Our prediction for this Europa League match:
A spot in top two in Group H will be at stake when Ferencvaros and Crvena zvezda face each other at Groupama Arena on Thursday evening. Zvezda rolled over Ferencvaros 4-1 in Belgrade a week ago, but beating the Green and Whites in Budapest is easier said than done. Mirko Ivanic, who was rested in a 3-0 win over Spartak Subotica, is pushing for a start, while fellow midfielder Kings Kangwa is back from suspension.
Stanislav Cherchesov’s troops, on the other hand, head into the match following a 2-0 win over Debrecen. Ferencvaros are tough to beat at home, and seeing that they would be happy with one point from Thursday’s clash, the share of spoils is on the horizon. Defender Adnan Kovacevic remains on the sidelines with injury for the home side, while Eldar Civic has served his ban.
Highlighted Player (Guélor Kanga):
Over the years Guelor Kanga has established himself as one of the best players in the Serbian Super League. The Gabon international has been playing the key role in Crvena Zvezda ever since he joined the club in the summer of 2016 and he helped the Serbian side book their place in the 2017/2018 Europa League group stages.
Kanga scored a wonder goal in the Europa League play-offs, return leg, against Krasnodar and, as a result, he has become the fans’ favourite. The pacey midfielder started his senior career at Mangasport and he played for the likes of Missile, Mounana and Rostov as well before joining Crvena Zvezda. Kanga is well known for his brilliant passes and his technique is marvelous as well.
The Crvena Zvezda midfielder represented Gabon at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations and he played for his homeland at the 2017 tournament as well. His main position is attacking midfield, but he is used as a winger as well.
Highlighted Team (Crvena Zvezda):
Crvena Zvezda are the most famous club in Balkans. The Crveno-beli have 19 Yugoslav First League titles and have won eight domestic trophies since the breakup of Yugoslavia. Crvena Zvezda won their last league title in the 2015/2016 season, with the team finishing the campaign no less than 28 points clear of Partizan.
Speaking of Partizan, the Crno-beli are considered Crvena Zvezda’s bitterest rivals and the two teams meet in the “Eternal derby” (Veciti derbi). The capital club did well to win the European Cup title in 1991, with the team beating Olympique Marseile on penalties in the title game. That is considered the club’s biggest success, but it has to be noted that the Serbian club won the International Cup later in 1991. Crvena Zvezda outclassed Colo Colo of Chile (3-0) at National Stadium in Tokyo.
The likes of Dejan Savicevic, Vladimir Jugovic, Dragan Stojkovic, Dragoslav Sekularac, Rajko Mitic, Dusan Savic, Nemanja Vidic and Dejan Stankovic are some of the famous footballers who played for Crvena Zvezda in the past.