Hungary (HUN) and Portugal (POR) will kick off the proceedings in the Euro 2020 group of death. The Cristiano Ronaldo-led side will be hoping to begin their title defence with a victory against a team with whom they played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in the group stage of the 2016 edition. Hungary will be hoping to cause mayhem in a group which also includes France and Germany.
Ronaldo, who will be appearing in his fifth Euros, is the player to watch out for in the Portugal line-up. He scored 11 goals in the qualifiers, and the presence of Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva in midfield could help the 36-year-old find the net against Hungary. Meanwhile, defender Ruben Dias is another player in the spotlight. He has won the English Premier League title and reached the UEFA Champions League final with Manchester City this season.
RB Leipzig’s first-choice goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi and centre-back Willi Orban are two key figures at the Hungary backline. Skipper Adam Szalai, who scored a goal in the 2016 edition, is the most experienced player upfront. Roland Sallai, who scored eight times and grabbed six assists in Bundesliga this season, joins him in the attacking department. The 24-year-old would be keen to showcase his talent at the continental competition.
Recent Form (last five matches)
HUN: D (0-0 vs Ireland), W (1-0 vs Cyprus), W (1-4 vs Andorra), W (0-3 vs San Marino), D (3-3 vs Poland)
POR: W (4-0 vs Israel), D (0-0 vs Spain), W (1-3 vs Luxembourg), D (2-2 vs Serbia) W (1-0 vs Azerbaijan)
Head-to-Head
Played: 13
HUN won: 0
POR won: 9
Drawn: 4
Stats & Facts
- C Ronaldo (FOR) scored four goals and three assists in five matches against Hungary
- D Jota (FOR) scored three goals in his last four appearances for Portugal
- A Schafer (MID) netted the winning goal in Hungary’s 1-0 win over Cyprus
- A Szalai (FOR) has two goals and an assist in his last four appearances for Hungary
- R Guerreiro (DEF) made 10 assists in the 2020-21 Bundesliga season
Injuries/Suspensions
HUN: none
POR: none
Playing 11
HUN (possible): P Gulacsi; A Fiola, V T Orban, Attila S; G Lovrencsics, Laszlo K, Adam N, Andras S, F Holender; R Sallai, A Szalai
POR (possible): R Patricio; N C Semedo, R Dias S, Pepe, R Guerreiro; D Pereira, W S Carvalho, B M Fernandes; B M Silva, C Ronaldo, D Jota
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Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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