Bayer Leverkusen and Ferencvaros square off at the Bay Arena in Germany as the Round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League gets underway on Thursday. Join us as we continue our Europa League odds series, where we make our Leverkusen-Ferencvaros prediction and pick while showing you how to watch.
After a 5-5 aggregate result, Bayer Leverkusen defeated AS Monaco in a penalty shootout, where Monaco's Eliot Matazo made a missed penalty shot. Leverkusen had a good run of results as of late, drawing with Freiburg and winning 4-1 against Hertha Berlin.
The Hungarian outfit head into the midweek clash unbeaten still in 2023. After topping Group H over Monaco, Trabzonspor, and Crvena Zvezda, Zöld Sasok hopes to maintain its impressive run as they clash with the German giants.
Here are the Leverkusen-Ferencvaros soccer odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Europa League Odds: Leverkusen-Ferencvaros Odds
Bayer 04 Leverkusen: -360
Ferencvarosi TC: +850
Draw: +460
Over 2.5 Goals: -162
Under 2.5 Goals: +134
How to Watch Leverkusen vs. Ferencvaros
TV: N/A
Stream: fuboTV, Paramount+, ViX, ViX+
Time: 12:45 PM ET / 9:45 AM PT
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Why Leverkusen Can Beat Ferencvaros
Bayer Leverkusen ranked third in Group B of the Champions League, falling behind Porto and Club Brugge while getting ahead of Atletico Madrid. Bayer Leverkusen is ninth in the Bundesliga, picking up 31 points from 23 games played.
In their second leg match-up with AS Monaco, Wissam Ben Yedder and Breel Elmobo scored for the Monacans, but Florian Wirtz, Exequiel Palacios, and Amine Adli made the efforts to force a 5-5 aggregate score. After leaving the first leg with an injury, Moussa Diaby entered in the 103rd minute in extra-time, and he made the deciding goal in the penalty shootout to push Leverkusen to the next round. Two games in the Bundesliga followed suit, and Die Werkself produced amazing results with a 1-1 tie to SC Freiburg and a 4-1 win over Hertha Berlin.
Given how poor they have been at home lately, manager Xabi Alonso will make the necessary adjustments to succeed in this European tourney. Their track record at home versus Bundesliga opponents in this competition is not great, winning only five times and drawing twice in 12 games at home. In two matches played in the Europa League, the Company's Eleven has been making outstanding metrics, including 17 total shots, 22 successful dribbles, and 4.5 corner kicks per game. In the Bundesliga, Moussa Diaby leads the team with eight goals while Jeremie Frimpong has five assists. Adam Hlozek and Kerem Demirbay have six goal contributions in Germany's domestic football flight.
Alonso will want to see positive results in this match but Andrey Lunev and Charles Aranguiz will be absent. Hlozek and Wirtz will see starting roles, with Amine Adli and Nadiem Amiri accompanying up front. Exequiel Palacios and Robert Andrich will serve as starting midfielders.
Why Ferencvaros Can Beat Leverkusen
Ferencvaros, on the other hand, finished first in Group H after picking up 10 points from six matches to edge out runners-up AS Monaco on goal difference. Trbzonspor and Crvena Zvezda ranked third and fourth in that group. In Hungary's Nemzeti Bajnokság I, the Green and Whites dominate the domestic league with 50 points picked from 22 games played.
The Hungarian side has put together a fine run of form and heads into the weekend unbeaten in their eight competitive matches since the turn of the year. Their most recent loss was a 1-0 defeat against Piast Gliwice in a club-friendly game, but in official tournaments, Trabzonspor gave them a 1-0 defeat last November.
Ferencvaros has won four of their last six competitive away matches since November. February’s goalless draw with Kisvarda and November's 2-2 deadlock with MOL Fehervar FC in the NB 1 were the other two matches. In away games in NB I, the Green Eagles have a 7-2-2 record, tallying 23 goals while conceding 10.
Manager Stanislav Chechesov would like to see excellent outputs and a deeper run in this European tourney. In six matches played in the Europa League, they tallied eight goals, six coming from assists, while also making 9.5 shots and 4.3 corner kicks per game. Kristoffer Zachariassen leads the team with three goals while Tokmac Nguen has two assists. Adama Malouda Traore and Balint Vecsei have two goal contributions each.
The Hungarian squad will try to make this game interesting in Germany, even with the absences of Muhamed Besic and Owusu Kwabena. Ryan Mmaee will be deployed as the central striker, while Marqunhis Costa, Zachariassen, and Malouda Traore will be his supporting cast up front. Vecsei and Anderson Esiti will see starting roles in the midfield.
Final Leverkusen-Ferencvaros Prediction & Pick
This is an enjoyable match as expected, but Leverkusen will be determined to end FTC's unbeaten run in 2023. A high-scoring affair is sure to be witnessed by viewers and supporters, but the hosts will come away with a win.
Final Leverkusen-Ferencvaros Prediction & Pick: Leverkusen (-360), Over 2.5 goals (-162)
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