Ferencváros en route to defend the NB I crown as Hungarian elite tier returns to action

More than two months after the teams were forced out of football pitches across the country, football is set to resume in Hungary. The four Magyar Kupa semi-finalists will be the first teams to get back to stadiums on Saturday when Mezőkövesd-Zsóry play host to Fehervar, while MTK take on Honvéd in the derby of the capital. At the same time, the defending Nemzeti Bajnokság I champions Ferencváros will play the two postponed league fixtures against Debrecen and Újpest respectively. Below is the analysis. If you want to know more click here. Enjoy it!

The Green Eagles have it all in their hands

The record 30-time NB I winners are by far the main favourites to retain the crown with eight rounds left to play. They sit three points clear at the top of the standings and have a couple of games in hand on the rest of the league.

Potential wins over bottom-half Debrecen and Újpest would see Serhiy Rebrov’s men go nine points off Fehérvár in the second place.

Such a scenario would no doubts kill the drama and reveal the new champion before the other teams even get the chance to resume the following weekend.

Rebrov is doing a fantastic job on the bench

Ferencváros appointed the legendary Ukrainian forward Serhiy Rebrov as their head coach in August 2018. It proved to be a phenomenal call as the team regained the title after a three-year break last season. He is on the best way to claim the back-to-back league trophy this time around. The rock-solid defence has been the main catalyst for the team’s recent successes. Ferencváros have the strongest defensive record in the entire competition, having shipped no more than 19 goals in 23 affairs so far. The attacking line does not depend on a single man as the Green Eagles have three different players inside the top ten in the league’s goal-scoring charts. Rebrov’s compatriot Oleksandr Zubkov is the club’s top scorer with 8 goals in 20 appearances, while Franck Boli and Isael have contributed with 7 goals apiece.

Fradi have been almost impeccable on the home patch as they’ve won 9 and drawn 3 of 12 league affairs in front of their fans so far in the season.

The team conceded only five goals along the way.

Mol Fehérvár as the only serious threat

Looking at the league standings, Vidi are the only club capable of damaging Ferencváros’ ambitions in the remaining eight rounds. Nevertheless, they will have a mountain to climb to keep hunting the table-toppers given the team sit three points shy of the Green Eagles who also have two games in hand. On the other hand, they are on an 11-point distance from the 4^th-placed Puskás and only a miracle could prevent them from featuring UEFA Europa League qualifications this summer. Bosnian striker Armin Hodzic has been the standout performer thus far as he notched 9 goals in 19 appearances (the second position in the competition’s goal-scoring charts).

The relegation battle has not been more exciting in a while

Whereas the rock-bottomed Kaposvár Rákóczi can already be considered a second-division outfit, the battle for avoiding the other relegation spot will be more interesting than ever. Five teams are separated by just three points and every single goal will count when they resume to the pitch- The very maiden round after the break will be super-exciting as the bottom two sides take on each other on Friday, May 29^th. Additionally, 7^th-placed Kisvárda are set to host the 9^th-placed Újpest the day after.

Either way, it’s fantastic to see the top-flight football in Hungary resuming to action after a lengthy break.