The first leg of the 2025/26 Europa League round-of-16 tie between Ferencvarosi Torna Club (Hungary) and Sporting Clube de Braga (Portugal) will take place on 12 March at the Groupama Arena in Budapest. Ferencvarosi Torna Club vs Sporting Clube de Braga: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Ferencvarosi Torna Club
The Hungarian side came through the previous round the hard way. The team lost the first play-off meeting against Ludogorets (1:2), but then regrouped and earned a 2:0 home win – enough to go through without extra time. That victory ended Ferencvarosi Torna Club’s three-match winless run in the Europa League (1 draw, 2 defeats), while the club also kept a clean sheet for the first time in their last eight games in this competition. Now the Hungarian outfit will feature in the Europa League round of 16; the last time they reached this stage was back in 2022/23, when the team were knocked out by Bayer.
- At least two goals have been scored in Ferencvarosi Torna Club’s last eight Europa League matches.
- The club’s unbeaten home run in this competition stands at nine matches (7 wins, 2 draws).
- The Hungarian side have scored in 10 straight home games in the Europa League.
Potential Ferencvarosi Torna Club Lineup (3-5-2)*
David Grof – Ibrahim Cisse, Ton Ramakers, Mariano Gomez – Cebrail Makreckis, Bence Etves, Gavriel Kanichowsky, Mohammad Abu Fani, Cadu – Bamidele Yusuf, Lenny Joseph.
Midfielder Callum O’Dowda has served his suspension. The involvement of midfielder Bence Etves is in doubt.
Sporting Clube de Braga
The Portuguese side did not need the play-offs, as the club finished sixth in the final standings of the Europa League league phase. Sporting Clube de Braga were separated from two direct rivals only by tie-breakers. The team collected 17 points from a possible 24, suffering just one defeat across eight rounds. Overall, the Portuguese side have lost only one of their last 15 Europa League matches. The club’s current unbeaten run in this competition stands at four matches, although it is worth noting that two of those four games ended level. We should also add that, in the league phase, Sporting Clube de Braga conceded a total of five goals – only two teams posted a better figure.
- The Portuguese side are unbeaten in seven straight away Europa League matches (4 wins, 3 draws).
- The club have kept clean sheets in six of their last eight matches in this competition.
- No more than two goals were scored in seven of Sporting Clube de Braga’s last eight Europa League games.
Potential Sporting Clube de Braga Lineup (3-4-3)*
Lukasz Hornicek – Gustav Lagerbielke, Vitor Carvalho, Bright Arrey-Mbi – Victor Gomez, Florian Grillitsch, Jean-Baptiste Gorby, Leonardo Lelo – Ricardo Horta, Rodrigo Zalazar, Fran Navarro.
Midfielder Gabri Martinez has served his suspension, but defender Victor Gomez is now unavailable due to an accumulation of yellow cards. Midfielder Vitor Carvalho will miss out through injury.
Referee
Nick Walsh (Scotland)
Matches – 10 (International matches, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 47;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.7;
Red cards shown – 0;
Fouls per match (average) – 25;
Penalties – 40%.
Ferencvarosi Torna Club vs Sporting Clube de Braga: Match Prediction
Ferencvarosi Torna Club are traditionally dangerous in the final third, but they still lack balance between attack and defence. Despite decent scoring output, the club rarely manage to keep a clean sheet. As a result, both teams scored in six of the Hungarian side’s last eight Europa League matches. If we look specifically at the home record, both teams found the net in four of Ferencvarosi Torna Club’s last five games in this competition.
Sporting Clube de Braga failed to score in their final match of the league phase, but for now it looks like a one-off slip. Before that, the team scored in normal time in 11 straight European matches, including five away from home. At the same time, unlike their opponents, the Portuguese side are among the most reliable defensive teams in the tournament. However, keeping a clean sheet in Budapest will be extremely difficult, as Ferencvarosi Torna Club’s scoring run at home in the Europa League has now reached 10 matches.
Prediction: Both teams to score – Yes
* For each team, the starting XI listed is from their previous match in this competition.