Let’s continue our series looking at the potential opponents lying in wait for Celtic in the Champions League next season.
The Bhoys will be seeded for all four rounds of qualifiers but that won’t save us from the possibility of the odd nightmare draw. Today we’ll take a look at a team with a rich history.
30 time champions
While Celtic were celebrating their 50th league title Ferencvaros were securing number 30. Hungary’s most successful club won the league by a comfortable margin of 13 points. They closed the title out in style by winning ten of their final 12 games, scoring 33 goals in the process.
The Green Eagles were knocked out of this season’s Europa League at the first hurdle after going down 2-1 to Maccabi Tel Aviv. They made it a round further the previous season, eventually being knocked out by Erik Sviatchenko’s Midtjylland.
Hungary for success
Celtic have come up against Hungarian opposition on 12 occasions in their history. We’ve won seven of the encounters, drawing one and losing four.
Our most recent trip to the country saw us take on MTK Budapest in a Champions League qualifier back in 2003. We won that match 4-0 with the likes of Henrik Larsson and Stiliyan Petrov getting on the scoresheet.
Verdict
Ferencvaros are clearly the best team in Hungary but that shouldn’t faze Celtic too much if we are drawn against them. Their top player is captain Daniel Bode. He’s been capped 25 times by Hungary but has played in the country for his entire career.
They shouldn’t be underestimated or feared. This would be a most winnable tie.
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