Plzeň coach Kovač speaks Hungarian before Ferencváros match

Viktoria Plzeň coach Kovač ended the pre-match press conference in Budapest with a phrase in Hungarian: “Holnap találkozunk”, meaning “see you tomorrow”. He did not manage without the interpreter’s help: he whispered the words to her and then read them aloud. The Hungarian journalists responded with applause, although the main subject of the conversation was, of course, tomorrow’s match against Ferencváros.

Striker Prince Adu was not taken to Budapest. According to the coach, it was his decision, which he did not want to discuss in detail: “We are focused on the match.” Captain Matěj Vydra, who is recovering from an injury, did travel with the team. Kovač noted that Vydra has had few training sessions with the team, but he is ready to help for ten to twenty minutes, and they will decide during the game.

The coach did not want to reveal the starting lineup. The team spent two months looking for its best eleven, and after the 3:0 win over Mladá Boleslav there will still be small changes: “There is nothing to reveal, expect a surprise.”

Familiar faces will also take the field for the opposition: former Viktoria defender Cadu and former Sparta winger Veljko Birmančević. According to Kovač, Birmančević was well known at Sparta: he is fast and good at running in behind the defence. Cadu stands out for his excellent vision of the pitch and his attacking qualities.

Viktoria are playing Ferencváros for the fourth time since the start of 2025. “We like each other,” Kovač joked. He speaks of the Hungarians with respect and points to their 3:1 win over Celtic in the previous Europa League match: the team is strong in the transition to attack, and an excellent atmosphere awaits in the stands. In the last match in Budapest, Plzeň led for a long time but conceded in the final minute while playing with ten men, so they need to stay focused for all 95 to 100 minutes.

Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz