When is it? How can you watch it? What are the possible line-ups?
Germany and Hungary meet in their Second Group A match at UEFA EURO 2024.
Germany and Hungary at a glance
When: Friday 20 June (00:00 GMT+8 kick-off)
Where: Stuttgart Arena
What: UEFA EURO 2024 Group A Matchday 2
What do you need to know?
Germany made a flying start, overpowering Scotland with a magnificent display in Munich. Youngsters Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala wreaked havoc against Steve Clarke’s side, with Toni Kroos pulling the strings in midfield as the three-time champions won their opening EURO game for a record-extending eighth time. Julian Nagelsmann’s team are a force to be reckoned with, and yet they were beaten in their last meeting with Wednesday’s opponents, losing 1-0 in the UEFA Nations League in Leipzig in 2022.
Indeed, Hungary are unbeaten in their last three encounters with Germany, having drawn 2-2 in the EURO 2020 group stage and 1-1 in the Nations League on home soil. Coach Marco Rossi admitted his charges made too many mistakes in Saturday’s defeat by Switzerland in Cologne, but given Hungary’s recent ability to frustrate the trickiest of opponents, he may be confident of upsetting the tournament hosts in Stuttgart.
Possible line-ups
Germany: Neuer; Kimmich, Rüdiger, Tah, Mittelstädt; Andrich, Kroos; Musiala, Gündoğan, Wirtz; Havertz
Hungary: Gulácsi; Lang, Orbán, Szalai; Bolla, Ádám Nagy, Schäfer, Kerkez; Sallai, Szoboszlai, Varga
Form guide
Germany:
Form (all competitions, most recent first): WWDWWL
Hungary:
Form (all competitions, most recent first): LDWLLD
Expert predictions
Phil Röber, Germany reporter
So many tactical details went perfectly against Scotland and this match – against a side Germany have struggled against in recent years – will be all about maintaining the positive momentum and keeping the excitement growing. German fans are eager for another long run on home soil, as in the 2006 World Cup: a tournament which was the subject of a famous documentary, Deutschland. Ein Sommermärchen (Germany. A Summer’s Tale). It seems Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala are being cast in similar starring roles to those played by Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski back then.
Andy Clark, Hungary reporter
Hungary were out of sorts in the first half against Switzerland and cannot afford to be similarly generous to a Germany team that made light work of dismantling Scotland in Munich. Rossi’s side are unbeaten in their last three encounters with the Nationalelf, which is certainly cause for belief, if not necessarily optimism. However, if Hungary can frustrate Germany and impose themselves in the way they did for periods in the second half against Switzerland, the result might not be a foregone conclusion.
What the coaches say
Julian Nagelsmann, Germany coach: “Hungary have a clear pattern with two strikers who are very good at headers. They work a lot with precise crosses, and have an impressive record with dead balls. Tomorrow it’s up to how we present ourselves. Of course, Hungary are under pressure so I think they’ll play more offensively than they did against Switzerland.”
Marco Rossi, Hungary coach: “After losing the first game we were all very disappointed. Two out of three goals [against Switzerland] were due to our mistakes, and if you play [this way] at the EURO you will pay dearly for your mistakes. On paper, and not only on paper, we know that the Germany team are better than us, which should motivate us to give it our very best shot. Hopefully we can get a point tomorrow, but that calls for the perfect match.”