In the second round of the 2025/26 PKO BP Ekstraklasa season, Korona Kielce will face Legia Warsaw, just like last year. This will be the start of the season for the Warsaw team after their match against Piast Gliwice was postponed.
Korona Kielce has already played its first match – unfortunately, it started the season with a false start – and will be looking to capitalize on the fact that Legia Warsaw just played an intense match against Banik Ostrava on Thursday, which could impact their freshness. These two teams have a lot of history – both historical and emotional. Korona has faced Legia many times, a team with a "bit of fire," capable of giving the favorites a hard time, especially at home. This year, Korona Kielce has lost only one home match – against Radomiak Radom in the Holy War – so fans of the Golden-Blooded are very hopeful that this streak will continue. This is evident from the packed stadium, which has been regularly filled by loyal fans since the end of last season.
The match, however, doesn't promise to be easy, as despite the lack of numerous transfers, a very solid and well-organized team is coming to Kielce. Moreover, Legia has championship ambitions, and the new coach has clearly declared his intention to strive for the highest goals. After the last match against Wisła Płock, Korona will be missing several players: Nono and Budnicki will be sidelined, Wiktor Długosz will still be serving a suspension for a red card from the end of last season, and new signing Viktor Popov is still battling an injury and will be unavailable for another eight weeks.
Legia Warsaw certainly won't miss this match. It's a perfect opportunity for the visiting team's new coach to start the league season on a high note. They've had their own tough times against Korona, even though they've come out on top more often in recent seasons. Recent matches between the teams have usually ended in Legia's favor. Despite an away draw last season, the Warsaw side secured a perfect score in Kielce in the same round. Previous results include a 3-3 draw and a 3-2 Legia win, which only adds to the spice of this rivalry.
Can Jacek Zieliński assemble a strong lineup for the capital team and overcome their unfavorable record in these close matches? We'll find out on Sunday. Despite everything, Legia Warsaw is the favorite in this match, but Korona Kielce must do everything they can to stop the Military Team—and show that no one has it easy in Kielce.