Hungary head coach Bernd Storck has emphasised that he deosn’t expect an easy match against Andorra in their World Cup qualifier on Sunday evening.

Storck’s squad have already started their preparations for the Andorra match on 13th November and the friendly against Sweden on 15th November by moving into their training centre at Telki. At yesterday’s press conference, Storck insisted his squad would be treating the Andorra game just as seriously as they had the previous World Cup qualifier against Switzerland.

“We’re very much looking forward to this match, we’d like to say farewell to our fans in an appropriate way and close this year with a victory in our last competitive match. If we look back at our results so far, we can say that the team played well, our defence is shaping up well and in the next few days we need to work on our creative plans, so that with a win we will keep the gap between us and Portugal to just two points as a minimum and so we can start from a favourable position in the match against Portugal next March. At international level there are no easy matches so we respect the opponent and will approach this match just as we would any other. The Swiss had a lot of problems when they played Andorra and only won 2-1 in the end so we can see from that match that we can expect a compact, defensively solid opponent. We need to play with patience; the win is the important thing regardless of the margin of victory”.

 

Mr Storck also looked back on the last World Cup qualifier in Riga, stating that we dominated the second half against Latvia, had plenty of possession and breached our opponent’s defence on the several occasions by using the wings.

“We expect that Sunday’s match will be against a defensive opponent but I won’t reveal my cards before the match – we will talk about the players about what we need to do against a well-organised opposition. It is important to create as many chances as possible and to score the first goal early on, while also entertaining the fans too. It is important to emphasise once again that Switzerland hardly had any chances against Andorra so we certainly don’t expect an easy match. I’m happy that our squad’s foreign-based players have been receiving chances to play at club level, something which will have a positive effect on the quality of the game because we have already seen that the level of play against Switzerland was already totally different to that of the level against the Faroe Islands [in the very first match of the campaign].

We’re progressing in the right direction and we’re glad that our squad members are doing themselves justice with their clubs. I see it as important that we are able to prepare for this match with an enlarged 28-man squad so that some younger players are able to get their opportunity in the match against Sweden when we will bid farewell to Gábor Király and Roland Juhász. These youngsters deserve their opportunities on the basis of their performances in the Hungarian league and at international Under-21 level”, said Storck, who will be ale to count on all of the squad originally called up except Nemanja Nikolic, the Legia Warsaw being ruled out after sustaining a broken finger in last weekend’s league match which now requires surgery.

Photo: MTI

Bernd Storck’s normal 23-man squad has been boosted with four potential debutants as the group prepares for the FIFA World Cup qualifier against Andorra and the friendly match against Sweden in Budapest in the next two weeks.

Hungary will take on Andorra first at 18:00 on 13th November in the Groupama Aréna as they seek to garner three more points in their bid for 2018 World Cup qualification. Two days later, the international friendly against Sweden will give fans the opportunity to say farewell to national-team stalwarts Gábor Király and Roland Juhász who retired from international duty after the successful Euro 2016 campaign but will are due to make one more special appearance at 19:45 on 15th November, once again in the Groupama Aréna.

The four potential debutants in the 28-man squad are Endre Botka (Budapest Honvéd), Zsombor Berecz and Szilveszter Hangya (Vasas) and Dominik Nagy (Ferencváros).

Bernd Storck made this statement after the squad’s announcement:

“We’re counting on a hard-fought match against Andorra because they play a tough style of football. Our first priority is this World Cup qualifier so first we must exclusively concentrate on this match. The second, against Sweden, will be played just two days after the World Cup qualifier so I have called up more players than normal so we have a wide selection of players. This bigger squad and the preparation match together give us the opportunity to call up some young players to the full national squad for the first time. They have previously given outstanding performances for their clubs and have proved they have talent in the Under 21 national team too. We would like to show them the atmosphere of the full national squad and work out how we can work together with them. It also means they can show what they are capable of at international level. Despite the fact I could have called up more young players on the basis of their performances in the recent past, in any case it looks encouraging in regard to the future”.

