Europa League | Knockout Round Playoffs | 2nd Leg

Feb 20, 2025 at 8pm UK

Doosan Arena

Plzenvs.Ferencvaros

(agg: 0-1)

Match preview

It remains to be seen how much home advantage Plzen will have in the second leg, a luxury they only had thanks to Ferencvaros' complacency on the eighth matchday of the league phase.

Despite winning 4-3, Ferencvaros conceded two goals in stoppage time to AZ Alkmaar, which dropped them to 17th on goal difference, below Plzen, and meant they were not seeded for the play-offs, with the perceived disadvantage of playing the second leg away.

Plzen might have preferred to play the first leg at home, however, as they have been eliminated on all four previous occasions when they lost the first leg of a European tie.

However, Plzen have never lost a home second leg, winning four and drawing one, and their form at the Doosan Arena has been impressive of late, with three straight wins and 12 goals scored, most notably a 7-2 thrashing of Ceske Budejovice.

On the continent, however, form has eluded the Czechs, who have lost three of their last four matches in Europe after suffering just one defeat in their previous 15.

However, prior to the first leg defeat, Plzen's other two defeats came against Athletic Bilbao and Manchester United, so this match should be a clearer indicator of where they stand.

Miroslav Koubek's men also got back to winning ways at the weekend, with Rafiu Durosinmi scoring a brace in a 2-0 win away to Teplice, but with the domestic title all but out of their reach, it is imperative that they extend their European campaign.

One positive omen for the hosts is their visitors' dismal record in the Czech Republic, with Ferencvaros having lost all six of their previous games in the country, the most recent of which was against Slavia Prague in 2021.

Robbie Keane's men have not had the best of preparations either, losing 2-0 at home to Paksi at the weekend to drop five points behind Puskas Akademia at the top of the table.

Their European form has not been any better, with just two wins in their last 15 away Europa League games, losing 5-0 and 2-0 to PAOK and Eintracht Frankfurt respectively in their last two outings.

Keane has struggled to turn things around since taking over at the start of the year, with just one point from three away games, and the club are now without a win in six away games in all competitions.

With just seven goals conceded in Keane's seven games in charge, including four clean sheets, a strong rearguard may once again be required, and Ferencvaros did keep their third clean sheet of the Europa League campaign last week, the club's best since the 2002-03 UEFA Cup.

Recent Performance

Viktoria Plzen Europa League form:WWLWLL

Viktoria Plzen form (all competitions):WLLWLW

Ferencvaros Europa League form:WWLLWW

Ferencvaros form (all competitions):WDDLWL

Team News

Plzen's Svetozar Markovic returns after missing the win in Teplice through suspension, while Daniel Vasulin is also available after serving a European ban, although he is not expected to start.

Koubek rested a number of players at the weekend, including attacking duo Matej Vydra and Prince Adu, who could become the first Plzen player to score in three consecutive home European matches if he finds the back of the net in this one.

There has been no rest for Pavel Sulc, but he will undoubtedly be one of their most influential players here, and after scoring 30 goals last season, the midfielder picked up an assist against Teplice to take him into double figures for both goals and assists this season.

Ferencvaros will be severely weakened by the absence of two key players at both ends of the pitch, most notably top scorer Barnabas Varga, who is suspended following a late booking last week.

Goalkeeper Denes Dibusz is also a major doubt for the game with a hip injury that has sidelined him for almost a month, while back-up Adam Varga is also out, meaning 35-year-old David Grof could be called into action once again.

Despite the defeat at the weekend, Keane has named a strong side and has resisted the temptation to play any of the players not registered in Europe, including Aleksandar Cirkovic, Lenny Joseph and Habib Maiga.

Possible starting lineup

Viktoria Plzen possible starting lineup:

Jedlicka; Dweh, Markovic, Jemelka; Havel, Cerv, Kalvach, Sulc, Cadu; Vydra, Adu

Ferencvaros possible starting lineup:

Grof; Makreckis, Gartenmann, Cisse, Raul Gustavo; Zachariassen, Romao, Abu Fani; Ben Romdhane, Saldanha, Civic