Will Ferencvaros continue their winning streak at San Siro?
In our AC Milan vs. Ferencvaros Budapest preview, the current fourth-place team in the Europa League group stage faces off against the 24th-place team in the standings. The fact that the Hungarians are the higher-ranked team here is certainly one of the big surprises. In fact, however, Fradi have won all three of their matches with a 9-3 goal differential and could now win four consecutive European Cup matches for the first time since the 1967-68 Messestädte-Pokal. Back then, the Zöld sasok (meaning “the Green Eagles”) even racked up six straight wins, after which the club made it to the grand final.
The Rossoneri, on the other hand, have picked up only three out of a possible nine points and were thoroughly outclassed—failing to score—in both their only home game against Benfica (0–2) and their most recent away game at Bournemouth (0–3). As a result, the AC Milan vs. Ferencváros Budapest prediction—a home win for the Lombards, who just won the Derby della Madonnina against city rival Inter 3–1 on Saturday—is anything but a sure thing. To make matters worse, the much-criticized Rúben Amorim might make significant lineup changes.
Given this context, we even believe Fradi could become the first Hungarian team since 1976 to walk away with a victory at Stadio San Siro (back then, Honvéd Budapest defeated Inter Milan). However, to avoid categorically ruling out at least a narrow victory for the Rossoneri, we’re applying a +1.5 handicap to the Zöld sasok in our betting recommendation, which covers a wide range of possibilities.
In our view, those who aren’t afraid to take a risk can even bet with plenty of value on Fradi earning a point, as they haven’t lost a single one of their last 20 competitive matches since July (13 wins, seven draws). In addition to veteran Luka Modric, Pulisic and Moreira are also expected to be rested, while goalkeeper Maignan will miss the match anyway due to a red-card suspension. Center back Gabbia is also out with an injury, so alongside players like Jashari, Hutchinson, and Cissé, the young Torriani and Camarda may get a chance to play.
AC Milan – Ferencváros Budapest Head-to-Head Record
Head-to-Head: 0 – 0 – 0
There has never been an international competitive match between these two teams before. Consequently, there is no “head-to-head” data available that could influence our AC Milan vs. Ferencvaros Budapest prediction in any way.
AC Milan – Ferencvaros Budapest Prediction
On paper, this should be a clear-cut match, especially since the Rossoneri are heading into the game with their heads held high after Saturday’s derby victory. However, given the many absences and the need to follow up with a win in Serie A this weekend in Genoa, Rúben Amorim will have to rotate his lineup heavily. The fact that the young talents still need time was evident in the last home game before the derby, a surprising 2–4 loss to a struggling Bologna FC. The Lombard coach rotated the lineup heavily in that match as well.
On top of that, the Zöld sasok have made a historic nine-point start to the season. Ferencvaros defeated Celtic Glasgow (3–1), Viktoria Plzeň (2–1), and Torreense (4–1), and arrives at the venerable Stadio San Siro as the league leader. We definitely think the Hungarians are capable of earning a point, but we certainly don’t expect the visitors to lose by a large margin. Accordingly, it makes sense to bet on Fradi with a +1.5 handicap.