The Hungarian squad

Goalkeepers:

Dibusz Dénes (Ferencváros),
Gulácsi Péter (RB Leipzig),
Király Gábor (Swietelsky-Haladás),
Megyeri Balázs (Greuther Fürth)

Defenders:

Botka Endre (Budapest Honvéd),
Bese Barnabás (Le Havre),
Fiola Attila (Videoton FC),
Guzmics Richárd (Wisla Kraków),
Juhász Roland (Videoton FC),
Kádár Tamás (Lech Poznan),
Korhut Mihály (Hapoel Beer-Sheva),
Lang Ádám (Dijon),
Pintér Ádám (Ferencváros),
Hangya Szilveszter (Vasas)

Midfielders:

Berecz Zsombor (Vasas),
Elek Ákos (DVTK),
Gera Zoltán (Ferencváros),
Gyurcsó Ádám (Pogon Szczecin),
Kleinheisler László (Darmstadt),
Lovrencsics Gergő (Ferencváros),
Nagy Ádám (Bologna),
Nagy Dominik (Ferencváros),
Vida Máté (Vasas)

Forwards

Böde Dániel (Ferencváros),
Dzsudzsák Balázs (al-Vahda),
Németh Krisztián (al-Garafa),
Nikolics Nemanja (Legia Warszaw),
Priskin Tamás (Slovan Bratislava),
Stieber Zoltán (Kaiserslautern),
Szalai Ádám (Hoffenheim)

Photo: mlsz.hu

A late deflected winner from substitute Valentin Stocker broke Hungarian hearts in the Groupama Aréna last night after Ádám Szalai had confounded his critics to equalise twice in the second half against Switzerland in their FIFA 2018 World Cup qualifier last night.

Haris Seferović had put the visitors ahead in the 51st minute via rebound but Szalai struck back two minutes later via another rebound. Ricardo Rodríguez’s fine volley re-established the Swiss advantage but again Szalai levelled matters with a diving header under huge pressure from a defender, only for Stocker to have the final word.

Hungary head coach Bernd Storck opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation to start with, Péter Gulácsi taking his place in goal behind the preferred back-four of Tamás Kádár, Ádám Lang, Richárd Guzmics and Attila Fiola and two central midfielders in Ádám Nagy and Zoltán Gera. Further forward, László Kleinheisler had Zoltán Stieber and Balázs Dzsudzsák either side of him with Ádám Szalai starting on his own upfront.

It was an attritional opening first 25 minutes with only Dzsudzsák going close with a raking left-foot shot from distance, but the game sparked into life in the 27th minute when Switzerland came extremely close to taking the lead, Gulácsi reacting superbly to save Fabien Schärás header before Zoltán Stieber twice cleared off the line from Blerim Dzemaili’s shot and Guzmics’ rebounding header. Two minutes before half-time the visitors went close again but Dzemaili glanced his header wide from Shaqiri’s left-wing cross.

The second half was a totally different affair to the more cautious, goal-bereft nature of the first period. Firstly, Stieber nearly put Hungary ahead when he swivelled to meet a half-cleared corner but his volley was straight at Swiss keeper Yann Sommer. Switzerland then seized the initiative when Shaqiri pounced on Ádám Lang’s miscontrol and broke through on goal, Gulácsi blocking his shot well but helpless to prevent Seferović’s follow-up entering an empty net. Hungary hit back immediately though when Szalai deflected Kleinheisler’s low shot onto the far right post and converted the rebound which had bounced behind Sommer and almost along the goal line.

Parity had been restored but still the game was hard to predict as both sides matched each other. A moment of magic seemed necessary to separate the teams and so it came to pass when Behrami’s clever, chipped reverse-pass took Fiola out of the game for a moment and set up Ricardo Rodríguez perfectly for a fizzing volley which bounced into the very far left corner of Gulácsi’s net. Once again though Hungary struck back almost straightaway and it was Szalai again in the right place at the right time, bravely forcing in Stieber’s superb first-time flicked cross from the left after he’d stretched to meet Dzsudzsák’s astute, lofted through-pass.

