New season upon us! A preview of the 2019/2020 OTP Bank Liga

Ferencváros are a much-changed side since Sergii Rebrov took over the reins last September. Due to face Dinamo Zagreb in a UEFA Champions League qualifying round three tie – further than they’ve progressed in Europe at any time in the past 15 seasons – no fewer than eleven players expected to challenge for a first-team place have joined the Green and Whites in the past six months. Former Dynamo Kyiv head coach Rebrov brought in five players last winter – Lasha Dvali, Oleh Haratin, Isael, Tokmac Nguen and Mikalay Signevich – who were all established first-team players by late spring as Fradi cantered to an impressive 30th league title. Six summer newcomers will join them in challenging for a place in Rebrov’s starting XI this season as they seek to repeat last year’s success.

Goalkeeper Dávid Gróf has arrived from Budapest Honvéd on a free transfer to provide competition for Dénes Dibusz, whilst the defence has been bolstered by the addition of Bosnian international left back Eldar Čivić from Sparta Prague. Ukrainian midfielder Danylo Ihnatenko has joined on-loan from Shakhtar Donetsk as has winger Oleksandr Zubkov, whilst Slovakian international midfielder Michal Škvarka has arrived from MŠK Žilina. Ivorian striker Frank Boli, the top scorer in the Norwegian league last season, has signed from Stabaek.

Key players have left; Uruguayan midfield dynamo Fernando Gorriarán joining Mexican outfit Santos Laguna, crowd favourite Dániel Böde re-joining Paks after scoring 131 league goals in seven seasons for Fradi and winger Ivan Petriak moving on to Fehérvár after being sold by his club Shakhtar Donetsk following a year on-loan at the Groupama Aréna.

Runners-up, cup winners and Europa league group-stagers last season, Fehérvár – most recently called Vidi – have a relatively unchanged squad and are fully expected to challenge for the title once more. Head coach Marko Nikolić has added Romanian defender Adrián Rus from Puskás Akadémia, Ukrainian winger Ivan Petriak from Shakhtar Donetsk and Nigerian forward Funsho Bamgboye from Haladás. Fringe players Krisztián Tamás and Zsombor Berecz have gone out on-loan, whilst key for Nikolić may well be how his side cope with the long-term absence of central defender Paulo Vinícius through injury.

Debrecen, third last season with András Herczeg at the helm, also have a settled squad. Most of their new faces are in attack, Serbian Nikola Trujić, Nigerians Haruna Garba and Tunde Adeniji and Cameroonian Florentin Bouoli all joining a team marshalled in midfield by veteran Dániel Tőzsér and complemented by plenty of youth.

Hungarian Cup finalists and fourth in the league last season, Budapest Honvéd are one of four clubs to have a new head coach this season. With key players Dávid Gróf, Dino Škvorc, Filip Holender, Danilo and Patrik Tischler all having moved on this summer, former Watford coach Giuseppe Sannino has brought in goalkeeper Robi Levkovich from Hapoel Tel Aviv and bolstered his defence with right back Patrick Ikenne-King from MTK on loan and Cameroonian centre-back MacDonald Niba from Canada. Federico Moretti has arrived from Albissola to stake a claim for a midfield place, as have Barna Kesztyűs and Tamás Egerszegi on loan from Paks. Up front, Amadou Moutari (Mezőkövesd) and Vladislav Kulach (on-loan from Shakhtar Donetsk) will vie for a place along with former Liverpool striker David N’Gog.

Újpest just missed out on a European place last season under the long-serving Nebojša Vignjević. His team will be seeking a return to Europe and have brought in Karol Mészáros from Haladás, Márk Koszta from Mezőkövesd and Icelandic forward Aron Bjarnason from Breidablik to offset the loss of loanee Georgi Beridze, Mijuško Bojović, Alassane Diallo, Dániel Nagy (the latter to Mezőkövesd) and uncertainty over the future of wantaway Ivorian forward Lacina Traore.

Outside of the three Budapest clubs – there have never been fewer clubs from the capital in the top division –, Fehérvár and Debrecen, there are another seven clubs from the provinces who might just as easily be pushing for a European place as they might be embroiled in a battle to avoid the drop.

