Viktoria Plzeň traveled to Budapest for their UEFA Europa League match against Ferencváros without forward Prince Adu, leaving the 23-year-old in the Czech Republic after a disciplinary dispute, Eurofotbal reported. The club sidelined the Ghanaian striker following an incident after their weekend league fixture against Mladá Boleslav, where he reportedly refused to participate in mandatory post-match conditioning for unused substitutes.
Instead of joining teammates for the recovery drills, Adu walked straight to the dressing room without permission. Reports from Czech outlets inFotbal.cz and iSport.cz noted that the coaching staff and club management reached a breaking point regarding his training discipline, leading to his immediate removal from the first-team squad and a demotion to the reserve team. Fourth goalkeeper Marián Tvrdoň also stayed home from the trip to the Hungarian capital.
Squad Exclusion and Radoslav Kováč Response
Head coach Radoslav Kováč addressed the omission during the pre-match press conference ahead of the European fixture at Groupama Arena. “He is not in the nomination, it’s the coach’s decision,” Kováč stated when asked about Adu’s absence. “I don’t want to discuss it further, we traveled without him and we are concentrating on the match.” Kováč also praised the performance Ferencváros delivered in their opening main-stage match in Glasgow against Celtic.
SQUAD LIST 👥Do Budapešti vyrážíme v tomto složení 🇭🇺 pic.twitter.com/HZdZdawI4g
While official club channels announced the traveling roster on social media without elaboration, local reporting indicated Adu could remain with the B-team until the winter break. The forward had previously been utilized as a dangerous attacking option on the European stage, but lingering frustrations over his work ethic culminated in the sanction.
Defensive and Attacking Adjustments in Budapest
Viktoria Plzeň arrives in the Hungarian capital looking to recover from a difficult start to the league phase, having dropped their opening home match 3–0 to Royale Union SG. However, the squad received several personnel boosts ahead of the fixture. Thirty-four-year-old forward Matěj Vydra returned to the travelling party after recovering rapidly from a September knee surgery, with assistant coach David Mikula welcoming his availability. Kováč noted that the team captain could be ready to play for 10 to 20 minutes.
Goalkeeper Florian Wiegele also made the trip after missing the weekend domestic fixture due to a viral illness, alongside defender Merchas Doski, who had withdrawn from the starting lineup during the pre-match warm-up against Mladá Boleslav. Defender Adam Gabriel, experiencing his first European away trip with the West Bohemian club, emphasized the squad’s readiness for the hostile atmosphere expected at Ferencváros, a side Plzeň faced three times across the previous year and a half in continental competition. Meanwhile, club chairman and CEO Adolf Šádek encountered ice hockey player Jakub Lev at the airport shortly before the flight.
Match Preparation and Historical Context
The fixture marks the fourth meeting between Viktoria Plzeň and Ferencváros in the last 18 months. Last season’s corresponding match in Budapest ended in a 1–1 draw after Plzeň conceded a late equalizer against ten men. Ferencváros enters the contest following a 3–1 away victory against Celtic, adding urgency to Plzeň’s quest for their first points of the tournament phase. Plzeň vystřídala dva další trenéry, když po Miroslavu Koubkovi přišel Martin Hyský, jehož na konci léta vystřídal Radoslav Kováč.
Kováč’s side prepared with an evening training session on the pitch at Groupama Arena ahead of the scheduled kickoff. The coaching staff indicated they would rely on the core of players who secured a dominant 3–0 win over Mladá Boleslav in domestic league play to steady their European campaign. Plzeň may also face former Czech league players, including Cadu—who played for Plzeň between 2022 and 2025—and former Sparta Prague star Veljko Birmančevič. “Známe ho velmi dobře ze Sparty,” Kováč said of Birmančevič.