Suddenly there was a new-found zest in Hungary’s play and they looked for all the world as if they would go on to take the lead when Stieber raced down the left wing and crossed for the arriving Krisztián Németh, but an apparent shove on him by Schär was not penalised by the referee and play continued. Sadly there would be a winning goal but it would be against Bernd Storck’s team, Valentin Stocker seeing his shot deflected past Gulácsi by the unfortunate Attila Fiola just a minute after coming on as Switzerland’s final substitute. Even then, shots from Kádár and Fiola nearly earned Hungary a remarkable third equaliser but their efforts from inside the penalty area were blocked by a scrambling Swiss defence.

 

This unlucky defeat leaves Hungary in fifth place in group B on one point from their first two matches of the European qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Their next match is away in Riga against Latvia this coming Monday, 10th October.

Hungary 2-3 Switzerland: Coach reaction

Bernd Storck, Hungary head coach:

“We played a high-level match, both teams performed well and the match was intense until the end. Unfortunately we made many individual errors and in the end we lost the match because of them. It is annoying that we took no points from a performance such as this. We finished the match at a high intensity so it’s a shame we couldn’t start like this. We must learn from our mistakes. I’m sorry we couldn’t gain any points but I am proud of my players because against a top team we succeeded in matching them – we achieved what we did in this summer’s Euros where we took the fight to a very strong Switzerland team. We thank the supporters for believing in us until the end because they were our 12th man on the pitch and I sorry we couldn’t provide them with a better result.”

Vladimir Petkovic, Switzerland head coach:

“The Hungarians played to a high standard, they were in the game having being able to level the match and I’m very happy that we were able to be successful in gaining the three points. In the first half we were better than the opponent but in the second period we found ourselves under pressure and Hungary were able to equalise twice. In the end we showed our character because we always believed we could win and after we took the lead for the third time we won the match”.

Photo: MTI

Hungary’s veteran playmaker Zoltán Gera is fully aware of the test posed by Switzerland in this Friday’s FIFA World Cup qualifier but is sure the team will be as well prepared as ever, mlsz.hu reports.

“Switzerland are a very good team – they proved this at Euro 2016 and have proved this many times at past World Cups and European championships, so they are a constant member of that group of sides [which compete at these tournaments]. We’re talking about a very experienced team here so maybe we need an even better performance [than at Euro 2016] in order to beat them because I heard at this Euros they were one of the best teams there and, if I remember well, they only went out on penalties. Therefore it is very important we show what we can do on our home pitch – it goes without saying that we will play at home in front of our own fans. Until now our preparation for every team have gone well and it will be the same this time – I’m sure our head coach has found the appropriate tactics so I would like us to practise these but I will say again that we’re expecting a very, very difficult match and we’re going to play against a very good team”.

The Ferencváros midfielder was also enthusiastic about the young Hungarian talent coming through, the full squad having trained for this last week with their Under-21 counterparts:

“We have 10-15 young players who have already played approximately 45 top-tier matches which is obviously a positive thing. In the last week I have trained with them and I have seen they are playing with a flourish and playing with experience of NBI so I can say that in the coming years some of these will make it to the national team. I’ve spent a pleasurable week in their company and even I feel a little bit younger than when I arrived – it’s a bit strange really – almost like a debutant, but that’s life – the youngsters come in and the older guys slowly leave the scene so I’m just trying to take a few more steps with the others [from the squad]”.

Photo: mlsz.hu

Hungary’s national men’s team head coach Bernd Storck held a press conference at the national-team training centre in Telki ahead of Friday’s FIFA World Cup qualifier with Switzerland in Budapest.

Mr Storck said that the past week was useful, especially because the Under 21 players were able to show what they are able to do, but at the same time, his squad is still not quite complete.

“I am pleased that the team is together again; everybody is here except Barnabás Bese and Balázs Megyeri who only arrive now due to club commitments. We’ve done some good work together with the Under 21 squad this last week; what we showed them was that we count on them and we’re planning the future with them in our minds, while what they proved was that we can count with their skills”.

 

The national team squad participated in a morning training session on Monday with those who didn’t play in league matches on the weekend, while those who had been in action were more focused on regeneration.

