Germany takes on Hungary in the final group stage game of the Euro 2020. After a very poor start, Germany has turned the tides and hold a very realistic chance of qualifying for the next stage. Their opening day defeat to France was rather deflating but Joachim Lowe’s men did well to move on from that. They demolished Portugal 4-2 in the next game, despite going down early. Germany fielded the same team that lost to France but adjusted their game plan. Robin Gosens was far more involved in the game and put in a man of the match performance. They forced Portugal into making mistakes by constantly switching play in the final third and capitalized on Nelson Semedo’s positioning.
Die Mannschaft now sits in second place as they face the weakest side in the league – Hungary. Further good news is that France and Portugal will be facing each other which means that one or both of their competitors will drop points. The best outcome for the Germans will be a win for them against Hungary as Portugal and France play out a draw. This will see them top the group which will be an unlikely turn of events!
Hungary, on the other hand, stunned the group by holding France to a 1-1 draw. Attila Fiola ended the first half with a goal to put the Hungarians up in front of a packed stadium in Budapest. France pulled one back in the second half through Antoine Griezmann but was unable to convert it into a win. Hungary’s job in this group was to cause an upset and they have done that.
Match Facts
Game: Germany vs Hungary, Euro 20 Group F
Time: [Insert GMT Time please]
Location: Fussball Arena, Munich
Referee: Sergei Karasev (Russia)
Germany Team News
While the football Gods smiled on Germany, misfortune decided to join the party as well. Thomas Muller has been ruled out of the game against Hungary with a knee injury. The Bayern Munich man has been a key player for Die Mannschaft, not just in this tournament but for many years now. Joachim Lowe will have some dilemmas in terms of replacing him as Leroy Sane and Timo Werner can both be considered for the position.
Borussia Monchengladbach’s Jonas Hoffman, too, is out with a knee injury and will take no part in this game. Joining him on the sidelines is RB Leipzig’s Lukas Klostermann who sits this game out because of a hamstring injury. Mats Hummels has a slight niggle in his knee but is expected to shake that off before this fixture.
Predicted Lineup – Manuel Neuer; Matthias Ginter, Mats Hummels, Antonio Rudiger; Joshua Kimmich, Ilkay Gundogan, Toni Kroos, Robin Gosens; Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, Kai Havertz.
Hungary Team News
While Germany misses a key forward, Hungary has it no different. Adam Szalai had to be substituted off during their last game and given the fact that it was a head injury, he is a doubt for this fixture. Bar this, Marco Rossi’s side has a fully fit squad to choose from.
They should continue with a 3-5-2 formation as usual. Endre Botka and Attila Szalai should start on either side of RB Leipzig’s Willy Orban. Attila Fiola will keep his place in the left-wing back position after an impressive performance against France. Nemanja Nikolic should start in attack alongside Roland Sallai, should Adam Szalai not make it in time.
Predicted Lineup – Peter Gulacsi; Endre Botka, Willy Orban, Attila Szalai; Loic Nego, Laszlo Kleinheisler, Adam Nagy, Andras Schafer, Attila Fiola; Nemanja Nikolic, Roland Sallai
Predicted Winner
Germany goes into this game with newfound confidence, but so will Hungary. While difficult, qualification is still not out of touch for the away side. They stand a very realistic chance of going through to the next round should they grab all 3 points against Germany. Hungary has also proven that it will not be easy to beat them as it took significant effort from Portugal and France to break them down. Germany has also shown that their defence needs a lot of work, having conceded 3 goals in 2 games.
That said, it will be a difficult game to predict as an upset is very much on the cards. Die Mannschaft will fancy themselves to go all out and get the win but they will have to find a way to get past the stubborn Hungarian defence.
