Hungary v Romania background
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Article summary
A superb Balázs Dzsudzsák free-kick denied Romania victory in the neighbours' first Group F meeting, and Hungary will be eager to take more off their rivals in the rematch.
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Hungary will look to reel in their neighbours as third faces first in Group F, with Romania boasting the best defensive record in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying.
Previous meetings
• A superb Balázs Dzsudzsák free-kick cancelled out Raul Rusescu's opener as Hungary held their neighbours to a 1-1 draw in their first Group F meeting. There were 12 bookings in the match – more than in any other game in the first six rounds of UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying.
• Hungary's overall record in 21 senior games against their neighbours is W10 D7 L4. Those matches include a 1972 UEFA European Championship quarter-final replay, which Hungary won 2-1 on neutral territory in Belgrade. They do not include Romania's 3-0 victory against Hungary in the 2004 Cyprus international tournament, since such fixtures are not recognised as official FIFA internationals.
• Hungary had much the better of the teams' early exchanges; Romania beat Hungary for the first time at the 15th attempt, in a UEFA European Championship qualifier on 5 June 1999 – the second game in an eight-match (W5 D3) unbeaten sequence against their neighbours which persists to this day.
Disciplinary
• Hungary forward Zoltán Gera is absent through suspension. Balázs Dzsudzsák and Roland Juhász are both a booking away from a one-game ban.
• Mihai Pintilii serves a one-match ban. Romania duo Alexandru Chipciu and Gabriel Torje are a yellow card away from a suspension.
Form guide
• Hungary are unbeaten in five competitive games (W3 D2) since opening their campaign with a 2-1 loss at home to Northern Ireland.
• Hungary have not scored more than once in a Group F match yet; they have struck one goal in five of their six contests.
• Romania have the meanest defence in qualifying, having conceded just once in their opening six fixtures; they are also the only unbeaten side left in Group F.
• Romania have yet to concede in three Group F away games (W2 D1).
Trivia and links
• Tamás Priskin's next game for Hungary will be his 50th.
• The nations have met in 23 UEFA age-group tournament games, with both possessing the record W11 D1 L11. However, seven of the eight most recent matches have been won by the Romanians.
• Romanian clubs have had marginally the better of their ten UEFA competition encounters with Hungarian counterparts: W6 D0 L4. The countries' teams also met six times in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the non-UEFA affiliated precursor to the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League: each nation posted three wins.
