Our defender Ákos Baki returned to the starting XI after recovering from injury in the friendly against NK Osijek, playing one half. The 31-year-old suffered a thigh injury in last season's league match against Tiszakécske and was unavailable to the coaching staff for the remainder of the campaign.
“I had a fairly troublesome injury involving my thigh. My rehabilitation went according to plan, and we worked really well with both the physiotherapist and the fitness coach. I feel good, both physically and mentally, so I'm ready. It felt great to be back on the pitch. Osijek were the strongest team we faced during pre-season. The team looked good, perhaps less so the result, but at this stage winning every match isn't the most important thing. I'm looking forward to seeing how we perform in the first round.”
Our team open the 2026/27 OTP Bank Liga season against Kisvárda on Saturday at 19:30. We enjoyed a successful pre-season and head into the opener with an encouraging record: five wins in six games, including our first friendly, which was also against Kisvárda.
“Several of us in the dressing room have already played a few matches in the top division, so we know there's an enormous gulf between NB I and NB II. We've explained that to the younger players too, because many members of the squad will be making their NB I debuts. This is a different league, and you have to prepare thoroughly for every opponent. We can take a little from our friendly against Kisvárda, but that was a completely different situation, with both teams still at the start of pre-season. There will certainly have been changes to their squad, but I don't expect any major surprises.”
OTP BANK LIGA, ROUND 1
July 25 (Saturday), 19:30
KISVÁRDA MASTER GOOD–KISPEST–HONVÉD FC
