Zalgiris vs Ferencvaros

A 2-0 first-leg victory puts Ferencvaros in a prime position to reach the next Champions League qualifying round as they meet Zalgiris at the LFF stadionas in the return leg of their preliminary tie.

Zalgiris won their tie against Linfield in their previous Champions League qualifying round by an aggregate score of 5-2 (3-1 H, 2-1 A), leading 2-0 at half-time on each occasion. That could be a good starting point for the home side, considering that a first-leg reverse brought their 12-game unbeaten streak in all competitions to an end (W10, D2). Additionally, the hosts have gone unbeaten in seven straight competitive home matches (W5, D2) since losing 2-1 to domestic opposition Suduva in mid-April. Encouragingly, free-scoring Zalgiris netted over 1.5 goals six times across that seven-game sequence, averaging 2.85 goals per match. Despite failing to keep a clean sheet in their last three competitive games in a row, Vladimir Cheburin’s men can find some confidence in registering five consecutive shutouts prior to this run.

In the meantime, the visitors’ first-leg victory means they have won all three Champions League qualifying fixtures by at least a two-goal margin, keeping a first-half clean sheet on each. Going back to late February, Ferencvaros are unbeaten in their previous 18 games across all competitions, friendlies included (W14, D4), winning the last 11 in a row. Despite failing to keep a clean sheet in three consecutive competitive road trips, the ‘Green Eagles’ have won each of them, with six of their seven goals scored in that sequence coming in the second half of play. Remarkably, Peter Stoger’s men have not lost any of their 12 away games in all competitions this calendar year (W7, D5), notably scoring 2+ goals on ten of those occasions.