“We have no time to lose and, to tell the truth, on Friday we will need a lot more than our most recent performance (against the Faroe Islands) in front of a full house. We need to use every minute of our preparation, which is why we’re training today. The Swiss team will be a very tough opponent – they hardly conceded a goal during Euro 2016, were they were knocked out without being defeated in open play, and in this World Cup qualifying campaign they already beat Portugal. We don’t need to be frightened of anyone in front of our own fans though, we’re really hungry for the match, and if we want to achieve results, we need to show our ability. I feel that our boys, after the muted success of the opening match, would like to finally ‘step on the gas’ “.

Storck also emphasised how important it is for Hungarian football to develop in every area and that while it is heading in the right direction, there is still plenty to do.

“At a European level we need to look at these types of challenges as ones we can only overcome together; in order to develop, there is a need for a joint effort between NBI and NBII clubs and the MLSZ”.

Photo: MTI

Copy editor: bm

Swirling winds and chilly temperatures at this opening 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture played on an unfamiliar artificial surface made live extremely difficult for vistors Hungary but they ultimately managed to secure a clean sheet and a hard-earned point against hosts the Faroe Islands in this first match for either team in Group B.

After all the changes incurred by retirements and injuries, Hungary’s starting lineup retained a familiar feel with all the first eleven except goalkeeper Péter Gulácsi having tasted action in France earlier this summer. Right-back Attila Fiola returned after injury to complete a back four also including left-back Tamás Kádár and centre-backs Ádám Lang and Richárd Guzmics while Ádám Nagy was joined by Ákos Elek in front of the defenders. The three attacking midfield postions were taken up by captain Balázs Dzsudzsák, László Kleinheisler and Krisztián Németh with Tamás Priskin getting the nod upfront.

It was an attritional first-half devoid of any clear chances for either side, Hungary’s Ádám Szalai – on for the injured Priskin early on – coming closest for the away side when the Faroes’ goalkeeper Nielsen only cleared the ball to the Hoffenheim striker under pressure from Kleinheisler, but the shot with his weaker left foot was scuffed wide of the far right post from the edge of the penalty area. Aside from that, only long-range efforts from Balázs Dzsudzsák and the Faroes’ Hallur Hansson tested the goalkeepers but both drives were straight at the respective custodians.

The second half was largely as turgid an affair with the home team perhaps threatening more than Bernd Storck’s, but both teams seemed to scent the possibility of victory in the final stages, another Hungary substitute Nemanja Nikolic serving warning of his intent with a blocked shot from the left channel before Hansson hit the left post for the Faroes with a low, skidding shot after a superb piece of control following a teammates’ header back into Hungary’s penalty area.

Immediately the Euro 2016 participants hit back with several close-range efforts in the space of a minute but the initial ones were blocked before Zoltán Stieber – Hungary’s third replacement – saw his snap-shot superbly saved by Nielsen and Dzsudzsák’s subsequent low cross across the six-yard box somehow evaded Szalai’s outstretched foot. Ákos Elek will also be disappointed to have only volleyed the ball just over the crossbar when all alone in a central position 17 metres out, but at least there were no concessions at the other end during a frantic finale.

All in all Hungary will be glad to have earned a point and a clean sheet from their first match of the group, a tough away trip in tricky conditions.

Hungary head coach Bernd Storck gave his reaction to yesterday’s goalless draw in the Faroe Islands:

“We tried to attack but we didn’t play well and weren’t able to do what we wanted to do on the pitch. A few of the players aren’t yet in the rhythm of playing matches which they would have needed to be – one could feel that since the start the season they have ‘missed the matches from their legs’. The last pass was missing from our game but even with this we still had chances to win the match towards the end – unfortunately though, we couldn’t convert the opportunities. It would have been good to win here but having seen their game, it can easily come to pass that others drop points against the Faroe Islands too. We now need to look forward – the match against Switzerland will be totally different and I trust that we’ll be in better form and in a better rhythm in terms of playing football”.

Photo: MLSZ/MTI

According to MLSZ.hu, the Hungary national squad arrived in the Faroe Islands yesterday evening ahead of tomorrow’s first match of their 2018 FIFA World Cup campaign. The day started with a morning training session and then lunch at the national team’s permanent training base in Telki before a 15:00 departure from Budapest’s Ferenc Liszt airport, a journey which lasted three hours.

Head coach Bernd Storck commented at a short door-step press conference before departure that it is now time to move on from the success of this summer’s European Championship.

