Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal face Hungary in their last group stage game at the Stade de Lyon in Lyon at the UEFA Euro 2016 with a qualification to the round-of-16 still hanging in the balance. The Hungarians are currently sitting pretty at top of the Group F with a win and a draw in their previous two matches. Portugal, on the other hand, are currently in third place with two back-to-back draws.
The tournament has so far been forgettable for the Portuguese and their captain as they have drawn both their matches, a 1-1 stalemate against Iceland and then a goalless draw against Austria. Ronaldo was also guilty of not converting a penalty late in their last match, he would want to erase the memories of the last match and come out all guns blazing.
Bernd Storck, Hungary’s coach, has urged his players to be wary of the Portuguese team as they are a ‘world-class team’. Storck also went on to say that Cristiano Ronaldo is not the only player in their team and they’ll need to focus on each and every opposition player if they want to gain anything from the match.
“Who would have thought beforehand that we'd be top on four points and Portugal would have to win to be sure of qualifying? I can't compliment my team enough. We need to continue what we've been doing in the last two matches, and we need to play with a disciplined defence. They'll put pressure on us because they're a world-class team.
“Everyone's always asking about Cristiano Ronaldo. There are other world-class players in this team, who've won the Champions League and contributed a lot. Everyone will need to fight together. We need to be brave. We can't be afraid and we hope to play our style of match. It's not just about their No7.
“I always try to set an example. I always prepare my team for what they will face. That's why I'm not afraid and not concerned. We always analyse all the opposition so that our players know what to expect. I don't think we're good enough to play our game and destroy Portugal so of course we'll look at them.”
On the other hand, Fernando Santos, Portugal’s coach, has backed his players and termed the criticism thrown at them as ‘baffling’. Santos, though highlighted the fact that he doesn’t think that the Hungarians are going to be defensive by any means.
“I believe in my players. Why would I start being a pessimist all of a sudden? Everyone believed in our team until a couple of days ago. We played a really good game [against Austria] and now everyone questions us – that baffles me.
“We've been exemplary. We've worked hard, we're committed and have quality players. Why wouldn't I believe in them? That would make no sense. I believe we'll make it [to the final].”
Live Stream and kick-off time
The match will be live from 21:30 IST (Wednesday), 17:00 BST (Wednesday). Watch live streaming of Hungary vs Portugal on SonyLIV. Follow Hungary vs Portugal, Euro 2016 Live Score and Commentary with Sportskeeda . The match will be telecasted live on Sony Six and Sony Six HD in India, Fox Sports in the USA and BBC 1 in the UK. The match will be played at the Stade de Lyon in Lyon.
Team News
With a round-of-16 qualification already assured, Hungary’s coach Storck might be tempted to make some changes to his starting XI. Attila Fiola is set to miss out on a starting place again due to the injury he is nursing and the 23-year-old centre-back Adam Lang will start at right-back in his place again.
Portugal’s team might be more or less the same depending upon the fitness conditions of Raphael Guerreiro and Andre Santos, who are both doubtful due to thigh injuries. Coach Fernando Santos praised Ronaldo before the match, who will be playing in his 17th European championship match and cleared the air on who will take the free kicks and penalties for the team.
“I'm sure [Cristiano Ronaldo] will get over everything and do what he does best. And he's always proven that what he does best is to score. I'm sure he'll be anxiety-free. He'll keep on taking free-kicks and penalties.”
Probable Line-up
Hungary (4-2-3-1): Király; Lang, Guzmics, Juhász, Kádár; Nagy, Gera; Dzsudzsák, Kleinheisler, Lovrencsics; Szalai.
Portugal (4-3-3): Rui Patrício; Vieirinha, Ricardo Carvalho, Pepe, Eliseu; William Carvalho, João Moutinho, Renato Sanches; Ricardo Quaresma, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani.
Form Guide
Hungary – DWLDD
The Hungarians have won just one of their last five matches with their only victory coming against Austria in their opening match at the Euros.
Portugal – DDWLW
Portugal have won two, drawn two and lost one of their last five matches. Their only defeat came against England in a pre-tournament friendly.
Head to Head record
- Hungary and Portugal have faced each other in ten matches. Portugal have won seven of those matches and three matches have ended in a draw.
- Portugal have won their last five matches against Hungary.
- The last time these two teams met in a major international tournament was in 1966 FIFA World Cup at Old Trafford with the Portuguese emerging victorious with a 3-1 scoreline.
Prediction
Hungary will find going really tough against the Portuguese team led by Ronaldo, who must be itching to go out there and shut the mouth of his critics. Given that the Hungarians are already through to the round-of-16, they might go for a defensive approach in the match, allowing Ronaldo and co. to swarm forward and then hit them on the counter.
However, given the fact that there are quite a few players in the Portuguese ranks who have played at the biggest of stages in world Football, this might be an easy win for them. We predict a 3-0 scoreline for Portugal.