Attila Kuttor’s Mezőkövesd came 6th last season but have lost defender Attila Szalai to Apollon Nicosia, as well as forwards Amadou Moutari to Honvéd, Márk Koszta to Újpest and Stefan Dražić to Changchun Yatai in China. In their places, have come Ukrainian defender Andriy Nesterov from Karpaty Lviv, Belarussian international midfielder Alyaksandr Karnitsky from Sepsi in Romania, midfielders Zsombor Berecz on loan from Fehérvár and Dániel Nagy from Újpest, whilst up front, Georgian international forward Budu Zivzivadze has arrived from Torpedo Kutaisi, as have Csanád Novák on loan from Zalaegerszeg and the Sajbán brothers – Máté and Miklós – from Budaörs.

There has been much change at the Pancho Aréna this summer. Former Slovakia defender Zsolt Hornyák is new in the Puskás Akadémia hotseat as the club seek to improve on 7th place, the former Slovan Liberec in charge of a squad which has lost goalkeeper Branislav Danilović and forwards András Radó and Bachana Arabuli. Most of the newcomers arrive from abroad. German defender Thomas Meissner has joined from Willem II, as have midfielders Yoell van Nieff from Heracles Almelo and Lóránd Fülöp from Botosani, whilst in attack, Hornyák will have forwards Australian Golgol Mebrahtu from Sparta Prague, David Vaněček from Hearts in Scotland, as well as Ezekiel Henty and Antonio Perošević who return from loan spells.

Aurél Csertői twice took Paks to fifth place finishes in his five-and-a-half years at the Fehérvári út Stadion before leaving for second division Gyirmót this summer following an 8th place finish. Replacing him is Serbian Tomislav Sivić, who briefly managed the club in 2013. The return of Dániel Böde after seven years at Ferencváros should provide much-needed firepower, Böde being joined by Fradi back-up keeper Ádám Holczer and defender Attila Osváth and midfielder Balázs Balogh, both from Puskás Akadémia. Players who have left include goalkeeper István Verpecz, defender András Vági and midfielders Barna Kesztűs and Tamás Egerszegi, both on loan to Honvéd.

Ten players have left Kisvárda, ninth last season, during the summer, but the good news for new head coach Vasile Miriuță is that star forward Gheorghe Grozav and Brazilian goalkeeper Felipe appear to be staying. Reinforcements include defender Tamás Rubus from Nyíregyháza, Romanian midfielder Claudiu Bumba from Adanaspor and forward Patrik Tischler.

Having only just avoided relegation the past three years running, Diósgyőr will be hoping for an improved showing this year. Spanish head coach Fernando Fernández has brought in former Fehérvár goalkeeper Branislav Danilović from Puskás Akadémia, Ghanian defender Joachim Adukor from FK Sarajevo, and forward Richárd Zsolnai from Vác, whilst Dániel Prosser and Bence Szabó also make loan moves permanent. Players leaving include Ivan Radoš and Richárd Vernes.

Merkantil Bank Liga champions Zalaegerszeg have been active in the transfer market this summer, signing young MTK goalkeeper Patrik Demjén, left back Krisztián Tamás on loan from Fehérvár, former Újpest and Fehérvár midfielder Nikola Mitrović. Ukrainian midfielder Oleh Holodyuk has arrived from Haladás and head coach Barna Dobos has also strengthened upfront, András Radó joining from Puskás Akadémia and Nigerian/American Eduvie Ikoba from Dartmouth College in the USA.

Newly-promoted Kaposvár have the smallest budget of all the top-flight clubs but have signed midfielders Andriy Yakyimiv and Matej Poplatnik and attackers Norbert Csiki from Budaörs and Aljoša Vojnović from Zalaegerszeg respectively in a bid to ensure they avoid the drop. Head coach Róbert Waltner will have to do without the services of veteran forward Péter Rajczi though, who has moved to III. Ker. TVE.

2019/2020 OTP Bank Liga, round 1 fixtures:

Saturday 3 August

Mezőkövesd – Zalaegerszeg

Újpest – Puskás Akadémia

Kisvárda – Paks

Sunday 4 August

Fehérvár – Kaposvár

Diósgyőr - Honvéd

Postponed

Ferencváros – Debrecen