In our final league match before the international break we travel to a new venue, as our team will play a league fixture away to Karcagi SC for the first time.
Supporter information:
- The match kicks off at 14:00 on Sunday, March 22 at the Liget úti Sports Centre in Karcag
- The match will be broadcast live on our YouTube channel.
Thanks to Karcagi SC's promotion last year, the club is back in the second tier of Hungarian football for the first time since 2007. The Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county side subsequently spent almost 15 years in County Division I, before winning the NB III title in their third season and successfully contesting a promotion play-off against Nagykanizsa. They currently sit seventh in NB II.
Attila Varga's side came from behind to beat Budafok 3–2 in the previous round, scoring three times between the 81st and 87th minutes. Karcag also boast the fourth-best home record in the league, having beaten seven teams on their own ground, including Videoton and Vasas earlier in the season. Only Mezőkövesd and BVSC have left the Liget úti Sports Centre with all three points, while Kozármisleny earned a draw. They have also scored in nine of their ten home matches.
What you need to know about Karcagi SC:
Founded: 1945
Club colours: blue and white
Current league position: 7th
League record: 8 wins, 7 draws, 7 defeats
Goal difference: 25:32
League form: W-L-L-L-W
At home: 7 wins, 1 draw, 3 defeats (4th best)
Most recent league match: Karcag–Budafok 3–2
Head coach: Attila Varga
Top scorers: Máté Kohut, Máté Kovalovszki (4 goals)
Major honours: 2x NB III champions (1999/2000, 2024-25)
Players with links to both clubs:
Several former Honvéd players are in Karcag's squad: Lóránt Fazekas and Kristóf Szűcs both developed at our academy, Dávid László made 11 top-flight appearances in Kispest, while Patrik Hidi won the Hungarian Cup twice and the league once with Honvéd, representing our club in three separate spells.
Our winter signing Kevin Varga was born in Karcag and also began his career in the club's youth system, remaining with the association up to U15 level.
Shared history:
We have met Karcag twice so far. In the winter of 2006 our opponents won a friendly 4–2 thanks to a Gasparik brace and goals from Kádár and Domokos, while Genito scored both Kispest goals.
The first competitive meeting took place on September 29 at the Bozsik Arena and also turned into a goal-filled contest. Karcag took the lead early through a Kovalovszki header, before Csontos quickly replied from the penalty spot. Before the break Zuigeber scored first from open play and then from a free-kick, giving us a 3–1 half-time lead. After the restart Zsolt Pap reduced the deficit with a long-range strike, but Kántor's header and Csontos's second penalty quickly settled the match, which we eventually won 5–2.
An interesting detail about the fixture is that although we have played Karcag only twice, three different Kispest players have already scored braces in a single match against them.
Squad news:
Tamás Feczkó will not be allowed on the bench against Karcag after receiving a three-match suspension for his comments following the league match against Kecskemét, while Kevin Kállai was handed a four-match suspension and Patrik Pinte a two-match ban. Kállai has already served one of those games. Ákos Baki is unavailable because of five yellow cards, while Kevin Kántor is still struggling with injury.
Our previous matches against Karcag:
2006: Karcag–Honvéd 4–2 (Our scorer: Genito 2x)
2025: Honvéd–Karcag 5–2 (Our scorers: Csontos 2x, Zuigeber 2x, Kántor)
Referee:
Just like the venue, the referee will also be a new experience: Tamás Ujhelyi will take charge of a league match involving Honvéd's first team for the first time.
MERKANTIL BANK LIGA, ROUND 23
March 22 (Sunday), 14:00
KARCAGI SC–BUDAPEST HONVÉD FC
Karcag, Liget úti Sports Centre
We spoke to István Pekár before the match:
