BUDAPEST, Aug. 15
Hungary’s football community has reacted with caution to Ferencváros being drawn against Qarabağ in the UEFA Champions League play-off stage.
According to Hungarian media cited by Oxu.Az, despite winning the Hungarian league for seven consecutive seasons, Ferencváros is not celebrating the prospect of facing the Azerbaijani champions.
“Our team last reached the Champions League group stage in the 2020/21 season, but those matches were played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, under the new format, there’s just one step left to the League Stage — but that step is Qarabağ, a side with vast experience. We have faced them in recent years in this competition and lost,” Hungarian outlets noted.
Local pundits add that dropping into the Europa League would not be seen as a disaster.
“Considering our opponent is Qarabağ, it would be wrong to call a defeat a fiasco. Playing in the Europa League’s League Stage would still be an interesting experience for Ferencváros.”
The first leg will be played in Budapest on August 19, with the return match in Baku on August 27.
