On Sunday, the European Championship will continue with the quarterfinal matches, and we will preview three more intriguing encounters. In the last match of the day, the surprising winners of Group F, Hungary, will face Belgium, who finished second in Group E. The preview of these matches is brought to you by "Eurofootball.com."
Match time and venue:
June 26th at 22:00, at "Stadium Municipal" stadium. The match will be broadcasted live on LRT channel.
Teams' path in the tournament:
Hungary won their first match 2-0 against Austria, then drew 1-1 against Iceland and 3-3 against Portugal. 5 points were enough for Hungary to finish first in Group F.
Belgium started the European Championship with a defeat of 0-2 against Italy. Later, they secured two victories - 3-0 against Ireland and 1-0 against Sweden, but had to settle for the second position in the group.
Team news:
In the Hungarian team, two players have health issues. Forward Daniel Bode did not train with the team last week, so there are doubts about his participation in today's match. Meanwhile, defender Attila Fiola will definitely not feature against Belgium.
Team news for Belgium is more positive: both Mousa Dembele and Yannick Carrasco, who were recovering from minor injuries, will be ready for Sunday's match.
Coaches' comments:
Bernd Storck (Hungary): "We are very happy to be among the 16 strongest teams, and I think we deserve it. We have played good football and improved our game. However, now we face a match against a national team ranked second by FIFA and playing excellently. We need to focus on our strengths, be strong in defense, and take our chances when they come."
Mark Wilmots (Belgium): "Our goal is to go as far as we can. I don't mind being called favorites. We need to have more possession, dominate, and create chances in the opponents' half. We need to control the ball and cause them trouble. Hungary will fight until the end."
Players to watch:
Hungary: Adam Nagy
Belgium: Kevin De Bruyne
Predicted lineups:
Hungary: Kiraly; Kadar, Guzmics, Juhasz, Lang; Nagy, Gera; Lovrencsics, Kleinheisler, Dzsudzsak, Szalai.
Belgium: Courtois; Meunier, Alderweireld, Vermaelen, Vertonghen; Witsel, Nainggolan; Carrasco, De Bruyne, Hazard; Lukaku.
What the experts predict:
Reymund Tomayo ("Yibada"): "Belgium should win against Hungary with a score of 3-2."
Paul Merson ("Sky Sports"): "Belgium will advance to the next stage with a 2-1 victory over Hungary."
Nathan John ("Outside 90"): "Belgium is the clear favorite and will win 2-1 against Hungary."
Interesting facts:
Hungary has not beaten Belgium in their last eight encounters, and in four of them, they had to leave the field defeated;
In the history of their matches, Hungary and Belgium have never ended a game with a 0-0 score;
Together with Wales, Hungary was the highest-scoring team in the group stage, scoring six goals. Half of these goals were scored from outside the penalty area;
Zoltan Gera, who scored against Portugal, became the second-oldest player to score a goal in the European Championship.
Sunday's match schedule:
16:00 France - Ireland
19:00 Germany - Slovakia
22:00 Hungary - Belgium
