Hungary-Italy is the sixth Nations League match of the season at 20:45 on Monday
Faced with two continental powerhouses of the calibre of Germany and England and almost given up for dead when the draw was made, Italy arrive on the final day of the Nations League with a good chance of reaching the Final Four for the second consecutive time. The Azzurri, after suffering a humiliating 5-2 defeat in Germany in June, had a burst of pride despite the many absences and on Friday at the San Siro they won by a narrow margin against England, decreeing the relegation of Gareth Southgate’s men to League B. Raspadori’s goal allowed Roberto Mancini to soothe the deep wound that opened last March with the disaster of not qualifying for the World Cup and to play for first place in the challenge in Budapest against the surprising Hungary.
The Magyars, led by Italian Marco Rossi, have performed a kind of sporting miracle, confirming the progress they have achieved in recent years. In a group that, on paper, saw them as the main candidates for relegation, they had the luxury of beating the English twice – 0-4 at Wembley and 1-0 at home – and of remaining unbeaten against Germany, stopped at 1-1 at the Puskas Arena and even beaten 1-0 in the away match in Leipzig. Daydreaming Szoboszlai and his team-mates, who can afford to play with two results out of three against Italy – with whom they have so far collected the only defeat in the round – considering their two-point lead over Mancini’s Azzurri.
The latest line-up news
Adam Szalai
In the match played in Cesena, last June, Italy smashed two of the three goals conceded by Hungary in this Nations League and did so with Barella and Pellegrini, but fielding a light attack formed by Politano, Gnonto and Raspadori. Mancini will not give his compatriot Rossi any points of reference this time either, re-proposing the 3-5-2. The attack will rest on the shoulders of Napoli’s new striker and the former Zurich ferret, now at Leeds. Holding up the midfield will be Barella, Jorginho and Pobega, while on the two outside lanes it will be the turn of Di Lorenzo and Dimarco. In defence Toloi, Bonucci and Bastoni.
On the other side, Rossi will confirm en bloc the eleven that defeated the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig. In the three-quarter, next to starlet Szoboszlai, the coach will once again give space to Gazdag, who did not make the striker Roland Sallai regret it.
The prediction
Italy have no other option but to win if they want to enter their second Nations League Final Four: a draw would qualify the Hungarians. We therefore expect an aggressive performance from the Azzurri, who are qualitatively superior to Hungary. However, Mancini’s national team – and it amply demonstrated this in the unfortunate World Cup qualifiers – is always very unpredictable and tends to get into trouble against teams that are within reach but at the same time very organised and play speculative football. In a fiery Puskas Arena, Italy should manage to avoid defeat in a match of less than four goals in total. We could in any case see a more eventful second half than the first.
Hungary vs Italy line-ups
- HUNGARY (3-4-2-1): Gulacsi; Lang, Orban, At. Szalai; Fiola, Schafer, Nagy, Milos; Gazdag, Szoboszlai; Ad. Szalai.
- ITALIA (3-5-2): Donnarumma; Toloi, Bonucci, Bastoni; Di Lorenzo, Barella, Jorginho, Pobega, Dimarco; Gnonto, Raspadori.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1
