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Europa League: Ferencvaros v Rangers
Venue: Ferencvaros Stadion, Budapest Date: Thursday, 11 December Kick-off: 17:45 GMT
Coverage: Listen on BBC Radio Scotland & Sounds, live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & app
While Thursday's Europa League encounter is verging on dead-rubber territory for Rangers, the same cannot be said for hosts Ferencvaros.
Unbeaten in this year's competition, they could go a long way to securing a top-eight finish and automatic qualification for the last 16 with a victory over Rangers.
That would seal Rangers' seemingly inevitable exit from the competition, which one would have to imagine would be doubly sweet for the Ferencvaros head coach, former Celtic player and boyhood supporter Robbie Keane.
Keane has been in charge since January, guiding the club to a seventh consecutive league title and a record 36th overall last season after taking over from New York City-bound Pascal Jansen.
It was not all plain sailing though. He drew two and lost two of his first four league games in charge and it required a 13-game unbeaten run to finally edge out Puskas Akademia by just three points.
This season, they lead the way once again, but only by two points over Gyor as they approach the midway point of the campaign.
It is their away form in Europe that catches the eye most. A 1-0 win in Genk was followed by a 3-2 victory away to RB Salzburg and, in their last outing, they held Fenerbahce to a 1-1 draw.
All this after losing out in the Champions League play-off round to Qarabag 5-4 on aggregate.
Add those away results to a 1-1 home draw with Viktoria Plzen - having played more than 50 minutes with 10 men following Cebrail Makreckis's red card - and a 3-1 win over Ludogorets, and they are on course to reach the knockout stages.
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.
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