Hungary Vs Switzerland: Not Superior Ready To Prove Yourself

Dominik Szoboszlai, Hungarian creative midfielder 23 years old (photo: x @AnfieldEdition)

JAKARTA - The opening match of Group A Euro 2024 will bring together Hungary and Switzerland on Saturday, June 15, 2024, at 20:00 at RheinEnergie Stadium, Cologne. These two teams have an important mission to prove themselves after undergoing a period of very contrast in their performance. This match will be led by referee Slavko fire and broadcast by K-Vision.

Hungary has shown outstanding performances with unbeaten records for 20 months until last week. Marco Rossi's team is known for their free-flowing attacking football style, which has provided a lot of joy for their fans. Their impressive achievements include victories at home to opponents like England and Germany.

Dominik Szoboszlai, a 23-year-old creative midfielder, will be the youngest captain in the 2024 European Cup. After missing Euro 2020 due to injury, Szoboszlai is very determined to bring Hungary to a better result this time.

"We want to go as far as possible... the team's cohesiveness is very good, everyone has to enter this tournament without a burden," said Szoboszlai. "If we have the right attitude, we can achieve something great."

In their last match, Hungary showed impressive performance by beating Israel 3-0, Kosovo 2-0, Turkey 1-0, and Montenegro 3-1. However, they lost the doubtful Loic Nego due to a muscle injury.

On the other hand, Switzerland entered this tournament with less convincing performance. They finished second in an easy qualifying group, winning only one of their last eight games. The team often wasted last-minute advantages in several matches, including against Romania, Kosovo, and Israel.

However, Switzerland has several key players who are ready to have a big impact. Goalkeeper Yann Sommer and defender Manuel Akanji have just won the league title with Inter Milan and Manchester City. Granit Xhaka captain, who demonstrated outstanding performance with Bayer Leverkusen, is ready to lead the team with new calm and confidence.

"Everyone is very excited. The spirit of the team is very good. We are all ready and can't wait," said defender Silvan Widmer. "This is a real unit again, hungry and looking to give our best."

Switzerland also had to address several injury problems, with the doubtful Breel Embolo appearing due to hamstring injuries and Denis Zakaria who suffered a thigh injury. In the last match, Switzerland drew 1-1 against Austria, winning 4-0 over Estonia, winning 1-0 against Ireland, and a 0-0 draw against Denmark. They also lost 1-0 to Romania.

Apart from Hungary and Switzerland, Group A is also filled by Scotland and host Germany. With varying performances from each team, the competition in this group is predicted to be very tight.

This opening match will be an opportunity for Hungary to show that they are a power to be reckoned with, while Switzerland will try to prove that they can still compete at the highest level. With the spirit and determination of both teams, this match promises a exciting battle at the start of Euro 2024.

Hungary wanted to start Group A Euro 2024 with a win, but they will face a Swiss team that has won six of the last nine meetings between the two countries. Saturday's meeting will be the second time Hungary and Switzerland have met in a major tournament, where Hungary won their previous 2-0 meeting at the 1938 World Cup. Switzerland later won their last two international meetings, scoring eight goals in the process.

Switzerland, ranked 19th in the world by FIFA, is undergoing a challenging Euro 2024 qualifier and must fight for four wins and five draws from 10 matches to finish second in their group behind Romania. Despite this inconclusive campaign, Switzerland has been in four unbeaten matches since the start of this year, helping manager Murat Yakin remains in his post.

In preparation for Euro 2024, Switzerland beat Estonia 4-0 in their first warm-up match, four days before a 1-1 draw with Austria last weekend, with Christoph Baumgartner's first goal being met by Silvan Widmer. The pressure was on Yakin to take Switzerland to the knockout round and follow in the footsteps of his predecessors, as Switzerland had advanced from the group stage in the last five European Cups, and reached the quarter-finals at Euro 2020.

This match is expected to be a fierce battle between two teams who want to start the tournament with a positive note. Hungary with their optimism and impressive performance, will face Switzerland who are determined to return to find their best form in a major tournament.

Hungary : Gulacsi; Lang, Orban, Szalai; Nego, A. Nagy, Schafer, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Sallai; Vargas

Switzerland : Sommer; Schar, Akanji, Rodriguez; Widmer, Freuler, Xhaka, Ndoye; Shaqiri, Vargas; Amdouni