Borbély Balázs: master strategist or traitor? How will Győr receive the Ferencváros coach on his return?

Balázs Borbély returns to Győr as Ferencváros coach, with his summer move to the Budapest club likely to dominate the buildup to the match. The headline question in Győr is blunt: will supporters see him as the architect of success or as someone who abandoned the club?

The overall comparison currently favors Ferencváros. Under Borbély, the capital club went unbeaten through qualifying and reached the Europa League league phase. ETO, by contrast, did not even make it into the Conference League under Antonio Muñoz Juárez.

Borbély has said that the Hungarian top flight is now Ferencváros’ main focus. That also explains why the club initially placed greater emphasis on its European campaign than on the opening rounds of the domestic season. Ferencváros already showed its strength against league leaders Puskás Akadémia in its previous match, after securing its place in the Europa League league phase.

Now Borbély can show his former club that it would be a mistake to underestimate his role in ETO’s success last season. The coach, however, did not present the return as a special source of motivation. “I expect the same kind of match as any other. We have one more day to prepare than we did against Puskás Akadémia. We will prepare and do everything for success,” he said.

There are certain to be people at ETO who still feel resentment. Borbély correctly anticipated that the club would lose key players during the summer, but Ferencváros also reshaped its squad. The new coach nevertheless quickly identified what he could get from his players. Corbu, Kristoffer Zachariassen and Callum O’Dowda have clearly shown more of their abilities than they did under Borbély’s predecessor, Robbie Keane, while the use of Olivér Nagy has also proved an excellent decision. For Juárez, the match offers an opportunity to answer Borbély on the pitch.

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I expect the same kind of match as any other. We have one more day to prepare than we did against Puskás Akadémia. We will prepare and do everything for success.