Image copyright: Getty Images
2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
Group Stage fixture
Hungary vs England
Puskas Arena
Budapest, Hungary
Thursday, 2 September 2021
England will be aiming to build on their lead atop UEFA Group I when they take on Hungary in a
2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Budapest on Thursday evening.
The Three Lions will be eager to bounce back to winning ways after having come so close to ending their international trophy drought in July.
England manager Gareth Southgate believes his team can learn a lot from their defeat to Italy in the Euro 2020 final and despite the result, he and his team will take a lot of confidence from how they performed at the tournament.
“We can talk to the team about decision-making in certain moments, but there’s also an element that there are certain types of players in certain positions we don’t have. Therefore we have to play to our strengths and our capabilities," Southgate said in the build-up to the World Cup qualifiers in September.
“When we play a game like we did against Italy, people are always going to highlight their two midfield players [Jorginho and Marco Verratti] and say that’s the way forward. But if you don’t have that type of player then you’ve got to play differently. France didn’t have that type of player and won it in a different way. We’ve got to be the same. We’ve got to make the most of the assets we have and not worry about what we haven’t got.”
Southgate has kept faith in most of the personnel who helped England reach the Euro 2020 final. Jesse Lingard has been recalled to the team while Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford is set to make his debut.
Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood are among notable absentees while Dominic Calvert-Lewin was forced to withdraw from the squad due to injury.
Hungary exited Euro 2020 in the group stages. Marco Rossi's men lost heavily to Portugal before credible draws against both France and Germany.
Hungarian star Dominik Szoboszlai will make a welcome return to the team after missing the European Championship with injury. Hungary sit two points behind England who have won all three of their matches.
Image copyright: Getty Images
This will be the first meeting between the two nations since a 2-1 win for England over Hungary in 2010. Steven Gerrard scored both goals for the Three Lions at Wembley Stadium.
Hungary vs England head-to-head statistics:
Matches: 11
Hungary wins: 1
England wins: 9
Draws: 1
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