Hungarian League I: spring is on the way – the NB I teams are on the road

The teams will have a long preparation period during the winter break. In recent years, we have seen most of the NB I teams going abroad in January to train on good quality pitches, in pleasant, milder weather, against strong teams at this level. This is no different this year, only ZTE FC is not traveling – the Zalaegerszeg team thought that they could prepare for the spring season at home just as well. Most clubs have chosen Turkey, but Spain and Croatia are also destinations. The 17^th round of the league takes place on January 28 and 29, but the ZTE FC-Ferencváros clash, postponed from the 2^nd round, will be played on January 24 at 6.30pm.

BP. HONVÉD – A more cut-back preparation in Croatia

The team was originally supposed to travel to Turkey, but Gergely Kun, who replaced Gábor Kun as managing director of Honvéd, and the owners started to rationalize their expenses: the team canceled the training camp. The footballers were preparing at the Hungarian Football Academy, and then the management Kispest decided to go for a more cost-effective preparation in Croatia. The team coached by Dean Klafurić will train in Umag between January 6 and January 17 and is scheduled to play five preparation matches. As for the squad, Dominik Nagy has left Kispest: the 27-year-old, ten-time national team winger's contract expired on December 31, and as the parties did not agree on an extension, the player left the club after two years. It remains to be seen where Péter Szappanos will continue his career – Honvéd and MOL Fehérvár FC have been in talks for weeks, with the Budapest side receiving several offers for the goalkeeper. Although an official agreement has not yet been reached, it is almost certain that the 32-year-old, one-time national team player will sign for Székesfehérvár.

The team's preparation schedule
January 7:Bp. Honvéd–NK Osijek (Croatia)
January 13:Bp. Honvéd–HNK Rijeka (Croatia, two matches)
January 17:Bp. Honvéd–FK Javor Ivanjica (Serbia) and Bp. Honvéd–FK Kolubara (Serbia)

DEBRECENI VSC – Loki will spend nearly three weeks in Antalya

The professional staff was not particularly concerned about the holiday season, so head coach Srđan Blagojević held training sessions for the players on the morning of December 24 and the afternoon of December 26 – all with the aim of success, of course. The team already played a preparation match on December 30, winning 1-0 against Újpest FC, with Bence Sós scoring the goal. DVSC will spend only a week in Debrecen before the league match against ZTE FC on January 28, as the squad will be in Antalya, Turkey, between January 2 and 20 for a training camp and will play six international preparation matches. Brazilian defender Charleston and goalkeeper Alex Hrabina left Loki during the winter.

The team's preparation schedule
January 6:DVSC–Bodrumspor (Turkey)
January 10:DVSC–Universitatea Cluj (Romania)
January 14:DVSC–Hannover 96 (Germany)
January 15:DVSC–Neftchi Fergana (Uzbekistan)
January 19:DVSC–FK TSC Bačka Topola (Serbia)
January 23:DVSC–Śląsk Wrocław II (Poland)

 

FERENCVÁROS – Fradi travels to Spain again

The Spanish environment will be familiar to league leader Ferencváros that will continue the preparation on January 4, after the training camp in Mezőkövesd in December. The footballers will meet again in Népliget, and after a few days of preparation, they will be heading southwest. The Hungarian champions will not change the well-established venue, as they have been training in Spain in recent years, although the pandemic meant that on one occasion, there were so many sick players that the training camp had to be canceled. The team will again travel to Benidorm, where the Green and Whites have previously trained under the guidance of Serhiy Rebrov. Fradi's plane lands in Alicante, an-hour bus ride from the city on the Mediterranean coast in eastern Spain, which is a popular destination for teams from the top leagues in Western Europe. As for the training matches, Fradi will take on 14th-placed Augsburg in the Bundesliga on January 11 at 3pm, with three or four preparation matches expected during their time there. Regarding the transfers, there is still a lot of uncertainty, with the club's management refusing to comment on speculation and insisting that they will only announce arrivals after the successful signings

The team's preparation schedule
January 11:Ferencváros–FC Augsburg (Germany)

 

KECSKEMÉTI TE – The novice team could tune up in Belek

Kecskeméti TE started training at the end of last year, and after a short break, the team resumed the preparations on January 2. They face NB II Békéscsaba Előre FC at 1pm on Tuesday. After the match, the team will pack up and leave for Belek, Turkey, on Wednesday for ten days of training. Four preparation matches are scheduled. After returning home, work will continue at home before the tournament resumes on January 29 at 5.30pm against MOL Fehérvár.

