Marco Rossi
National team coach Marco Rossi has named a 27-man squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Ireland and Portugal, with four players receiving their first senior call-ups. Dániel Lukács, Rajmund Molnár, Barna Tóth, and Bence Ötvös have been invited to join the Hungarian national football team for the first time.
Rossi announced the squad list on Tuesday in Telki (near Budapest, home to the Hungarian national football team’s preparations before international competitions). Among the members, Milán Vitális has previously been included in the line-up, but has not yet played in the national team jersey. The Italian coach, who also has Hungarian citizenship, said at a press conference following the announcement that
the squad is larger than usual because they want to see what condition each player is in.
This is true, for example, of Ötvös, who, although injured, has been cleared by his team’s medical staff to travel to Azerbaijan for the Champions League qualifying return leg against Qarabag. “It seems that his injury is not as serious as it first appeared. We have known him for a long time, from Kisvárda and Paks, and now his game has improved and he continues to play calmly despite the fact that he is playing for Ferencváros (FTC), where the pressure is much greater than it was at his previous clubs,” said the national team coach about Ötvös.
Bence Ötvös. Photo: MTI/Kovács Tamás
Rossi also talked about how Paks player Barna Tóth had a great start to the year, performing excellently in international cup matches, and could be a valuable asset in Dublin against Ireland if he has to replace first-choice striker Barnabás Varga. “We have been following Tóth’s career for a long time, and his physical build could definitely be an advantage for us, as it is important to have a player similar to Varga in attack,” he said.
Barna Tóth: MTI/MTI Fotószerkesztőség/Vasvári Tamás
Rossi noted that both Dániel Lukács and Rajmund Molnár are goal-scoring players with a keen sense of the goal, and that Lukács could primarily replace Kevin Csoboth, whom the coach had to leave out of the squad because he is not getting playing time at his Swiss club.
L-R: Naby Keita (FTC) and national team newcomer Dániel Lukács (Puskás Academy). Photo: MTI/Purger Tamás
Rajmund Molnár (R). Photo: MTI/Szigetváry Zsolt
Regarding the upcoming matches, the Italian coach said that the World Cup qualifier in Ireland will be particularly important, and although that match is not yet decisive, it is perhaps even more significant than the home match against Portugal.
We will play our first qualifying match in Dublin, where we will have to perform at our best, especially knowing what kind of competition we are participating in,”
Rossi said.
Before the squad announcement, it was revealed that WizzAir, a partner of the Hungarian Football Federation (MLSZ) since 2016, will now support the MLSZ and the Hungarian national team as the main sponsor. In his speech, József Váradi, CEO of WizzAir, said that he could not disclose the exact amount of the contract, but that the cooperation was worth billions of forints.
The Hungarian national team will be the guest of Ireland in the first round of the European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in Group F on September 6, and three days later, it will host Nations League winner Portugal at the Puskás Arena. The newly assembled squad will meet in Telki next Monday.
Hungary’s national football team squad:
Goalkeepers:
Dénes Dibusz (Ferencvárosi TC), Péter Szappanos (Puskás Akadémia FC), Balázs Tóth (Blackburn Rovers)
Defenders:
Bendegúz Bolla (Rapid Wien), Márton Dárdai (Hertha BSC), Milos Kerkez (Liverpool FC), Attila Mocsi (Rizespor), Zsolt Nagy (Puskás Akadémia FC), Loic Négo (Le Havre AC), Willi Orbán (RB Leipzig), Attila Osváth (Paksi FC), Attila Szalai (Kasimpasa), Gábor Szalai (Ferencvárosi TC)
Midfielders:
Áron Csongvai (AIK Stockholm), Bence Dárdai (VfL Wolfsburg), Bence Ötvös (Ferencvárosi TC), András Schäfer (Union Berlin), Callum Styles (West Bromwich Albion), Dominik Szoboszlai (FC Liverpool), Alex Tóth (Ferencvárosi TC), Milán Vitális (ETO FC Győr)
Forwards:
Zsombor Gruber (Ferencvárosi TC), Dániel Lukács (Puskás Akadémia FC), Rajmund Molnár (MTK Budapest), Roland Sallai (Galatasaray), Barna Tóth (Paksi FC), Barnabás Varga (Ferencvárosi TC)
Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Illyés Tibor
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