Monday evening’s clash is more than just the derby of the bottom teams: the winner can kick-start their climb out of the relegation zone by claiming their first victory in the Superliga.

Monday evening’s clash is more than just the derby of the bottom teams: the winner can kick-start their climb out of the relegation zone by claiming their first victory in the Superliga.

An old acquaintance, Metaloglobus Bucharest, are coming to Miercurea Ciuc. We meet them for the first time in the Superliga, but before that we were rivals for four seasons in Liga 2, and eventually made the step up together into the top flight of Romanian football.

The head-to-head record favours FK: out of 11 matches, Csíkszereda won 6, Metaloglobus triumphed 3 times, and 2 games ended in a draw. The overall goal difference is 18–12 in our favour.

There are also milestones linked to matches against Metaloglobus: FK Csíkszereda’s first ever Liga 2 win came against them, in round 2 of the 2019–2020 season. It was also our first home game in the second tier, which we won 3–0, with László Hodgyai scoring our first Liga 2 goal. Unforgettable too was last year’s play-off victory in Clinceni, when Alexander Torvund’s 88th-minute strike sealed, as it later turned out, our promotion to the Superliga.

Metaloglobus were founded in 1923 as the team of the factory of the same name, but for a long time played only in the lower leagues. They reached Liga 2 in 2017, and this season they are in the Superliga. Like us, their goal is survival. That is why this encounter carries such weight: as debutants, both teams are at the bottom of the table – we are second from bottom with 3 points, our visitors last with 2 points – although we have a game in hand. The situation is far from hopeless: with a win against Metaloglobus we would catch up with Petrolul (6 points), who lost to Slobozia this round, while FCSB are also within reach on 7 points, after drawing with us in the previous round and losing 3–1 at Botoșani on Friday.

Another reason for optimism is that we picked up points in each of our last two league games, and head coach Róbert Ilyés believes we have overcome the rough patch: “We showed progress in our play in the last two games, we are more solid defensively as well. We are on the right track, and we know Metaloglobus well, having played many matches against them in Liga 2. But this will be a completely different match, we are prepared for them, but we don’t forget that they are in the top division too, and their team is also an awkward opponent.”

At the pre-match press conference, Soufiane Jebari and Szabolcs Dusinszki, who missed a huge chance late in the game against FCSB, were present. You can find out what our young midfielder, returning home after four years, experienced in that match by clicking on the video.

Tickets are still available for Monday’s 18:00 kick-off, with the ticket office opening at 16:00. And although this time a top team will not be visiting the municipal stadium, the match is crucial for our hopes of staying in the Superliga. Therefore, if at all possible, even more support and encouragement will help our boys achieve our shared goal.

Rédai Attila
Photo: Pál Zoltán