The two great rivals will clash again on Saturday at 16 hours. Round 10 of the Hungarian League will see the big meeting between the two undefeated teams. Their match is the second in line of epic battles in Europe only preceeded by Kiel vs Flensurg. The rivalry between the two giants has been going on for 32 years and these teams have been the finalists in the Hungarian League for the last 13 years.
Fans are looking forward to the bout in Szeged with great expectations. After their unsuccessful CL qualifying matches against Metalurg, this battle against Veszprém will be the first real test of strength for Juan Carlos Pastor’s team. The world champion coach has had a difficult time, he had to integrate 4 new players (Ilyés, Mindegia, Parrondo, Vranjes) and he’s been trying to introduce his game system in Szeged but this definately needs time. The real question is whether Pick’s current form will be enough against Veszprém’s star-studded team.
The Mister is highly excited about the match. According to an interview in the local newspaper he hasn’t been part of such a big duel for one and a half years. He sees the players’ determination, their intentions to prove themselves to the Szeged spectators. However he doesn’t want this match to be the most imporant one just yet since there will be several important battles in the second part of the season too.
Veszprém are confidently leading their CL group and they still have their eyes on the Final4, which they have a good chance of reaching, having been strengthened with Ilic and Ruesga. They are also expected to win the Hungarian League this season, but the greatest motivation is surely their heavy defeat in Szeged a year ago, which they clearly want to correct.
We are expecting a high-voltage match. All tickets have been sold in advance so the fantastic atmosphere will definately be guaranteed by the nearly 4000 Szeged and 200 visiting Veszprém supporters. Veszprém are the favourites to win but if Szeged players show maximum concentration and utilize the cunning tactical skills of coach Pastor they can cause an upset and defeat their biggest domestic rival yet again.
Text: Gábor Várkonyi, Péter Butty
Photo: www.molcsapat.hu
