UEFA EURO 2024 Group Stage
15 June, 2024 - Indian Date
RheinEnergieStadion
MATCH TIMES
India
06:30 PM
UAE
05:00 PM
Saudi Arabia
04:00 PM
MATCH LIVE INFO
Switzerland possible starting lineup: Sommer; Schar, Akanji, Rodriguez; Widmer, Freuler, Xhaka, Ndoye; Shaqiri, Vargas; Amdouni
Hungary possible starting lineup: Gulacsi; Lang, Orban, Szalai; Nego, A. Nagy, Schafer, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Sallai; Vargas
Match Preview
Hungary and Switzerland will open their Euro 2024 campaigns with a Group A match at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne on Saturday afternoon. This group also includes Scotland and hosts Germany, who play the tournament opener in Munich on Friday night.
Hungary, under Marco Rossi, are seen as potential dark horses for this tournament, having only lost one of their last 14 matches since the start of 2023. They topped their Euro 2024 qualifying group for the first time, with five wins and three draws. Ranked 26th by FIFA, Hungary are appearing in their third consecutive European Championship. Their recent 3-0 victory over Israel in a warm-up match, featuring goals from Roland Sallai and Barnabas Varga, provides a boost despite a prior 2-1 friendly loss to the Republic of Ireland.
Hungary's lineup is likely to feature a 3-4-2-1 formation with key players like captain Dominik Szoboszlai, who is fit after a minor hamstring issue, and Roland Sallai, who is set to earn his 50th cap. The defense will be anchored by Adam Lang, Willi Orban, and Attila Szalai, with Peter Gulacsi in goal. Loic Nego and Milos Kerkez will play as wing-backs, with Adam Nagy and Andras Schafer in midfield. Barnabas Varga, who scored 29 goals for Ferencvaros last season, will lead the attack.
Switzerland, ranked 19th by FIFA, had a challenging qualification but secured their spot with four wins and five draws from 10 matches, finishing second in their group. Manager Murat Yakin, under pressure last year, has stabilized the team with a four-game unbeaten run in 2024. In preparation for Euro 2024, Switzerland beat Estonia 4-0 and drew 1-1 with Austria.
For their lineup, captain Granit Xhaka, Manuel Akanji, and Xherdan Shaqiri are expected to start. Monaco duo Breel Embolo and Denis Zakaria have recovered from injuries and could feature. Steven Zuber is doubtful with a calf injury. Burnley striker Zeki Amdouni, with seven goals in 15 international appearances, is likely to lead the attack.
The historical head-to-head record favors Switzerland, who have won six of the last nine meetings. However, Hungary won their only major tournament encounter, 2-0 at the 1938 World Cup. Switzerland won their last two meetings, scoring eight goals in the process. The match promises to be an intriguing start to Group A, with both teams aiming for a strong start in Euro 2024.