“The Euro is already behind us and we must close this chapter now. Now a new campaign starts where everything starts from zero. Of course the experience of the Euro and the positive memories can be useful as we start this new and even more difficult task. I hope we receive the trust from fans and everyone which we also received in France. We’re ready for this opener which will certainly not be easy. Naturally I have an idea in my head of the starting team for Tuesday but it’s too early to talk about it now”.

The temperature in the Faroes is around 10 degrees celsius with foggy, rainy weather expected. The squad is fully fit and will train today in the stadium in Torshavn where the match will be played.

Photo: MLSZ

According to mlsz.hu, Hungary head coach Bernd Storck has given his thoughts to the media ahead of Tuesday’s opening 2018 World Cup qualifier away in the Faroe Islands:

“We’re facing this new challenge in front of us with great happiness but there will be no easy matches in our World Cup qualifying campaign. It will be a good deal harder to qualify for this than for the Euros because fewer teams can progress to the tournament finals. Our Euro 2016 matches can give us a boost as we approach the tasks in front of us and I’m confident we can have a successful campaign and hopefully at least secure second place and a play-off spot. This will be an extremely difficult task because the top team in Europe, Euro 2016 winners Portugal, will be one of our opponents, as will Switzerland who are also very strong.

A new generation steps into the national team now – the youngest such squad I will have worked with [in my current position], but amongst the squad’s uncapped players there are several whom I know well from the Under 21 setup and who have convinced the rest of the staff by virtue of their work in the last week. I am happy we can count on lots of youngsters to replace those who are injured. I think positively and trust our much-changed team will produce a good performance. The new players also know the full national team’s style of play and we’ll try to integrate them as soon as possible into the development cycle which we embarked upon before the Euros. We pay special attention to them in our training sessions and because they are intelligent enough to realise our expectations, I trust they will repay that faith with good performances.

The most important thing is the players’ physical condition. Last week we completed the latest tests which brought forth dramatic results. If we use these results as a base, we can clearly say it is no surprise that we have not qualified for major tournaments in the recent past. Before Euro 2016 we were able to get the players in such a good physical condition that they were able to turn out good results in France. The conditioning is the most important factor, without which it is not possible to compete at international level, and from which then comes the technical and tactical readiness [to be able to compete].

In any case, the players’ physical capabilities need to be improved and this is the task of their clubs too. because otherwise we will not be able to compete at international level. In Germany, physical preparation happens universally but in Hungary we are unfortunately far from this. The question arises of why does everyone expect national-team success while clubs are absent from the European competition scene? Amongst our players only Nemanja Nikolic will be with a club in the Champions League or Europa League group phases. Our group rivals Portugal and Switzerland are some way ahead of us in this respect.

During the European Championship tournament campaign there wasn’t one match like this one against the Faroes will be, so clearly for me this will be the hardest match this year. It will certainly not be an easy task – the Faroe Islands are a very difficult opponent with a style of play probably most similar to that of Iceland. In Europe there are now no small teams and the Faroes have an excellent Danish coach. Physically they are very strong so an extremely tough match awaits us, one which is very important for us from the perspective of World Cup qualification.

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We don’t just need to prepare for the opponent but also for the circumstances too. On artificial surfaces things don’t work in the way players are accustomed and the weather forecast doesn’t make things any easier. In the Faroe Islands it is 11 degrees celsius during the day and the air is very moist which is simply a fact that we have to contend with. I am happy that in Telki this week we’ve been able to use a similar pitch to the one we will find next Tuesday so we can imitate one part of the conditions as part of our preparations”.

Had Storck’s current squad been selected for Euro 2016 it would have been the youngest squad in the tournament. Earlier this week some of the squad’s foreign-based contingent also underwent physical tests at the Vasas Pasarét Sportcentrum under the supervision of Storck and his coaching staff.

Photo: MTI

 

With just nine days to go until Hungary’s first FIFA World Cup qualifier away against the Faroe Islands on 6th September, the final squad is deep in preparation for the game in Torshavn.

