Ferencvaros will make the trip to Kazakhstan on Wednesday for the first leg of their Champions League first qualifying round contest with Tobol.
The visitors are the reigning Hungarian champions, while Tobol won just their second Kazakhstan Premier League title last year to secure their spot in the first qualifying round of this competition.
Match preview
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Tobol are already 15 matches deep into their 2022 league campaign, sitting third in the Premier League table, having picked up 25 points courtesy of a record of seven wins, four draws and four defeats.
Milan Milanovic's side will enter this contest off the back of a 2-2 draw with Turan Turkistan on Friday, but they had won their three matches in the build-up to their last game and are unbeaten in all competitions since the middle of May, which should mean that confidence is high.
Tobol won their second Kazakhstan Premier League title last season, and they are bidding to make the group stage of the Champions League for the first time in their history.
Last term, the Kostanay-based outfit fell in the third qualifying round for the Europa Conference League, while they were knocked out of the Europa League in the first qualifying round in 2019-20.
Wednesday's contest will be Tobol's first taste of Champions League action since the 2011-12 campaign, when they suffered a 3-1 aggregate defeat to Slovan Bratislava in the second qualifying round.
Ferencvaros, meanwhile, are 33-time Hungarian champions, securing the trophy last season in comfortable fashion, having finished 11 points clear at the top of the division.
The Green Eagles played in the group stage of the 2020-21 Champions League, finishing bottom of a section which included Juventus, Barcelona and Dynamo Kiev.
Ferencvaros fell in the playoff round for last season's European Cup, losing 6-4 on aggregate to Young Boys, but they did play in the group stage of the 2021-22 Europa League, finishing fourth in their section, which included games against Bayer Leverkusen, Celtic and Real Betis.
Stanislav Cherchesov's side will be expected to progress to the second qualifying round, where either Slovan Bratislava or Dinamo Batumi will be waiting.
Ferencvaros will be aware of the challenge facing them in this two-legged affair, though, particularly as Tobol are already up to speed in terms of their league campaign.
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Team News
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Tobol have reported no fresh injury concerns ahead of this match, and there are not expected to be any real surprises when it comes to their starting XI.
The team will be familiar to the one that took to the field for their league contest against Turan on July 1, with Igor Sergeev set to feature in the final third of the field.
The 29-year-old has already found the back of the net on six occasions in the league this term and should be joined by Aybar Zhaksylykov in a front two.
As for Ferencvaros, the Hungarian outfit have played five friendlies over the summer in preparation for the new campaign, including a 4-1 victory over Karlsruhe on June 28.
Cherchesov's side do not start their league season until July 29, so they can fully focus on these two legs, but the manager will have to assess the fitness of his players.
Tokmac Nguen has been a consistent goalscorer for the Hungarian side over the last few seasons and should feature in the final third of the field, while new arrival Adama Traore should also start in attack.
Tobol possible starting lineup:
Mokin; Maily, Marochkin, Kairov, Tosic; Muzhikov, Brigido, Tagybergen, Jovancic; Zhaksylykov, Sergeev
Ferencvaros possible starting lineup:
Bogdan; Mmaee, Kovacevic, Civic, Botka; Esiti, Vecsei, Merchier, Loncar; Nguen, Traore
We say: Tobol 1-2 Ferencvaros
Tobol are certainly capable of making this an uncomfortable first leg for Ferencvaros, but we are finding it difficult to back against the Hungarian outfit, who should be able to claim an advantage ahead of the return fixture on July 13.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
