The UEFA Europa League action continues with a league-phase matchday four encounter between hosts AC Milan and Hungarian club Ferencvaros at the San Siro Stadium on Thursday. This will be the first-ever meeting between these clubs.
AC Milan are fifth in the Italian Serie A standings, with 21 points from 10 games, seven behind league leaders Lazio.
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The Rossoneri come into this game following a massive confidence-boosting win over reigning Serie A champions Inter Milan in the derby at San Siro on Saturday.
New Milan signing Diego Moreira was on fire, setting up first-half goals for Christian Pulišić and Adrien Rabiot before scoring a sublime free-kick just before the halftime whistle. Alessandro Bastoni scored for Inter, but the Nerazzurri were outplayed by their city rivals on the night.
Milan have had a rough time in the Europa League thus far, winning once and losing two of their three games this season to sit 24th in the league-phase standings with three points.
Ruben Amorim’s side lost 2-0 at home to Benfica in the opening match before bouncing back with a comprehensive 4-0 defeat of Red Bull Salzburg in Austria.
Milan fell to a disappointing 3-0 loss away to Bournemouth in their most recent match, following an early red card to goalkeeper and captain Mike Maignan, who will be missing in this week’s match.
Meanwhile, Hungarian league champions Ferencvaros are third in the OTP Bank Liga at the moment, with 20 points from 11 games. That puts them two points below league leaders Győr, but with a game in hand.
Fradi beat Paks 2-0 at home in their most recent top-flight clash, with goals from Yusuf Bamidele and Kristoffer Zachariassen sealing the victory on Sunday.
Ferencvaros have been in impeccable form in the Europa League this season, winning all three of their matches thus far to sit fourth in the league-phase standings, behind leaders Benfica, second-placed Bayer Leverkusen, and Bournemouth in third.
Balazs Borbely’s side kicked off their campaign with a 3-1 away victory over Scottish giants Celtic before defeating Czech side Viktoria Plzen 2-1 at home.
In their most recent match, also played at home, Ferencvaros beat Portuguese club Torreense 4-1 to continue their dominant run in the competition.
AC Milan vs Ferencvaros head-to-head stats and key numbers
- This will be the first-ever meeting between the Italian and Hungarian teams, and both Milan and Ferencvaros will be aiming to begin their rivalry on the front foot.
- Following this match against Ferencvaros, AC Milan will take on Olympiacos, Sunderland, Levski Sofia, and Ararat-Armenia in their remaining league-phase clashes.
- After their meeting with Milan, Ferencvaros will have further league-phase matchups with NK Celje, Lech Poznan, Juventus, and Hoffenheim.
- AC Milan have never won the UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup, but they are seven-time winners of the UEFA Champions League, Europe’s top-tier club competition.
AC Milan vs Ferencvaros prediction
AC Milan are expected to dominate possession and control the tempo through their superior passing accuracy and midfield combinations, using home advantage to unsettle the visitors.
Ferencvaros are a physical team capable of causing Milan problems via aerial duels and set-piece opportunities. They will likely aim to disrupt Milan’s buildup through high-intensity pressing.
Milan’s inconsistency has been a theme all season, and it is something that they will need to fix if they are to do well in the Europa League. As the home team and considering their superior squad depth and quality, we expect the Rossoneri to emerge victorious on Thursday.
Prediction: AC Milan 2-0 Ferencvaros
AC Milan vs Ferencvaros betting tips
Tip 1: AC Milan to win
Tip 2: AC Milan to keep a clean sheet
Tip 3: Under 4.5 cards
Edited by Peter Pedroncelli
