Hungary have played some good football to reach the Euro 2016 round of 16, topping a group that included Iceland, Portugal and Austria. With such a finish, they surprised many experts, and Hungary have looked a confident unit as well. Now, they will be keen to defeat Belgium, who are one of the serious contenders for the European Championship in France.
Hungary, having held Portugal to a draw and defeated Austria, can use these results as inspiration in their round-of-16 match. But, they are well aware of the tough opposition in Belgium, who could provide their opponent a strong test.
If Bernd Storck's team wants to throw Belgium out of Euro 2016, it will have to come with the best football in the competition, as Belgium come into this fixture with their heads held high.
Belgium comprise a number of world-class stars including Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukakau, Kevin du Bruyne and others, which makes them a formidable side. After their loss to Italy in a tough Euro 2016 opening fixture, they proved their class against Republic of Ireland and Sweden, winning both the matches, and are hence looking to win their third straight game, which will help them qualify for the round of eight.
The match is expected to be an interesting one, with Hungary and Belgium relatively confident ahead of their match. But for their team to succeed, Hungary and Belgium need to come with their best starting XI, which can help the respective teams emerge victorious.
In their last match, Hungary rested some of their players like Laszlo Kleinheisler, Tamas Kadar and Adam Nagy, who are all expected to feature in the starting XI against Belgium. Goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly may not have been impressive under the goal, but he is still likely to retain in his place in such a crucial match.
Belgium might not be looking to make any major change in their team after some winning performances. With Hazard, Bruyne and Lukaku being their star offensive players, Belgium will look for goals from them. They have quality players in various positions with a strong defence comprising Toby Alderweireld, Thomas Vermaelen and Jan Vertonghen.
If these set of Belgium players get their game going, it might be a long night for Hungary, who are yet to play such a quality unit with top-class players in Euro 2016.
Expected starting XI: Hungary: Kiraly; Kadar, Guzmics, Juhasz, Lang; Nagy, Gera; Lovrencsics, Kleinheisler, Dzsudzsak, Szalai.
Belgium: Courtois; Meunier, Alderweireld, Vermaelen, Vertonghen; Witsel, Nainggolan; Carrasco, De Bruyne, Hazard; Lukaku.
