Our Superliga side are preparing for their third away fixture in the opening four rounds. István Szabó’s team will face Farul Constanța at the Gheorghe Hagi Stadium in Ovidiu on Saturday, with kick-off scheduled for 18:30.

Our Superliga side are preparing for their third away fixture in the opening four rounds. István Szabó’s team will face Farul Constanța at the Gheorghe Hagi Stadium in Ovidiu on Saturday, with kick-off scheduled for 18:30.

The hosts began the season with one win, one draw and one defeat. After a 2–1 away loss to Universitatea Cluj, they beat Corvinul Hunedoara 2–0 at home before earning a point away to FCSB in the previous round, having led by two goals at half-time. Our next opponents have therefore collected four points and scored five goals in three matches and occupied eighth place before the start of the round.

Our team departed Miercurea Ciuc early on Friday morning, completing the long journey to the Black Sea coast by coach and train before holding a training session later that afternoon. One positive is that István Szabó was able to oversee a full week of training this time, while no injuries disrupted the preparations. Montenegrin attacking midfielder Dušan Vuković, who also trained with the team during the Austrian camp, arrived in Miercurea Ciuc this week after administrative difficulties had been resolved. He will not yet be part of the squad for this match, but he is the only player unavailable to István Szabó for the fixture against Farul.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, our head coach said we had come close to securing our first point against FC Argeș but had failed to maintain the required level of concentration during the closing stages. Our defensive play has become more stable, but he expects considerably more from the team in attack.

“We nearly secured the point we wanted so badly, but our concentration did not last until the end. We must learn from that as well. Despite having possession, we had very few touches in the attacking third and posed almost no threat. That is a warning sign for us. We want to offer more going forward and reach dangerous areas more often while maintaining our defensive stability,” said István Szabó.

The head coach added that the coaching staff had thoroughly analysed Farul’s play and that the players knew exactly what tasks awaited them in Ovidiu.

“We have a match plan and have had enough time to prepare properly for our opponents. To put it very simply, when we have the ball, we want to attack, and when we do not have it, we want to win it back as quickly as possible. The players are also deeply affected by our current situation. I am confident that we can secure that first point or those first points, but to do so, we must now focus exclusively on the match against Farul,” our head coach stressed.

According to István Szabó, scoring the first goal could give the team confidence, although establishing stability remains his main priority.

“The team and the coaching staff still need to develop a better understanding of which formation suits us best and which players are ideal for the different roles. We have talented footballers who score goals in training, but we have not yet seen that in competitive matches. We have confidence in everyone, and I hope that when we score our first goal, it will also be accompanied by a point or points,” he said.

Alex Szabó made his first league appearance for FK Csíkszereda against FC Argeș. Our defender said he had quickly settled into his new team.

“My first impressions were very positive from the moment I arrived. Both the club staff and my team-mates gave me a warm welcome, which made it easier for me to settle in. Unfortunately, my first match ended in defeat, but I feel that the team improved in certain aspects of the game, as well as in its character and stability. We want to continue along this path,” said Alex Szabó.

He added that Farul are a strong side who play good football and that the team had used the analysis to prepare for them both individually and collectively.

According to Jozef Dolný, having scored no goals after three matches is not a favourable statistic for the forwards, but the team are working hard to change that.

“We know that the situation is not easy, but we are working well in training, and we believe we can return home with a point or points from the ground of a strong opponent and score our first goal. Every match in the Superliga is difficult, especially away from home. Farul are a strong team who play good football on their own ground, but we must believe in our work and in each other. If everyone performs at their best, we can secure our first points,” said our forward.

The Farul–FK Csíkszereda match will kick off at 18:30 on Saturday at the Gheorghe Hagi Stadium in Ovidiu. The game will be broadcast live on Digi Sport 1 and Prima Sport 1.

Attila Rédai
Photo: Zoltán Pál