Two sides fighting to finish with unbeaten group-stage records and qualify in the Europa Conference League will meet in the final round of games before the knockout stage on Thursday, as Ferencvaros welcome Fiorentina to Hungary.
The visitors currently hold top spot, the only guaranteed round-of-16 place, but it is all still to play for as they lead the hosts by just two points.
Match preview
© Reuters
Ferencvaros will conclude their Europa Conference League group-stage campaign on Thursday with the aim of finishing with a home victory in Hungary and taking top spot, having remained within two points of their visitors heading into the final round of games.
After winning their domestic top flight for the 34th time last term, the Greens earned entry into Champions League qualifying, but following a defeat to KI Klaksvik, they were at least able to earn a place in Europe's tertiary competition thanks to aggregate wins over Shamrock Rovers, Hamrun Spartans and Zalgiris.
Aiming to progress deep into this year's competition, Dejan Stankovic's side began on the front foot with a 3-1 victory at home to Cukaricki, thanks to goals from Barnabas Varga, Owusu Kwabena and Aleksandar Pesic, before travelling to Fiorentina and taking a creditable share of the points, despite going 2-0 up through Varga and Ibrahim Cisse, as the contest ended in a 2-2 draw.
A pair of meetings with Belgian outfit Genk then followed, and the Greens lost control of top spot in their group as they only managed 0-0 and 1-1 draws away and at home respectively, before making it five games unbeaten with a crucial return to winning ways last time out at the end of November, completing a double over Cukaricki despite trailing 1-0 until the final 10 minutes, as Kristoffer Zachariassen levelled the scores and Pesic netted a winner eight minutes into injury time.
While Thursday's opponents have kept their noses in front with a win of their own last time out, Ferencvaros have left it in the balance heading into the final game as they sit just two points off top spot, while currently sat three points clear of third in the playoff place, and they will aim to guarantee their place in the round of 16 with a victory to leapfrog Fiorentina on Thursday and avoid the additional qualifier.
© Reuters
Their visitors, meanwhile, will set out to see their own unbeaten group-stage record in the final round of games and stay ahead of the hosts having amassed 11 points from their five matches thus far.
Fiorentina's standing at the top of the group is in no small part down to their impressive comeback at home to Ferencvaros in the reverse fixture between these sides as, after beginning with a 2-2 draw away at Fiorentina, as they came from two goals down to share the points with Thursday's visitors as Antonio Barak pulled one back and Jonathan Ikone netted an injury-time equaliser.
Vincenzo Italiano's side have gone from strength to strength since those draws too, winning each of their last three continental matches to establish themselves at the top of the group as they started with a double over Cukaricki, dishing out a 6-0 beating on home turf and winning 1-0 in Serbia last month thanks to M'Bala Nzola's late penalty.
Genk then paid a visit to the Stadio Artemio Franchi in the last round of Europa Conference League games, and I Viola would again prevail in a 2-1 triumph thanks to Nicolas Gonzalez's 82nd-minute winner from the spot after Lucas Martinez Quarta drew them level on the stroke of half time, with Italiano's men now heading into Thursday's tie on the back of a Coppa Italia round-of-16 win over Parma and a 1-1 Serie A draw with Roma, having earned a share of the spoils in the capital courtesy of Quarta's leveller around the hour mark.
Boasting a two-point lead over their hosts with no difference in head-to-head points given their previous draw, Fiorentina will travel to Hungary keen for a fourth straight group win but knowing that a draw would be sufficient to seal top spot and earn them a guaranteed place in the round of 16.
Team News
© Reuters
Ferencvaros should certainly field a similar starting XI to the one that triumphed away at Cukaricki in their last continental outing, with Aleksandar Pesic likely to again lead the line having netted eight goals in all competitions so far this term, including three in five Europa Conference League group-stage games.
He should be joined by Barnabas Varga, who had to settle for a substitute appearance in their league defeat to Paksi on Sunday, despite leading their scoring charts with 17 goals in just 20 appearances this season, while Marquinhos is the most likely to complete the front three.
Behind them, Kristoffer Zachariassen will offer further attacking support from a midfield role, likely alongside Abu Fani and Muhamed Besic in the engine room.
Vincenzo Italiano has rotated his Fiorentina squad throughout the Europa Conference League group stage, but with first place up for grabs, they are bound to travel to Hungary with a full-strength starting XI and could be unchanged from the weekend's draw with Roma, although Nicolas Gonzalez will fight to come in from the outset having only featured off the bench in that draw.
Indeed, Jonathan Ikone and Christian Kouame were preferred out wide in their 4-2-3-1 shape last time out with M'Bala Nzola leading the line, and with Gonzalez, who leads their scoring charts with nine goals in all competitions this term, fully fit after an injury concern, he will likely return on the left flank with Kouassi potentially shifted into a central role.
Elsewhere, Alfred Duncan and Arthur Melo could again partner up in the engine room, while Lucas Martinez Quarta and Luca Ranieri should both keep their places in the middle of the defence.
Ferencvaros possible starting lineup:
Dibusz; Makreckis, Aeneba, Cisse, Civic; Besic, Zachariassen, Fani; Varga, Pesic, Marquinhos
Fiorentina possible starting lineup:
Terracciano, Kayode, Martinez, Ranieri, Biraghi; Arthur, Duncan; Ikone, Bonaventura, Gonzalez; Kouassi
We say: Ferencvaros 1-2 Fiorentina
Thursday's game promises to be an intriguing one in the fight for guaranteed qualification for the Europa Conference League round of 16, and while they only managed to snatch a draw late on at home in the reverse fixture, Fiorentina boast more quality than their hosts and should have enough to get over the line and stay ahead of their hosts in Hungary.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
