchesov's, which would feature Montenegrin midfielder Marko Jankovic running the engine room. Richard Almeida and Qara Qarayev will battle it out to partner the recent signing from Hapoel Tel Aviv.

Brazilian winger Kady - Qarabag's most expensive signing - will hope to displace first leg goalscorer Owusu Kwabena and start in a three-man support cast for Ibrahima Wadji up front.

The latter scored 16 times in 28 appearances last term, and should be selected ahead of Ramil Sheydayev, who bagged a brace in the league at the weekend.

Ferencvaros possible starting lineup:
Dibusz; Botka, Mmaee, Knoester, Civic; Esiti, Laidouini; Nguen, Zachariassen, Boli; Traore

Qarabag FK possible starting lineup:
Magomedaliyev; Vesovic, Guseynov, Medvedev, Bayramov; Qarayev, Jankovic; Kwabena, Ozobic, Zoubir; Wadji

We say: Ferencvaros 2-1 Qarabag FK A.E.T. (Ferencvaros win 3-2 on aggregate)

The combination of home advantage and the wily management of their coach should see Ferencvaros over the line in this well-matched contest, but they may require an extra 30 minutes to get there due to Qarabag's ability to fight back from behind.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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