Italy vs Hungary Nations League preview: Where to watch, kick-off time, prediction, form guide
Tuesday, June 7, 2022
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When is it? How can you watch it? All you need to know about the UEFA Nations League Group A3 game between Italy and Hungary.
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Italy and Hungary meet in UEFA Nations League Group A3 on Tuesday 7 June.
Italy vs Hungary at a glance
When: Tuesday 7 June (20:45 CET kick-off)
Where: Orogel Stadium, Cesena
What: UEFA Nations League Group A3 fixture
How to follow: Build-up and live coverage will appear here
Where to watch Italy vs Hungary on TV
Fans can find their local UEFA Nations League broadcast partner(s) here.
Starting line-ups
Italy: Donnarumma; Calabria, Mancini, Bastoni, Spinazzola; Pellegrini, Cristante, Barella; Politano, Gnonto, Raspadori
Hungary: Dibusz; Lang, Orbán, Attila Szalai; Négo, Ádám Nagy, Schäfer, Zsolt Nagy; Sallai, Szoboszlai; Ádám Szalai
Form guide
Italy (most recent match first): DLWLDD
Hungary (most recent match first): DDWWWL
Group A3 so far
04/06: Italy 1-1 Germany
04/06: Hungary 1-0 England
Expert prediction
Paolo Menicucci, match reporter
Italy and Hungary go head-to-head in Cesena with both trying to build on positive starts in the group. Italy are clearly in rebuild mode but still managed to earn a good point against Germany last time out, despite fielding several youngsters. Among them, 18-year-old Wilfried Gnonto had a dream debut with the assist for Lorenzo Pellegrini's goal and several runs, making himself him an instant crowd favourite among the Azzurri fans.
Hungary did even better as they defeated England in Budapest. Indeed, these are two teams with bags of enthusiasm, and their respective coaches Roberto Mancini and Marco Rossi know each other well after playing together at Sampdoria in the early 1990s. All the ingredients are in place for an entertaining game.
What the coaches say
Roberto Mancini, Italy coach: "There are many ways to win, not just the one way. We can win with any number of systems. We've added several new players, so it will take some time for them to settle. Hungary beat England deservedly, and they are a difficult side to face; they are very physical and have quality up front. It won't be easy. We'll do our best."
Marco Rossi, Hungary coach: "The fact Italy didn't qualify for the World Cup was a shock for everyone; for we Italians but also for those who aren't. They were a great team and still are. After ten years [my coaching team] have gone from being unknown in Hungary to facing our own national side. We are still not known in Italy, but on Tuesday there will be uproar."
What happens after the UEFA Nations League group stage?
The four group winners in League A will advance to the knockout finals with, in principle, one appointed as hosts. The semi-finals will be played on 14 and 15 June 2023, with the final and third-place play-off to follow on 18 June.
The teams finishing fourth in the groups in Leagues A will be relegated to League B for the 2024/25 edition.