Hungary kickstart their Euro 2024 campaign with a match against Switzerland.
Dominik Szoboszlai will become the youngest captain in the tournament’s history when he leads his side out in the Group A clash in Cologne.
Marco Rossi’s Hungary side were unbeaten in qualifying and their two victories over England in the Nations League in 2022, including a 4-0 thrashing at Molineux, showed how much of a threat they can be. After enduring a ‘group of death’ in 2020, with France, Germany and Portugal, Hungary will be looking for an improved performance.
Switzerland had an impressive performance in 2020, when they stunned France on penalties in the round of 16 before being knocked out by Spain in the quarter-finals.
Here’s everything you need to know about the clash:
When is it?
Hungary take on Switzerland on Saturday 15 June 2024, in Cologne with a kick-off time of 2pm BST.
How can I watch it?
The match will be shown live in the UK on ITV 1 and STV, with coverage starting at 1:15pm. The game can also be streamed live on ITVX. Every match at Euro 2024 is free-to-air on BBC or ITV (and STV) in the UK. You can find a full list of which channel is showing each match here.
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Team news
Steven Zuber is a major doubt after sustaining a calf injury in the friendly draw with Austria.
But Monaco pair Breel Embolo and Denis Zakaria are back in full training this week and bring further options for Murat Yakin.
Leverkusen star and former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka will hope to carry over his form after helping deliver the Bundesliga title for Xabi Alonso’s side.
Hungary captain Dominik Szoboszlai carried a slight hamstring injury into the opener after going off against Israel as a precaution. The Liverpool star will operate alongside Roland Sallai.
The 3-4-2-1 formation should see Adam Lang, Willi Orban and Attila Szalai at the back, with Peter Gulacsi between the sticks. Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez should provide a threat at wing-backs, while Barnabas Varga, who has been in prolific form for Ferencvaros this season, brings a threat in the final third.
Predicted line-ups
Switzerland XI: Sommer; Schar, Akanji, Rodriguez; Widmer, Freuler, Xhaka, Ndoye; Shaqiri, Vargas; Amdouni
Hungary XI: Gulacsi; Lang, Orban, Szalai; Nego, A. Nagy, Schafer, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Sallai; Vargas
Odds
Hungary 21/10
Draw 17/10
Switzerland 6/5
Prediction
The match will end in a draw in a typical cagey, start of tournament fashion. Hungary 1-1 Switzerland.
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