FK Csíkszereda’s 2026/27 SuperLiga campaign begins on Monday. Our opponents in the opening match of our second top-flight season will be Corvinul Hunedoara, who have returned to the highest level after a 34-year absence. We enter this new challenge with a new head coach, a partially reshaped squad and a clear objective.

FK Csíkszereda’s 2026/27 Superliga campaign begins on Monday. Our opponents in the opening match of our second top-flight season will be Corvinul Hunedoara, who have returned to the highest level after a 34-year absence. We enter this new challenge with a new head coach, a partially reshaped squad and a clear objective: to secure our place among the country’s best teams and, if that goal appears to have been achieved in good time, to set ourselves new targets.

FK Csíkszereda’s Superliga squad set off for Arad on Sunday, heading to the venue of Monday’s season opener. Although Corvinul are the designated home side, the match will not be played in Hunedoara. A new arena is being built on the site of the historic club’s stadium, so Corvinul will play their home fixtures this season – at least for the time being – at the Francisc Neuman Stadium in Arad, which meets the requirements of the Romanian top flight.

Five weeks of preparation, 42 training sessions by the end of Saturday, as well as gym work, video analysis and tactical meetings – the fruits of that hard work may now begin to show. The friendly matches provided opportunities for the partially reshaped squad to develop an understanding, for the new arrivals to settle in and for the players to become increasingly familiar with István Szabó’s footballing ideas. The real test of the new system will come under competitive conditions on Monday.

“I believe we are on the right track, although I would not have minded having another week or two, because it takes time to absorb a new approach and a new system. I am not complaining, however, because these five weeks have still been very productive. We have worked hard, and not only physically: we have carried out video analysis and repeatedly returned to our basic principles. I am very pleased with the players, they are receptive to the new ideas, and now we are looking forward to the league match,” our head coach said as he briefly assessed the preparation period at the season’s first pre-match press conference.

According to István Szabó, the team have already moved closer to developing the recognisable identity he wants to establish in the longer term. Its current foundations are a solid defence and quick transitions from the back, although the team’s approach will also be adapted to the opposition and the circumstances of each match. There is, however, one thing on which the team cannot compromise.

“The people of Miercurea Ciuc can expect, as an absolute minimum, that the team will always give 110 per cent, play with total commitment and leave their hearts and souls on the pitch. We must add the tactical elements that will make our football recognisable in the longer term. We can only achieve this together: everything is difficult alone, but together nothing is impossible,” the head coach said.

Szabó is not expecting an easy opening match. Corvinul have returned to the highest level of Romanian football after 34 years, while the team have been developed by the same head coach, Florin Maxim, for several seasons. In recent years, the Hunedoara side have demonstrated their strength not only in the second tier: they have also lifted the Romanian Cup and subsequently made their presence felt in European competition. The momentum of promotion, the cohesion within the squad and their determination to prove themselves could all make Monday’s opponents particularly dangerous.

“They are a stable team who have worked with the same coach for four or five years, so they have a well-established club philosophy. It will be a very difficult match because there are no easy fixtures in this league. I expect a close and intense contest in which small details could decide the outcome, and I strongly believe those details will tip the balance in our favour,” Szabó said as he looked ahead to the match.

Szilárd Veres also experienced the importance of those small details during FK’s first SuperLiga campaign. Our midfielder believes the top-flight experience gained over the past year could provide an advantage that the team must begin using from Monday’s opening match.

“I am delighted that another first-division season is about to begin. Both the team and I had a great deal to learn from last season, and we saw that most matches are decided by small details. We must start games with much greater concentration and pay closer attention so that we can turn those situations in our favour,” Veres emphasised. He added that the valuable friendly matches against strong opponents had helped the established players and new arrivals develop an understanding.

Eduard Pap wants to raise the bar even higher. Our goalkeeper believes that, having achieved last season’s objective of remaining in the top flight, the team must now be prepared to take on greater challenges. At the same time, he is looking no further ahead than the next match: the first task is to show in Arad what all the work carried out during pre-season is worth.

“I believe our expectations should be higher this year and that we should have an even better season, although the campaign we have just completed was already a very good one. We must take things step by step and one match at a time. A very difficult game awaits us against an awkward newly promoted side, but we must do everything in our power to collect the three points,” our goalkeeper said.

Edi also made no secret of his personal ambition. “I am coming off a very good season and I feel excellent both physically and mentally. I want to perform even better this year and, when we take stock at the end of the campaign, my personal aim is to be among the three best goalkeepers in Romania again, just as I was last season. The most important lesson from last year is that we are capable of winning every match. We must respect all our opponents, but we must not be afraid of any of them,” Eduard Pap stressed.

Everyone at the club nevertheless remains realistic about the season’s objective. “Our clear objective at present is to secure our SuperLiga status. If we manage to achieve that, we will set ourselves new targets, but with the current team and in the present circumstances, it is clear to everyone that our first task is to make certain we retain our place in the top flight,” István Szabó concluded.

The proof, however, will come on the pitch: the first verdict on the five weeks of work, the new footballing philosophy and the strength of the reshaped squad will be delivered under competitive conditions. Nothing would mark a better start than drawing on the top-flight experience gained last season and beginning our journey towards even greater challenges with an away victory.

The match between Corvinul Hunedoara and FK Csíkszereda will kick off at 6.30pm on Monday, 20 July, at the Francisc Neuman Stadium in Arad. The game will be broadcast by Digi Sport 1 and Prima Sport 1, while we also plan to provide live Hungarian-language radio commentary from the stadium on FK Csíkszereda’s Facebook page.

Come on FK, come on Szereda, come on Szeklerland!

Rédai Attila