Europa League: the UEFA coefficients from the round of 16 could be worth a lot

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2023.02.25. 21:48

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Ferencváros' performance in the Europa League could have an impact on the club's coming seasons at the international cup stage.

The team started the season with a UEFA coefficient of 15.5, which was enough for a wild card in the second round of the Champions League qualifiers. With ten points in the Europa League group stage and finishing first in the group, Ferencváros has now earned 12 points in this system. And since they have been eliminated in a season with a coefficient of just 0.5, they will have at least 27 in the following period. As a reminder, Zalgiris Vilnius was the last of the wild card team that defeated Malmö (23.5 coefficient) in the third round of the summer qualifying round of the European League. Therefore, there is a good chance that if Ferencváros becomes a Hungarian League champion and qualifies for the EL, the team could also be a wild card in the third round of the next season.

But remember that there are still more points to be earned in the EL. A draw in the round of 16 is worth one point, a win is worth two and a bonus point is also awarded for advancing.

If FTC can overcome Leverkusen, the team will reach the quarterfinals with a coefficient of at least 30, which would be another milestone. Furthermore, with such value, they would also have a chance to qualify for the Champions League play-offs, while they would probably be in pot 2 in the Europa League's main round, as so was Ludogorec with a coefficient of 23 this season.

NS EXPERT – ANDRÁS TELEK, 24-TIME FORMER NATIONAL TEAM DEFENDER OF FERENCVÁROS
Leverkusen has a mediocre season in the Bundesliga, which means they are not doing very well, but this is not necessarily good news for Ferencváros. The German club knows that they are unlikely to reach the international cup places, so qualifying for the Europa League is of extreme importance to them. Obviously, Leverkusen is preparing accordingly and will arrive in Budapest with their strongest squad. I feel that it is an advantage that Fradi starts with an away match; I also used to prefer this situation: if the team finishes with a close result in Germany, they can cause surprises at home in front of a sold-out arena. As for the Hungarian team, the departure of Aissa Laidouni is a big blow, and midfielder Muhamed Besic isn't playing due to injury, but the club has tried to replace these valuable players. The team has practically won the Hungarian league, so we could see some poor performances from them, but in the first half of the last game against KTE, the guys were confident and played well. The match against Leverkusen will be interesting.

Translated by Vanda Orosz