Head-to-Head
- Paksi FC lead the all-time series with 16 wins, Puskas Akadémia 14 from 34 matches since 2013 (4 draws, 66-59 goals for).
- They only managed to edge Puskas 3-2 when the two sides met at the end of November in a game that looked a lot closer than the scoreline suggests.
- Previously, Puskas had hammered Paksi 5-0.
Cold, damp January conditions can make set pieces even more crucial while increasing the importance of physicality as these two European-chasing sides restart their NB I campaigns for the spring restart.
Puskas Akadémia (home)
- Zsolt Hornyák’s Puskas FC Academy play a more possession-based and attack-minded brand of football than most in Hungary, looking to overload the box through the full-backs and creative midfielders.
- Puskas enter Saturday’s fixture in average form, following losses to Győri ETO and Ferencváros and with notable wins earlier in the season.
- Hornyák’s side have been streaky all season and have a tendency to suffer bad games, but they are always dangerous and capable of making any opponent pay for poor game management.
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Recent stats:
- 5th in NB I after 18 games, 28 points, 8 wins, 4 draws, 6 losses.
Paksi FC (away)
- György Bognár has built a much more pragmatic, yet effective attack-minded team at Paksi FC, which plays for the ball in the box and counters quickly.
- Bognár’s men are in good form, winning 3 of their last 4 NB I matches, and they just won the Magyar Kupa in December, solidifying their place in the top three and making them a favourite for European qualification in 2025-26.
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Recent results:
- 2-1 win at Nyíregyháza.
- 2-0 road win against Kazincbarcika.
Key Players
- Dániel Lukács is Puskás’s most dangerous player, with 11 goals in the league already this season.
- Lamin Colley is a big, physical target up top, and is a threat from corners and free kicks under Hornyák’s system.
- For Paksi, János Hahn is the big man in the middle with 7 scored already, with Windecker and Papp the creative midfielders who’ve also contributed.
Betting Insights
- The clash of styles makes this game a chess match of sorts, with a victory for the team that can better control the tempo and space on the field, but the head-to-head history and form of both teams suggests that the best bet is on the Both Teams To Score market, currently at 1.48.
- The bookmakers make the hosts slight favourites, 2.26, with Paksi priced at 2.8.
Prediction
While Paksi have the form, and Puskás have the home-field advantage and more attacking firepower, we’re going for the slight underdog to avoid defeat.
