Central to their quest for success at home and abroad is Hungary striker Barnabas Varga.
If that name rings a bell, it might well be because of the terrifying moment at Euro 2024 against Scotland when he was involved in a collision with Angus Gunn and those of us in the stadium in Stuttgart that night, as well as millions watching at home, held our collective breath, praying he was okay as screens were held around him while he received treatment.
Even after he was taken off on a stretcher and taken to hospital, there was uncertainty as to his welfare. Happily, despite having been knocked unconscious and suffering a fractured cheekbone, he made a full recovery and remains a key figure for club and country.
He got the winner against Genk and also scored in the games against Salzburg and Fenerbahce, having hit six in six Champions League qualifiers. Ten goals in 15 league matches underline his importance to the team.
Along with the experience of Varga, former Liverpool player Naby Keita and fellow midfielder Kristoffer Zachariassen – a survivor from the Europa League double-header with Celtic in 2021 – Ferencvaros have a couple of promising young talents who could trouble Rangers.
Alex Toth, a 20-year-old central midfielder, has come through the ranks at the club and has impressed sufficiently to have been given his full international debut in March and now has nine caps to his name.
Similarly, forward Zsombor Gruber – no relation to Hans, Die Hard fans – broke on to the international scene just prior to his move at the start of the year from title rivals Puskas and has notched eight goals in 14 league games this season.
Although, curiously, he has been limited to just 45 minutes in the Europa League, starting the first game against Viktoria Plzen.
So, as Ferencvaros and Rangers meet for the first time since the Scottish side emerged victorious on aggregate in the 1960-61 Cup Winners’ Cup, the Hungarians have plenty reason to believe they will come out on top this time round.
