[2026-27 UEFA Europa League] Ferencváros vs Viktoria Plzeň preview and analysis Kick-off: 15 October, 19:00 UTC
Ferencváros and Viktoria Plzeň meet at Groupama Arena in Budapest on 16 October at 04:00 Korea time for the second round of the 2026-27 UEFA Europa League league phase. Ferencváros opened with a 3-1 win away to Celtic, while Viktoria Plzeň lost 3-0 at home to Union Saint-Gilloise. This is the teams’ fourth meeting in European competition, and they arrive after contrasting starts.
1. Match overview and team form
Ferencváros took three points from their Europa League opener, but sit sixth in the Hungarian league with 13 points after nine rounds. They have drawn their last three domestic matches. Their position has not slipped because of a run of defeats. Since Balázs Borbély took charge in the summer, they have won seven and drawn two of their nine European matches this season. They have kept clean sheets in three of their four European home games, and against Celtic they weathered the early pressure before exploiting the space left as the hosts pushed forward.
Viktoria Plzeň also have 13 points, from 10 Czech league matches, but sit 10th. They have scored 20 goals and conceded 17. Since taking charge on 23 August, Radoslav Kováč has adjusted the defence using both a back three and a back four. In their latest match, they beat Mladá Boleslav 3-0 after scoring in the second and 21st minutes, but the opposition hit the woodwork twice in the second half. Kováč said the intensity dropped after the break.
Last 10 competitive matches Overall: Ferencváros 6 wins, 4 draws, 19 goals scored, 7 conceded / Viktoria Plzeň 5 wins, 1 draw, 4 defeats, 18 goals scored, 13 conceded Away: Ferencváros 3 wins, 2 draws, 8 goals scored, 4 conceded / Viktoria Plzeň 1 draw, 3 defeats, 1 goal scored, 8 conceded
The data centre’s records show that Viktoria Plzeň’s last four away opponents included Slavia Prague, Sparta Prague and Red Star Belgrade. Their return of one goal also reflects the strength of that opposition. In fact, they have lost only to Red Star in their last six European away games. Whether they can get their away attack going here is a separate question. They had 14 shots against Union without scoring, then conceded after losing the ball while attacking and struggling to get back into defensive shape.
Ferencváros’ recent domestic draws need to be viewed match by match. Three days after the Celtic game, they made five changes for their trip to Nyíregyháza. After a three-week break, they named the same starting XI as against Celtic, apart from the goalkeeper, for the Debrecen match, but drew 1-1. Borbély and Kristoffer Zachariassen said the team’s rhythm had dipped after the break. Debrecen goalkeeper Plamen Andreev made seven saves, so Ferencváros did create chances. Still, they failed to take those opportunities and conceded a penalty in the 95th minute, a point to keep in mind for this match.
The likely starting line-ups are taking shape. Dénes Dibusz, who missed the Celtic game with a minor injury, is expected to return in goal for Ferencváros. Bamidele Yusuf on the right, Daniel Arzani on the left, Zachariassen behind the striker and Ádám Bagi up front all featured against Celtic. By contrast, reports say qualifying goalscorer József Lenny is out injured, and Franjo Kovačević picked up another injury against Debrecen. Borbély has not said whether Lenny or Naby Keïta will be available. Whether Ferencváros have another option up front if the attack stalls could be a factor.
Prince Adu has been left out of Viktoria Plzeň’s travelling squad by the coach. Christophe Kabongo started up front and scored in the latest match, so they are not without a starting striker. Their options for changing the attack from the bench are reduced, though. Baboucarr Faal has scored after coming on against Sigma Olomouc and Mladá Boleslav. Matěj Vydra, back in training after knee surgery, could play 10 to 20 minutes depending on the situation. Goalkeeper Florian Wiegele, who missed the previous match through illness, is also available. The young defence still has a big role to play in the absence of long-term injury absentee Václav Jemelka and Jan Paluska, who did not travel.
The teams have met three times in European competition, with Ferencváros recording one win, one draw and one defeat. They each won at home in February 2025, then drew 1-1 in Budapest in September that year. Both managers have since changed, and Viktoria Plzeň’s goalscorer from last year, Rafiu Durosinmi, has moved on. The head-to-head record says more about the role of physical duels and set pieces than about which side has the edge. Neither team has a clear scheduling advantage. Both played league matches on 10 October and have another away league game three days after this one.
2. Match-up analysis
The key moment could come when Viktoria Plzeň lose the ball as they push forward and Ferencváros win it back. Ferencváros had just 37% possession against Celtic but still managed six shots on target. After the hosts equalised, Yusuf cut into the penalty area from the right and pulled the ball back for Zachariassen to finish. Early in the second half, Arzani drove forward to score after receiving a pass from Yusuf. Both goals came when Celtic had committed players to attack and failed to restore their defensive shape.
