Hungary is considered a surprise contender for many at Euro 2024 after topping their qualifying group without a single defeat, edging out Serbia.
Although they suffered a surprising 2-1 loss to the Republic of Ireland in a friendly match in Dublin, Marco Rossi's team quickly recovered with a convincing 3-0 victory over Israel last Saturday.
They are entering the tournament in a strong position and are expected to outperform Switzerland, who played to a 1-1 draw against Austria in their final warm-up game for the Euros.
Team news
It is anticipated that Rossi will choose Peter Gulacsi as the goalkeeper over Denes Dibusz, with Dominik Szoboszlai leading the Hungarian team as captain from the midfield.
Loic Nego and Callum Styles have had limited training leading up to the competition and are uncertain for the Group A opener.
Switzerland may be without forward Breel Embolo and midfielder Steven Zuber, leading Zeki Amdouni to likely spearhead the attack. Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri are set to feature in the midfield.
The statistics
Since June 2023, Hungary has participated in 12 matches, winning seven, drawing four, and losing only one.
Switzerland has drawn seven of their last 11 games.
According to FIFA's rankings, Switzerland is placed 19th, while Hungary is at the 26th spot.
In the history of their encounters, Hungary has won 30 out of the 46 matches against Switzerland, with Switzerland securing 11 victories and five draws.
Prediction
Having left behind the disappointment of missing out on the 2022 World Cup qualification, Hungary has displayed excellent form in the past year leading up to the Euros.
Drawn in Group A alongside hosts Germany, Scotland, and Switzerland, the Hungarian team is confident of securing at least the second spot and is expected to start strong with a victory in their opening game.
Switzerland, appearing in their third consecutive Euros with a track record of progressing to the knockout stages, should not be underestimated. However, their tendency to draw more matches than win them could give Hungary the edge, especially with key players like Szoboszlai, Roland Sallai, Milos Kerkez, and Barnabas Varga in their squad.