The team's preparation schedule
January 3, 1pm:KTE–Békéscsaba Előre
Belek (Turkey):
January 6:KTE–Magdeburg (Germany)
January 10:KTE–Rapid București (Romania)
January 10:KTE–Universitatea Craiova (Romania)
January 13:KTE–Teplice (Czech Republic)

 

KISVÁRDA MASTER GOOD – League rehearsal against Olomouc

On January 3, the team will begin the preparations at home, and from January 11, they will spend ten days training in Side, Turkey - just like a year earlier. In Turkey, the team will play three friendly matches, the third of which will be a rehearsal for the league against Sigma Olomouc from the Czech Republic. As for the members of the squad, Jasir Asani has been bought out of his contract by South Korean side Gwangju, but the club is still not short of wingers. The acquisition of 25-year-old Serbian Miloš Spasić as a left winger and attacking midfielder could provide reinforcements, while the acquisition of Bosnian international Aleksandar Jovicic could create competition in defense. Born in Madrid to a Hungarian mother, 19-year-old Raúl Martin Stefan has made it to the U19 team at Getafe and is in the process of naturalization, with Kisvárda being the first professional club for the right-back.

The team's preparation schedule
January 14:Kisvárda–Stal Mielec (Poland)
January 17:Kisvárda–FK Radnički (Serbia)
January 20:Kisvárda–Sigma Olomouc (Czech Republic)

MEZŐKÖVESD ZSÓRY FC – Six new players are already waiting to be on duty

On Monday, Mezőkövesd Zsóry FC started the preparation. In the morning, the players had a medical examination, and in the afternoon, the professional staff conducted a training session for the players who passed the examination. They won't stay at home for long, as the squad will travel to Turkey on January 4, where they will work for a week. Several training matches are planned. Head coach Attila Kuttor already signed four players during the World Cup: in addition to Romania's Steliano Filip and Georgia's Ilya Beriashvili, the club announced the arrival of Dominik Csontos (the FTC footballer played for Soroksár in the fall), Attila Márkus (Nyíregyháza) and after the tournament, they signed Russia's Nikolai Prudnikov and loaned Roland Lehoczky from MTK.

The team's preparation schedule
January 5:Mezőkövesd–Kaiserslautern (Germany)
January7:Mezőkövesd–FC Voluntari (Romania)
January 8:Mezőkövesd–Pendikspor (Turkey)
January 11:Mezőkövesd–Legia Warszawa(Poland)
January 12:Mezőkövesd–Sumqayıt FK (Azerbaijan)

 

MOL FEHÉRVÁR FC – The squad needs to be slightly modified

On January 2, the footballers met for the first time for a medical examination in the morning and then practiced on the pitch in the afternoon. The squad will prepare at home for a few days before heading to Novigrad, Croatia, for a training camp from the 8^th to the 20^th, where they will play three friendly matches, including against Croatian topflight opponents, although the exact schedule is not yet known. Head coach Szabolcs Huszti, who was appointed during the season, has repeatedly said that the squad needs to be modified and that Artem Shabanov and Caudiu Bumba are training with the reserves, while four youngsters, Zsombor Menyhárt, Bence Kovács, Milán Pető, and Olivér Cserkuti-Németh, are training with the first team. It has been rumored that Budu Zivzivadze could leave if the right offer comes in, but for now, all we know about him is that he is not training with the squad.

The team's preparation program is not yet known, but Hajduk Split has already announced that they will host MOL Fehérvár in Novigrad on January 11.

PAKSI FC – A week and a half in Turkey

In December, the footballers did three weeks of workout training, and after Christmas, they trained on their own, so in January, the focus will be on tactical training. The squad met for the first time on Monday, January 2, and five days later, as in recent years, preparations will continue in Belek, Turkey. The team is scheduled to play three matches during the training camp. They will arrive home on January 18, and the league rehearsal match against two second-tier teams, PMFC and Kozármisleny, will be played three days later – all on the same day. The fall season was full of injuries. Bence Lenzsér, for example, is not expected to play in the spring.

