We welcome ZTE FC to the Bozsik Arena at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets are selling well and another fantastic atmosphere is expected in one of the country’s most acoustically impressive stadiums. However, tickets are still available, and buying online is recommended for the lower price and a smoother entry process.
The match is particularly important for both sides, just as it was in April when they competed for a place in the Hungarian Cup final. On that occasion, the team from Zala prevailed after a penalty shoot-out and advanced to the Puskás Arena. Ákos Baki was sidelined through injury for that match, but nothing now stands in the way of him facing the team from his hometown. We spoke to him ahead of the game.
“We have played four league matches so far because our most recent fixture against Ferencváros was postponed. We have been able to get ourselves organised and had an extra week to prepare compared with Zalaegerszeg. It will be a very difficult game, but we definitely want to win and improve our position against ZTE on Saturday” began our experienced defender, who celebrated his 32nd birthday this week. The two sides currently occupy the bottom two places in the league, although we have fewer points dropped than several other teams at present, and a win could lift us several positions in the table. Our defender believes there is no point looking too far ahead or drawing sweeping conclusions because the season is still in its early stages.
“You can’t draw many conclusions from the standings yet: we still have 29 league games ahead of us. They are directly above us and, although they have played more games, have collected the same number of points as us. They play very sophisticated, combination-based football and like to keep possession. They focus more on attacking, though, and that could even work to our advantage,” said Baki, who believes the Zala side’s squad has changed enormously since the April match.
“They have embraced a completely different philosophy since the new owners came in, and their squad has changed almost entirely since our last meeting. Back then, I felt we were facing a settled team; perhaps they haven’t quite gelled yet this time. They have very few Hungarian players, with South Americans making up the majority. They tend to be small, technically skilled players, which could definitely give us an advantage at set pieces. There’s a desire for revenge in us: we want to make up for losing the Hungarian Cup semi-final to ZTE. I’m really sorry I couldn’t play in that match. I’m proud of the lads because we gave everything that day, and until the very last moment it looked as though we would reach the final, but things turned out differently. I hope I’ll be celebrating a win.” he added, before touching on the emotions surrounding the fixture.
“I’m from Zalaegerszeg, my whole family comes from Zala and I played for ZTE for nine years as a child. It was a long time ago and the club has changed completely since then, but this will be a special match for me” he concluded.
OTP BANK LIGA, MATCHDAY 6
29 August (Saturday), 5 p.m.
KISPEST–HONVÉD FC–ZTE FC
Bozsik Arena
TV: M4 Sport
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