Sunday saw the continual arrival of foreign-based squad members as they joined up with those domestically-situated players who are in the final squad and had trained with Bernd Storck and his staff all last week. Those who only played with their clubs on Sunday arrived yesterday, some of them in time for Mr Storck’s first group training session, a regenerative session for those who played at the weekend and a full workout for those who didn’t.

This is the first time since the successful Euro 2016 campaign that the whole squad has met, so the usual physical and tactical tasks are being dealt with as well as the special circumstance of having to play the next fixture on an artificial surface, so from now on training sessions will take place on the new artificial pitch in Telki. Late last week, a training match between the full squad and their Under-21 counterparts took place there, a match which ended 4-2 to the senior team against a younger side which lined up in a 4-4-2 formation to mimic the preferred formation of the Faroes.

In the confirmed final squad for the qualifier are youngsters such as Zsolt Kalmár of RB Leipzig, Dávid Kálnoki-Kis of Újpest and István Kovács of Videoton. Diosgyőr’s István Kovács is rewarded for his excellent recent form with a place in the 24-man list which takes on a rather unfamiliar look due to injuries to the experienced Ferencváros trio of Zoltán Gera, Ádám Pintér and Gergő Lovrencsics. In addition Vasas’ Máté Vida may rejoin the squad after his appointment with the Under 21s who play Liechtenstein in a Euro qualifier on Thursday.

The full squad

Goalkeepers:

Dibusz Dénes (Ferencváros)
Gulácsi Péter (RB Leipzig)
Megyeri Balázs (Greuther Fürth)

Defenders:

Bese Barnabás (Le Havre)
Fiola Attila (Puskás Akadémia)
Guzmics Richárd (Wisla Krakow)
Kádár Tamás (Lech Poznan)
Kálnoki-Kis Dávid (Újpest FC)
Korcsmár Zsolt (Vasas)
Korhut Mihály (Hapoel Beer Sheva)
Lang Ádám (Videoton FC)

Midfielders:

Bognár István (DVTK)
Elek Ákos (DVTK)
Kalmár Zsolt (RB Leipzig)
Kovács István (Videoton FC)
Kleinheisler László (Darmstadt)
Nagy Ádám (Bologna)
Vida Máté (Vasas) TBC

Forwards:

Böde Dániel (Ferencváros)
Dzsudzsák Balázs (al-Wahda)
Németh Krisztián (al-Garafa)
Nikolics Nemanja (Legia Warszaw)
Priskin Tamás (Slovan Bratislava)
Stieber Zoltán (Kaiserslautern)
Szalai Ádám (Hoffenheim)

As well as the Faroe Islands, Hungary will also face two other teams who reached the knockout stages of Euro 2016 – Switzerland and eventual winners Portugal – in addition to Latvia and Andorra during their qualifying group for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. From the nine groups, only the winners automatically qualify with the eight best second-placed teams contesting a play-off round for the last four places.

Photo: MTI

According to mlsz.hu, Hungary head coach Bernd Storck has named the foreign-based players who will comprise part of his squad for the opening FIFA World Cup qualifier away against the Faroe Islands on 6th September.

While the domestically based squad members selected last week have been training at the national team’s training centre in Telki since Monday, Mr Storck has announced who will join them for the second week of his squad’s preparations for new qualifying campaign. Fourteen players will come home from abroad including Balázs Megyeri and Zsolt Kalmár who weren’t part of the final Euro 2016 squad, as well as five players from the continental tournament in France who have since moved to foreign pastures now, Barnabás Bese, Ádám Nagy, Balázs Dzsudzsák, László Kleinheisler and Zoltán Stieber.

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Bernd Storck had this to say on his selections:

“I wouldn’t like to make many changes to the squad but there are several new players in the group. Here I’m primarily thinking of Zsolt Kalmár who, after a time away, has now returned to the national-team fold. He has plenty of potential in him, can play in several positions and has come back from his loan spell in Frankfurt determined to win a place in the RB Leipzig team. Naturally we’ll be taking a look at all the others too – everyone has worked hard at their clubs and I trust they’ll be in good condition after our preparations and looking forward to the first World Cup qualifier”.