The team's preparation schedule
January 11:Paksi FC–Jagiellonia Białystok (Poland)
January 14:Paksi FC–FK Vojvodina (Serbia)
January 17.:Paksi FC–RFC Union Luxembourg (Luxembourg)
January 21.:PMFC–Paksi FC and Kozármisleny–Paksi FC

 

PUSKÁS AKADÉMIA – Training camp in a familiar setting

It is not the first and probably not the last time that the Felcsút team will spend the winter preparation in the south of Spain: Csaba Spandler and his team will leave on Sunday, January 8, to then return home a week before the start of the league. The squad will meet for the first time on Tuesday, January 3, undergo the usual medical examination and various tests, and then train at home until the training camp in Spain. The club has not yet announced the arrival of any new player. However, the Swedish press reports that Norrköping's 26-year-old winger Jonathan Levi may continue his career at the Puskás Akadémia.

The team's preparation program is not yet known.

 

ÚJPEST FC – Turkish, Polish, and Serbian opponents

The Újpest team will have a training camp in Antalya, Turkey, between January 4 and 14. The squad coached by MilošKruščić will play three international preparation matches and will then continue their work in Újpest. The Purple and Whites are in tenth place in the league table, and only thanks to their better goal difference are they ahead of the already relegated Bp. Honvéd – the two teams continue the league against each other on January 29 at the Szusza Ferenc Stadium. As for the squad, Serbian Miroslav Bjeloš has leftMegyeri út, but they are clearly in need of reinforcement, and not just with new signings. The club is eagerly awaiting the return of Yohan Croizet - the French winger is undergoing rehabilitation after tearing a knee ligament and is expected to play his first competitive match at the end of February or beginning of March

The team's preparation schedule
January 6:Újpest FC–Sakaryaspor (Turkey)
January 10:Újpest FC–Śląsk Wrocław (Poland)
January 13:Újpest FC–Spartak Subotica (Serbia)

VASAS FC – Half a dozen training matches scheduled

The Angyalföld team resumed training on January 2 and will leave for a training camp on January 7, preparing in Turkey until the 18^th. For the time being, the NB I champions have signed János Hegedűs, the defender from Diósgyőr. There were some injuries in the squad: Máté Vida tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left leg during a training session - the midfielder has already undergone surgery and will not play this season, then Filip Holender, who scored five league goals in the fall, had a thigh problem, Róbert Feczesin suffered a knee injury while and Erik Silye had a calf problem. Midfielder Máté Pátkai, who last played in a league match on October 1, has recovered and joined his teammates. Proof that the Pest side is not bored in their preparations is the fact that the club has booked six training matches, five of which will be played in Turkey and one at home.

The team's preparation schedule
January 10:Vasas–Neftchi Baku (Azerbaijan)
January 14:Vasas–FK Novi Pazar (Serbia)
January 14:Vasas–České Budějovice (Czech Republic)
January 17:Vasas–Austria Wien (Austria)
January 17:Vasas–FC Baník Ostrava (Czech Republic)
January 21:Vasas–Gyirmót FC Győr

 

ZTE FC –     The team stays on home grounds

The preparation program of ZTE is underway. The first training session of the squad will be held on January 3 under the guidance of head coach Ricardo Moniz, who has served his ban period. Also, it has been decided that this time they will not go to a training camp. Unless the weather interferes, the conditions in Zalaegerszeg are suitable. The shortest preparation period will be for the Egerszeg team and Ferencváros, as the two teams will make up for the postponed fall league match on January 24. The first friendly match is scheduled to be played on January 10, when the previously selected players are expected to prove their worthiness for the contract offered by the club. Otherwise, no major changes are expected in the squad, but if the increasingly goal-hungry Eduvie Ikoba is sold, a striker with goalscoring ability is likely to replace him. However, it is clear that replacing the American with ten goals this fall would be no easy task.

The team's preparation schedule
January 10:ZTE–Hartberg (Austria)
January 13:ZTE–Gyirmót FC Győr
January 17:ZTE–Rózsahegy (Slovakia)