FK Csíkszereda travels to the home of the current league leaders, aiming to earn one or even several points against Rapid. Following the victory over Slobozia, the boys are full of confidence, emphasising that they respect their opponent but do not fear them.

FK Csíkszereda travels to the home of the current league leaders, aiming to earn one or even several points against Rapid. Following the victory over Slobozia, the boys are full of confidence, emphasising that they respect their opponent but do not fear them.

We have reached the third round of the return phase in this year’s SuperLiga season, meaning that we now return the visit from matchday 3, when the Bucharest railwaymen came to Csíkszereda. Back then, the match kicked off extremely late, at 22:00, due to the heat, and Rapid won through first-half goals from Hromada and Petrila. The second half, however, saw a much improved performance from our team, with several chances created in a match played entirely in the spirit of fair play, without incidents, anti-Hungarian chants or other inappropriate messages.

We expect the same attitude now — not only because our head coach is considered a legend of Rapid, but also because we firmly believe that incitement, xenophobia and uncivilised behaviour are incompatible with the values of the Bucharest club – as, indeed, should be the case for any club in Romania.

We therefore anticipate a tough but fair contest against the current leaders of the SuperLiga. Given their position, Rapid is expected to win almost every match, especially at home on the Giulești, where the supporters create a unique atmosphere week after week. As for their recent form, they have won four of their last six matches, drew once with Craiova, and, somewhat surprisingly, suffered a clear defeat last round in Cluj against CFR.

Our team arrived in the capital after a confidence-boosting win over Slobozia. “Such a victory brings confidence and calm, but we cannot relax, because we are playing against the best team in the league. They are top of the table, so I expect a very difficult match. Still, we will try to get the most out of it and bring points home from Bucharest,” head coach Róbert Ilyés said at the pre-match press conference.

Pászka Lóránd, who was named in last week’s Team of the Round, is happy to have secured those important three points and wants to continue in the same manner to achieve the club’s goals and climb the table. “Being selected in the team of the round is a sign that we are working well as a team and individually. Our preparation for the Rapid match is broadly the same as for any other opponent. We know we are facing a good team, the current leaders. We know what atmosphere awaits us, we respect them, but we are not afraid of them. We are going there to get one or more points,” he said.

Another FK player who recently enjoyed a personal milestone is Dusinszki Szabolcs , who received a call-up to Hungary’s U21 national team during the November international break. “My days with the national team went very well, it was great to meet old teammates and friends again, and I was happy to be able to play in one of the matches,” said our young midfielder. “For any player, younger or older, it is an extra motivation to play in a stadium like the Giulești, in such an atmosphere, but we are ready,” he added.

The match opening the 18th round of the SuperLiga regular season kicks off on Friday at 20:30 at the Giulești Stadium in Bucharest and will be broadcast, as usual, on Digi Sport 1 and Prima Sport 1.

Rédai Attila
Photo: Zoltán Pál