Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill expects to see a hungry Hungary in Belfast tonight.
His team are due to take on the Hungarians in the second game of their latest UEFA Nations League campaign.
Northern Ireland began League B Group 2 with an impressive away success against Georgia, while top seeds Hungary lost by a goal to nil against Ukraine.
And O’Neill is expecting a backlash when the teams meet at the Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park (7.45 kick-off).
In his Manager’s View column in the matchday programme, he says: “This match against Hungary is going to be a stern test for us, especially given that Hungary will be looking to bounce back after they were beaten at home by Ukraine in their first game in this edition of the competition.
“When we look at the group on paper they are the strongest team – and they are also top seeds in B2. Hungary have got some very good players who play at the top level across Europe, so the game will be a great challenge.
“But we have acquitted ourselves well against bigger teams than Hungary in Belfast and beaten the likes of Slovakia at home. It would be a good scalp if we were able to take it.”
The game against the Hungarians is the second instalment of a Nations League quadruple header for O’Neill’s team across 11 days, with games against Ukraine (away) and Georgia (home) to come.
The Northern Ireland manager further says: “We know this will be a tough international window, especially this game against Hungary, but we are relishing the challenge.”
Reflecting on the 1-0 win against the Georgians in Tbilisi, O’Neill said he was proud of the team’s performance.
He notes: “I thought the players put in a magnificent performance against Georgia on Friday night.
“We showed every side of our character. We created chances, we were good on the ball and we showed great resilience when Georgia came at us in the second half, and I thought we coped well when some baffling refereeing decisions went against us.”
Northern Ireland will be without defender Daniel Ballard tonight after he picked up an injury in Tbilisi, but otherwise the squad is "in good shape" ahead of the B2 encounter, according to the Northern Ireland manager.
Like Georgia, Hungary have one star player who demands attention. In Georgia’s case it was Paris Saint-Germain superstar Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, player of the season in the UEFA Champions League in 2025-26 and Ballon d’Or nominee. In the case of Hungary it is Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai.
Joining Liverpool from RB Leipzig in July 2023 for a reported €70m fee, Szoboszlai is the most expensive Hungarian footballer of all time.
The midfielder has scored 31 goals and made 26 assists for the Reds in his 154 matches so far, while he has netted 18 times and made 12 assists in 66 appearances for Hungary. Technically gifted with great vision and an excellent range of passing, Szoboszlai is also a master on set pieces.
He is so important to Hungary that they typically line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with two defensive midfielders to enable Szoboszlai freedom of movement in the opposition’s final third.
Northern Ireland managed to keep Kvaratskhelia relatively quiet in Tbilisi and they will be hoping to keep the shackles on Hungary’s captain tonight.
They are not a one man team, however. Szoboszlai’s club colleague Milos Kerkez also brings creativity to the team from the left full-back position. He regularly joins Hungary’s attacks and provided three assists in his first 33 matches for his country.
Another Hungarian midfielder with strong pedigree is Andras Schäfer, who plays for Union Berlin in the Bundesliga. He is nearing the 50-cap mark for his country.
Tonight’s game is being shown live on BBC 1 Northern Ireland, BBC 3 network and on the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website and app. There will also be commentary on BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Sounds. And you can follow it on Northern Ireland social channels.