The full list of foreign-based national-team squad members:

Goalkeepers:

Gulácsi Péter (RB Leipzig)
Megyeri Balázs (Greuther Fürth)

Outfield players:

Bese Barnabás (Le Havre)
Dzsudzsák Balázs (Al-Wahda)
Guzmics Richárd (Wisla Krakow)
Kádár Tamás (Lech Poznan)
Kalmár Zsolt (RB Leipzig)
Kleinheisler László (Darmstadt)
Nagy Ádám (Bologna)
Németh Krisztián (Al-Gharafa)
Nikolics Nemanja (Legia Warsaw)
Stieber Zoltán (Kaiserslautern)
Priskin Tamás (Slovan Bratislava)
Szalai Ádám (Hoffenheim)

Photo: MTI

Hungary head coach Bernd Storck has named an 18-man squad to participate in the first part of a fortnight-long training camp in Telki from Monday 22nd August onwards.

Following Hungary’s successful Euro 2016 campaign this summer the team will, on 6th September, embark on the qualifying campaign for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. A difficult group awaits Storck’s men, the only one with three participants of the Euro 2016 knockout stages in it, amongst them the European champions Portugal. As well as hosts Russia, 13 teams from this continent will qualify for the World Cup – the winners of each of the eight qualifying groups plus four teams who win two-legged play-off ties contested by the second-placed teams from the eight groups.

As well as the afore-mentioned Portugal, Hungary will also face the Faroe Islands, Switzerland, Latvia and Andorra in their bid to become one of those eight qualifying group winners. Their first fixture will be away in Torshavn on 6th September against the Faroes, an opponent they faced in the last Euro campaign when they won home and away, 1-0 in Torshavn thanks to an Ádám Szalai goal and 2-1 at home thanks to substitute Dániel Böde’s double strike. The training camp starting on 22nd August will feature only domestically-based players but they will be joined by Hungary’s ‘foreign legion’ on 29th August for the second week.

Seven players from the Euro 2016 adventure will feature during both weeks, amongst them Zoltán Gera who has decided to continue his international career despite his long-time teammates Gábor Király and Roland Juhász recently announcing their retirement.

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Several players from the national Under 21 squad can be found on Storck’s latest list of names as well as those totally new to the international scene such as Diosgyőr’s István Bognár and Honvéd’s Márton Eppel. Videoton’s István Kovács also returns to the fold.

Bernd Storck explained his thoughts on the camp to www.mlsz.hu:

“The first week will be comprised of intensive work including physical tests and measurements before we then play a training match at the end of the week against our Under 21 team who will play Liechtenstein on 1st September in a U-21 European Champioship qualifier. The call-up to this camp doesn’t mean the players can consider themselves a part of the squad for the big forthcoming matches, but for them this is a chance to show they will be a contender for a place in the national squad sooner or later”.

After Friday’s training match the U21 players will link up with their squad for that qualifier against Liechtenstein but the gaps left will be filled by Hungary’s foreign-based contingent on Sunday when the squad reconvenes following Saturday’s rest day.

Storck continued: “I’d like to thank the clubs for the opportunity to start our preparations for the important World Cup qualifier earlier than originally planned – this opportunity gives players the chance to prove themselves at Telki. Besides this, I’d like to thank the supporters for their understanding too in regard to the late changes to the NBI schedule [in order to facilitate this camp]”.

The 18-man squad for the first week of the training camp:

Goalkeepers:

Dibusz Dénes (Ferencváros)
Kovácsik Ádám (Videoton FC)

Defenders:

Baki Ákos (MTK Budapest)
Botka Endre (Budapest Honvéd)
Fiola Attila (Puskás Akadémia)
Hangya Szilveszter (Vasas)
Korcsmár Zsolt (Vasas)
Korhut Mihály (Debreceni VSC)
Lang Ádám (Videoton FC)

Midfielders:

Bognár István (Diósgyőri VTK)
Csiki Norbert (Gyirmót FC)
Elek Ákos (Diósgyőri VTK)
Gera Zoltán (Ferencváros)
Kovács István (Videoton FC)
Nagy Dominik (Ferencváros)
Vida Máté (Vasas)

Forwards:

Böde Dániel (Ferencváros)
Eppel Márton (Budapest Honvéd)

Photo: MTI