The Municipal Stadium in Miercurea Ciuc is set to host a long-awaited encounter: FK Csíkszereda and Sepsi OSK will face each other for the first time in the top tier of Romanian football.
The Municipal Stadium in Miercurea Ciuc is set to host a long-awaited encounter: FK Csíkszereda and Sepsi OSK will face each other for the first time in the top tier of Romanian football. This is much more than an ordinary league match. Two clubs and two communities from Székelyland will come together, promising a true celebration of football both on the pitch and in the stands.
The Székely derby represents a particularly important opportunity for our team to prove themselves. The league campaign has not begun as we had hoped, with all four opening matches ending in defeat, but it is also clear that the Red and Blacks are increasingly adapting to the pace of the SuperLiga with every game. Away to Farul Constanța, the team already showed a braver and more dangerous attacking approach, with Czékus Ádám scoring twice. His performance was also recognised by the league’s governing body, the Professional Football League, which selected our forward for the Team of the Round for Matchday 4.
The side from Sfântu Gheorghe arrive in Miercurea Ciuc following a better start to the season. They have recorded one win and two draws in their opening four matches, while suffering one defeat. In the previous round, they earned a point at home against FCSB in a goalless draw.
The two senior teams have met three times in official matches. In the 2014–2015 Liga 3 season, Sepsi OSK claimed a 3–0 victory in Miercurea Ciuc, while the return fixture in Sfântu Gheorghe ended goalless. Their most recent encounter came in the group stage of the 2025–2026 Romanian Cup, once again in Miercurea Ciuc, and that match also finished without a goal. Saturday’s contest will therefore be the first top-flight meeting between the two clubs.
Szabó István: The most important thing is to regain our confidence
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, head coach Szabó István said that the attacking display against Farul had represented a step forward, but the team must eliminate the brief spells during which they concede multiple goals.
“We are not talking about a lengthy dip, but usually about ten minutes. In the opening round, the score was 0–0 for sixty minutes, before we undid all our work within ten minutes. Against Farul, following a lapse in concentration after a free kick, we again conceded twice inside ten minutes. Our opponents did not have a genuine chance in the first twenty-five minutes, which makes what happened afterwards particularly frustrating. At times like these, you need a leader on the pitch who can convey calmness and say: we have conceded a goal, that is part of football, so let us keep the ball and not start rushing. If we immediately begin chasing the result in a frantic manner, everything can easily fall apart,” the head coach explained.
He added that the team also needs to develop mentally in order to sustain its good spells throughout the full ninety minutes.
“We have to remain disciplined, because if the opposition score in the 28th minute, the match is not over. However, it becomes extremely difficult to recover from a two- or three-goal deficit. We have had good spells in almost all our matches, but so far we have been unable to sustain them until the end. We are working very hard on this, particularly from a mental perspective, because we must remain focused until the referee blows the final whistle. I am pleased that our attacking play carried far more threat against Farul and that we scored twice, but personally I would have been happier with a 0–0 draw and our first point.”
Szabó István spoke honestly about the beginning of the working week following four defeats, while stressing that he did not want to make excuses.
“The start of the week was naturally not easy. After four defeats, I do not want to avoid the issue: we also expect much more. I could say that we played three of those four matches away from home and travelled more than three thousand kilometres, but everyone has to become accustomed to that. This is our squad, this is what we work with, and I am not going to complain. We have valuable players who can be given an opportunity. I am convinced that the team will give absolutely everything this weekend, and I believe we can win at home. Another very important positive is that we currently do not have a single injured player.”
According to the head coach, pressure is a natural part of professional football, but the team can draw strength from the progress it has shown in recent weeks.
“There is always pressure on a head coach and a professional team. We are aware that we have no points, and we are not satisfied either. We produced a very poor performance in the opening round, but I have seen increasingly better football in the last three matches. Our biggest problem is the lack of concentration: during one poor ten-minute spell, we practically decide the match in our opponents’ favour. We have to remain realistic, because our objective is to secure our top-flight status, and there will be many matches in which we are not the favourites. Nevertheless, we want to defy expectations every time.”
Szabó István also feels the special significance of the fixture, although from a professional point of view his main focus remains on collecting points.
“When a coach works somewhere, he tries to understand and feel the significance of a derby like this. I am not saying that I feel exactly the same as Csürös Attila or someone who belongs to this place, but I grew up in Kecskemét, where there were two teams in the city, so I experienced many derbies. What the people feel and meeting their expectations are very important to us. Even so, we have not focused this week exclusively on the fact that this is a Székely derby, but on our desire to collect points. The team works tremendously hard for this, even if there is currently little evidence of that in the table. The most important thing now is to regain our confidence by earning one or three points. Achieving that with a home victory in a Székely derby would be the icing on the cake.”
