Hungary will face Kazakhstan in an international friendly on Tuesday evening in Debrecen. Both teams are preparing for the upcoming UEFA Nations League, as they missed out on qualifying for the current World Cup.
Match Preview
Hungary, historically a strong footballing nation with World Cup runner-up finishes in 1938 and 1954, has been absent from the tournament for four decades. They narrowly missed a playoff spot after a defeat to the Republic of Ireland in qualifying. Head coach Marco Rossi, who has been with the team since 2018, will oversee his final friendly match before the Nations League begins in late September. Hungary is set to compete in League B Group 2 against Georgia, Ukraine, and Northern Ireland.
In their recent matches, Hungary has shown some promise with a 1-0 win over Slovenia and a goalless draw against Greece during the spring friendlies. Their latest victory came against Finland, where forward Barnabas Varga netted two goals.
Kazakhstan’s Journey
Kazakhstan also faces the challenge of missing another World Cup, finishing fourth in their qualifying group. With two wins against Liechtenstein and draws against North Macedonia and Belgium, they struggled to secure a qualifying position. Under the leadership of Talgat Baysufinov, who is in his third tenure as head coach, Kazakhstan looks to rebound in the Nations League after being relegated in the last edition. They will compete in League C with Slovakia, Moldova, and the Faroe Islands.
In their last friendly, Kazakhstan drew 1-1 against Armenia. This match against Hungary will help them test new players and strategies ahead of their upcoming fixtures.
Team News and Lineups
- Hungary Team Updates:
- Marco Rossi has introduced several uncapped players, including 17-year-old striker Bendeguz Kovacs.
- Key players missing include Peter Gulacsi and Denes Dibusz; young goalkeeper Armin Pecsi will compete for a starting spot.
- Captain Dominik Szoboszlai will lead the midfield after assisting Varga in the recent match against Finland.
- Kazakhstan Team Updates:
- Nuraly Alip captains Kazakhstan and plays as a center-back for Zenit St Petersburg.
- Seventeen-year-old Dastan Satpaev is expected to lead the attack and has a future deal with Chelsea.
- Injured winger Bakhtiyar Zaynutdinov will miss the match, while Roman Murtazaev is likely to start on the bench.
Possible Lineups
| Hungary | Kazakhstan |
|---|---|
| B. Toth | Anarbekov |
| Osvath | Ashirbek |
| Orban | Kasym |
| K. Szucs | Alip |
| Kerkez | Vorogovskiy |
| Schafer | Orazov |
| Styles | Kuat |
| A. Toth | Tapalov |
| Szoboszlai | Chesnokov |
| Sallai | Satpaev |
| Vargas | Samorodov |
Match Prediction
The matchup is expected to favor Hungary, who are ranked significantly higher than Kazakhstan by FIFA. Despite using an experimental lineup, Hungary is predicted to win 3-1, as they present a more formidable threat on home turf compared to Kazakhstan.