Viktoria Plzeň conceded in a similar situation against Union. They pushed towards the opposition penalty area, lost the ball and then gave up a second goal on the counter. For the first goal, they failed to deal with a long pass and let a forward in behind the defence. They also conceded from a ball played behind the defence against Sigma Olomouc. Kováč said he had tried to keep the defensive line deeper against Union, so dropping back alone did not solve the problem. Yusuf and Arzani can test that weakness with their forward runs, while Zachariassen can attack the penalty area.
The duel between Yusuf on the right and Viktoria Plzeň’s left flank could shape both teams’ attacks. If Cheick Souaré plays as the left wing-back and pushes forward, Ferencváros can send Yusuf into the space behind him. If Souaré and Alexandr Sojka get forward first, Yusuf will have more defensive work to do. Against Celtic, Ferencváros right-back Olivér Nagy struggled against James Forrest, and Kieran Tierney also made a run down that side before setting up the equaliser. Borbély replaced Nagy with Attila Osváth at half-time. How well Ferencváros defend that flank again could determine where Yusuf starts his counter-attacks.
If Viktoria Plzeň drop into a back three, Ferencváros face a different challenge. While Bagi takes on three centre-backs, Pirgić and Patrik Hrošovský can keep an eye on Zachariassen’s runs through the middle. Ferencváros may need to make better use of Yusuf’s low deliveries from the right and Arzani cutting inside to shoot from the left. They lack a traditional striker who can contest crosses in the air against the centre-backs. Their failure to win at home in the domestic league also shows the difficulty of holding possession and breaking down a defence. If Viktoria Plzeň keep their numbers and shape at the back, Ferencváros are unlikely to reproduce the goals they scored against Celtic in the same way.
Viktoria Plzeň will also find it difficult to defend for the whole match. Kováč has said he wants all three points in Budapest. After starting with no points, they will have more reason to push their wing-backs and attacking midfielders forward if the match stays 0-0 for long or they fall behind. That is when Ferencváros can threaten on the counter. The data centre also records that Viktoria Plzeň have lost their last three competitive matches in which they conceded first without scoring. That does not guarantee the same outcome here, but they have not recently found a way back into games after falling behind.
Set pieces are Viktoria Plzeň’s clearest route to a response. Against Sigma Olomouc, Faal headed in from a Sojka free-kick, and they scored twice from set pieces against Mladá Boleslav. Ferencváros conceded 11 corners against Celtic but did not give up a set-piece goal. The opponents and circumstances differ, so that result alone does not mean they will keep Viktoria Plzeň out here. If Viktoria Plzeň can win physical duels and earn free-kicks and corners, they can create chances even if open-play attacks are not working.
The goalkeepers and timing of substitutions could also affect the total. Wiegele made 10 saves against Union, so chances for Ferencváros will not necessarily turn into goals. Against Celtic, Borbély took off Yusuf and Arzani together in the 66th minute with his team two goals ahead, and Celtic attacked more often afterwards. If he makes similar changes while leading here, Viktoria Plzeň may get more time on the ball and more chances to win set pieces. Kováč can bring on Faal to add an aerial threat. Managing the second half will matter as much as scoring first.
3. Final prediction and conclusion
Our score prediction is a 2-0 home win. Ferencváros may find it hard to score while Viktoria Plzeň have a back three in place early on. As Viktoria Plzeň push forward in search of points, Ferencváros are more likely to take the lead through a counter-attack involving Yusuf and Arzani. If Viktoria Plzeň commit more players to attack while trailing and leave space behind again, Ferencváros could add a second.
Ferencváros turned the space left by Celtic’s forward runs into goals, and Viktoria Plzeň gave up a similar chance after losing the ball in attack against Union. Ferencváros have conceded few goals in European home matches under Borbély, while Kováč acknowledged that his side’s intensity dipped in the second half of their latest win. If Ferencváros go two goals ahead, Borbély may manage the game by reducing their forward runs, as he did against Celtic. We do not expect the scoreline to grow much further.
The market also favours Ferencváros to win. The difference is in how many goals we expect. The market takes both teams’ recent high-scoring results into account, but Ferencváros lack a traditional striker to battle Viktoria Plzeň’s centre-backs while the visitors sit deep. We expect the openings to arrive later in the match. If Viktoria Plzeň instead start in a back four and push high from the outset, space will open behind the defence earlier. In that case, the timing of the first goal and the overall scoring pattern could change.