It was also officially confirmed on Thursday that, having previously said goodbye to FK Csíkszereda, Anderson Ceará would finally continue his career with Egyptian top-flight side National Bank of Egypt SC following a lengthy period of uncertainty. He has signed a three-year contract with the club. Szabó István said the move showed the members of the squad that FK could provide a pathway to another league, while also bringing clarity to the team’s situation. “Anderson is no longer with us. Unfortunately, he was unable to produce the performances we expected from him, but we have valuable players who will now have an opportunity. Everyone knows what to expect, and it is our responsibility to achieve our objectives with the squad available to us,” the head coach said. Szabó also responded to media reports suggesting that his position had come under threat following the four defeats. He explained that it had been important for the team that club president Szondy Zoltán firmly dismissed the rumours of a managerial change and restored calm around the squad.
Czékus Ádám would have preferred a point to his goals
For Czékus Ádám, who scored twice against Farul, netting FK’s first two goals of the season provided an important boost to his confidence. Nevertheless, he also places the team’s result ahead of his personal success.
“I was delighted with the two goals. They certainly gave me some confidence, and I can build on them. Personally, however, the point the coach mentioned would have been worth much more. I would have been happier to earn a point, even with a 0–0 draw, than I was with my goals,” our forward said.
According to Czékus, the attacking performance in Ovidiu can provide a strong foundation ahead of the match against Sepsi OSK.
“We have been preparing for Saturday’s match throughout the week. In the second half against Farul, it was already clear that we attacked more and produced more crosses and combinations. We are trying to build on that, and we will do everything we can to ensure that this time it is accompanied by a positive result.”
Speaking about the heightened expectations surrounding the encounter, he said that the players must focus primarily on the tasks awaiting them on the pitch.
“I think we have to block out the pressure completely. We need to concentrate on what we do on the pitch, give everything we have and try to win every duel.”
Pászka Lóránd: A historic moment, but this match is also worth three points
For Pászka Lóránd, who hails from the Târgu Secuiesc area, the first Székely derby in the SuperLiga carries particularly personal significance. As he revealed, there is enormous interest in the match in his native region as well.
“Over the past week, at least forty people have contacted me asking whether I could get them a ticket. That also shows just how much interest there is in the match. For me, as someone from this region, it is particularly special to play in a fixture like this. We already faced Sepsi in the Cup last year, and now a historic moment awaits us, as the two teams will meet in the Romanian top flight for the first time,” Pászka emphasised.
Despite the special atmosphere surrounding the contest, the player believes that from a sporting perspective the team must prepare in exactly the same way as for any other league match.
“Regardless of everything surrounding it, this match is also worth three points. We have spoken several times this week, both among the players and with the staff, about how good it would be for all the work we have put in to finally be reflected in the points we collect. I believe this team is capable of much more than the current table suggests, and we want to prove that this weekend.”
Pászka said that despite the four defeats, the team had prepared with determination and that the objective was clear: a home victory.
“We have prepared in a good atmosphere, as much as that is possible after four defeats – there is no point denying it. Everyone has applied themselves seriously. The team has worked and continues to work tremendously hard to be successful, and we now want that to be reflected in the points we earn. I expect a fiercely contested match, because whenever we have played Sepsi, whether in a friendly or in the Cup, it has always been clear that nobody gives anything away easily. We definitely want to keep all three points at home; that can be our only objective.”
Despite the friendly relationship between the two sets of supporters, he expects a genuine competitive contest on the pitch.
“A professional player has to be able to block out the external circumstances. I have been fortunate enough to play in front of tens of thousands of people, and there are players who are particularly motivated by pressure. We know that this is a derby and a special fixture, but we have to approach it professionally and keep it in perspective. The atmosphere in the stands can be friendly and sporting, but on the pitch everyone will fight for the success of their own team.”
The FK Csíkszereda–Sepsi OSK match will take place at the Municipal Stadium in Miercurea Ciuc on Saturday, 15 August, kicking off at 6.30 p.m. Tickets are no longer available, as the entire allocation sold out within a very short time on Friday afternoon.
The match will be broadcast live on Digi Sport 1 and Prima Sport 1. Those unable to attend the sell-out fixture can also follow the first Székely derby in the SuperLiga through Radio Târgu Mureș’s live Hungarian-language commentary.
May the better team win – but above all, may Székely football be the winner!
Come on, Székelyland!
Rédai Attila
Photo: Pál Zoltán