Just under one week after di Champions League final, Puskas Arena for Budapest go host friendly match between Hungary and Finland for Friday evening.
Both teams no qualify for 2026 World Cup after dem fail for UEFA qualifying. Hungary, wey be runners-up for 1938 and 1954 World Cup, don miss out for four decades now. Dem win two, draw two, and lose two for dia six group matches. Dem need only draw against Republic of Ireland for dia last match to finish second behind Portugal, but dem concede two late goals, including one for di 96th minute, to lose 3-2 for home.
Despite reports say head coach Marco Rossi hand in resignation after di World Cup heartbreak, di Hungary football federation confirm at di end of last year say di Italian go remain in charge with contract till 2030. Rossi don oversee 85 international matches since 2018, with 39 wins, 20 draws, and 26 losses. Di team recently face Slovenia and Greece for friendlies for March, beating di first 1-0 and drawing 0-0 with di second.
Ranked 42nd for FIFA World Rankings, Hungary dey prepare for dia first meeting with Finland for eight years. Di last meeting na 2-0 home victory for Hungary for UEFA Nations League. Finland win di reverse fixture 1-0 two months earlier, but dat na one of only two victories for dia last 11 meetings with Hungary.
Finland fall to 74th for FIFA Rankings, with only five wins for dia last 21 international matches over near two-year period. Three of dose wins come for 2026 World Cup qualifying, but e no enough to secure dia spot. Finland never qualify for World Cup. Dem drop points against Poland, Lithuania, and Malta, and suffer 1-0 home defeat to Malta for dia final qualifier for November 2025, finishing third behind Netherlands and Poland.
Jacob Friis remain in charge of Finland. He get mixed results for four friendlies after World Cup qualifying. Dem lose to Cape Verde on penalties after 1-1 draw, win against Andorra 4-0 and New Zealand 2-0, but dem recently lose 4-0 to Germany for last Sunday.
Hungary 29-man squad include seven uncapped players, including 19-year-old AZ Alkmaar attacker Bendegiz Kovacs and 21-year-old Liverpool goalkeeper Armin Pecsi, wey dey in contention to make dia debut. Star midfielder and captain Dominik Szoboszlai, wey register four assists for six World Cup qualifiers last year, likely to start. Milos Kerkez, Roland Sallai, Alex Toth, Andras Schafer, and Barnabas Varga fit also feature.
For Finland, Joel Pohjanpalo be di most-capped outfield player for Friis squad with 88 caps. Di Palermo striker dey available to lead di line. Robin Lod and either Oliver Antman or Topi Keskinen fit provide support from out wide. Niklas Pyyhtia score for im international debut at di end of last year and dey contender to start for midfield along with Matti Peltola, Anssi Suhonen, Adam Markhiyev, and Leo Walta.
Hungary possible starting lineup: Pecsi; R. Sallai, Orban, Dardai, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, A. Toth, Schafer; Redzic, Vargas, Schon. Finland possible starting lineup: Hradecky; Alho, Koski, Miettinen, Mahuta; Pyyhtia, Peltola, Suhonen; Antman, Pohjanpalo, Lod.
Hungary recent home form no too good with two wins, four draws, and four losses. But dem still be favourites to beat Finland, wey don struggle to get positive results for some time. If Rossi name strong lineup, we expect di hosts to win for Budapest.
