UEFA Nations League: Five Newcomers Join Marco Rossi’s Squad

Hungarian national football team head coach Marco Rossi has called up five newcomers to his 26-man squad for the UEFA Nations League.

The Italian head coach has made six changes to the squad that featured at the UEFA Euro 2024 in the summer, with Balázs Tóth, Bence Gergényi, Gábor Vas, Antal Yaakobishvili and Tamás Nikitscher all newcomers to the team, the latter four making their first appearance.

“I know Gergényi from Honvéd FC, Vas has been a great player for a long time, while Yaakobishvili comes from one of the top teams in the Spanish league. In midfield, we need physical strength and height, and Nikitscher has the right attributes, having recently scored a double. We noticed him last year (…), then he had a anterior cruciate ligament rupture, but he is back in excellent form,” the Italian, who also has Hungarian citizenship, stressed at a press conference.

For those who did not make the squad, he said that the only reason they did not get an invitation this time was because they did not play for their clubs. He pointed out that Attila Fiola and Callum Styles had already found a team, but he hoped that Ádám Lang and Attila Szalai would too. “They have been absolute key players in our success. They are excellent characters both as people and as players. I hope they find a club where they can get a chance and then I see no reason for them to miss out,” emphasized the 59-year-old coach, adding that team captain Dominik Szoboszlai is physically fit again, as shown by the fact that he played ninety minutes in both Premier League games. He noted that he plays in a slightly different position than last season, but it does not matter because he is still a must for the Hungarian national team even when he is in bad form.

Rossi also noted that the

UEFA Nations League is an important series because it determines the national team’s draw for next year’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

He underlined that it was a big advantage that Hungary are in Division A because they will be drawn from the first or second hat, while it would be impossible to hope for a good draw from Division C.

“I hope we can keep our place. Germany and the Netherlands are stronger, but on paper we should win against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Last year they got to the top flight because they have quality players like Edin Džeko and Ermedin Demirović. We will be facing players of this caliber, who are Balkan football players – enthusiastic, combative, physical,” Rossi stressed of the crucial game.

The Hungarians begin the series next Saturday when they will be hosted by Germany in Düsseldorf, before playing against Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Puskás Arena three days later.

The 26-man squad of the Hungarian national football team:

• Goalkeepers:
  Dénes Dibusz, Péter Gulácsi, Balázs Tóth
• Defenders:
  Botond Balogh, Endre Botka, Márton Dárdai, Bence Gergényi, Willi Orbán, Gábor Vas, Antal Yaakobishvili
• Midfielders:
  Bendegúz Bolla, Mihály Kata, Milos Kerkez, Ádám Nagy, Zsolt Nagy, Loic Nego, Tamás Nikitscher, András Schäfer
• Strikers:
  Martin Ádám, Kevin Csoboth, Palkó Dárdai, Dániel Gazdag, Krisztofer Horváth, Roland Sallai, Dominik Szoboszlai, Barnabás Varga

Via MTI; Featured image via Facebook/MLSZ – Magyar Labdarúgó Szövetség