After progressing in the cup, attention turns back to the league, and we open the week with an important top-of-the-table clash as third-placed Kecskemét visit us on Monday evening. There are 12 points between the two teams, making this a key match in itself at the start of a week in which we will play twice, as four and a half days later we travel to Békéscsaba.
Kecskemét began their summer preparations under Zoltán Gera, but the management made a change at the end of August. Under Krisztián Tímár, the team climbed from mid-table all the way into the promotion places. They also put together a strong Hungarian Cup run, where only ETO FC Győr could beat them, and that only after extra time. Like us, the purple-and-whites knocked out two NB I teams, first Újpest and then MTK in February. They opened the spring season by thrashing Szeged 4–0, but then stalled, failing to pick up a point against Vasas, BVSC or Videoton. Their run was broken by last week's 2–1 win over Budafok, and after taking advantage of Mezőkövesd's slip they moved back up to third place.
Supporter information:
- The match kicks off at 20:00 on Monday, March 9 at Bozsik Aréna.
- To mark International Women's Day, our club is offering discounted admission for women, with tickets available at a flat price of HUF 1,500. (The discount applies to every area of the stadium except the VIP sector.)
- Tickets for the match can be purchased online here, while in person they will be available exclusively on Friday at the Honvéd Shop. In addition, our ticket offices will open three hours before kick-off on matchday, where tickets can also be purchased.
- The match will be broadcast live by M4 Sport and can be followed online at m4sport.hu oldalon követhető.
What you need to know about Kecskeméti TE:
Founded: 1911
Club colours: purple and white
Current league position: 3.
Most recent competitive match: ETO FC Győr–Kecskeméti TE 3–1 (a.e.t.)
League record: 10 wins, 3 draws, 7 defeats
Away: 3 wins, 2 draws, 5 defeats (6th best)
Goal difference: 32:24
Head coach: Tímár Krisztián
Top scorer: Gergő Pálinkás (11 goals)
Major honours: 2022/23: NB I runners-up
Players with both clubs:
Two players in each squad could face their former club. András Eördögh made 7 NB I and 24 NB II appearances in red and black, while Bertalan Bocskay played for Honvéd throughout the period from 2020 to 2024, apart from a spell in Topolya, making a total of 33 top-flight and 32 second-tier appearances. From our current squad, Tomas Tujvel played in goal for Kecskemét in the 2014-15 season, while Ádám Gyurcsó scored three league goals for the Bács-Kiskun county side in the 2011-12 campaign.
Head-to-head matches:
We have faced Kecskemét in 27 competitive matches so far, 17 of them in NB I, although we have beaten them only twice in that competition. KTE have yet to score at the new Bozsik Aréna, with one draw and one defeat from their two visits. This will be our third meeting with the purple-and-whites this season: in the summer we won a friendly 4-1 (our goals were scored by Baki, Ihrig-Farkas, Hetyei and Simon), while in the autumn we lost 1–0 at the Széktói Stadium, a match remembered more for being interrupted by torrential rain.
NB I: 17 matches, 2 wins, 6 draws, 9 defeats, goal difference: 17:28
NB II: 3 matches, 2 wins, 0 draws, 1 defeat, goal difference: 5:2
Hungarian Cup: 3 matches, 3 wins, 0 draws, 0 defeats, goal difference: 9:2
League Cup: 4 matches, 2 wins, 0 draws, 2 defeats, goal difference: 10:11
Overall: 27 matches, 9 wins, 6 draws, 12 defeats, goal difference: 41:43
Our last 5 competitive matches against Kecskemét:
2025/26, NB II: Kecskemét–Honvéd 1–0
2022/23, NB I: Honvéd–Kecskemét 1–0 (Our scorer: Kerezsi)
2022/23, NB I: Kecskemét–Honvéd 2–2 (Our scorer: Domingues 2x)
2022/23, NB I: Honvéd–Kecskemét 0–0
2021/22, Hungarian Cup: Kecskemét–Honvéd 1–2 (Our scorer: Lukic 2x)
Referee:
Péter Zierkelbach will referee the match, his third league fixture involving Honvéd. Honvéd's record with Péter Zierkelbach is two draws and one defeat; most recently, he took charge of our 1–0 loss to Kazincbarcika in May. Interestingly, he sent off one of our players in two of those three matches.
MERKANTIL BANK LIGA, ROUND 21 – 2025/26
March 9 (Monday), 20:00
BUDAPEST HONVÉD FC–KECSKEMÉTI TE
Bozsik Aréna
TV: M4 Sport
