The international break is currently underway, and with it comes a host of UEFA Nations League showdowns. Some of Europe's best teams will take to the field on Friday in preparation for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, one of which is Germany, as the continental powerhouse lock horns with Hungary in what should be an interesting game.
Despite being one of the favorites to win Qatar 2022, die Mannschaft are at risk of missing out on the UEFA Nations League finals. In order to make it out of the group stage and into the knockout round, Sane and Co. must top their group, but to everyone's surprise, it is the visitors that hold the number one spot.
The four-time World Cup winners are yet to lose a game under Hansi Flick, the manager who famously led Bayern Munich to the sextuple, and yet they sit a point behind their opponents in the table.
A huge reason for this is Germany's start to the UEFA Nations League campaign. While they did not lose any of their first three games, Flick's men didn't win any of those fixtures either, drawing 1-1 against Italy, England, and Hungary. That winless run came to an end in their 5-2 thrashing of the Azzurri in their most recent outing, with that result helping them leapfrog the Euro 2020 champions.
Timo Werner netted a quick-fire brace on that day while Kimmich, Gundogan, and Muller also got on the scoresheet. Germany must now make it back-to-back victories when Hungary visit as their final game is a showdown with England at Wembley, meaning they must get the job done on Friday.
However, Hungary have shown that they are no pushovers. Marco Rossi's men have enjoyed a meteoric rise from League C to League A and have taken the top-tier by storm, winning two of their four matches and securing seven points so far.
Despite this, it should be noted that their two victories came against one team: England. The first of their two showdowns with the Three Lions ended in a 1-0 victory for Magyarok courtesy of a controversial penalty, which Dominik Szoboszlai buried.
The return fixture took place at the Molineaux Stadium and that match has not yet been forgotten as Hungary marched to an astonishing 4-0 victory over Southgate's men. Rolland Sallai scored a brace on that day while Nagy and Gazdag also got on the scoresheet as the Central European nation tore apart FIFA's fifth-ranked country in the world.
Can they pull off a similar hurdle on the road against Germany? The visitors lost their other away fixture, going down 2-1 in Italy, but were able to hold die Mannschaft to a 1-1 draw and will be aiming for a similar upset.
Team news
Germany: Armel Bella-Kotchap has earned a well-deserved first call-up to the national team, but with the hosts battling it out with Hungary for a spot in the finals, the Southampton talent might not make his debut. Elsewhere, Marco Reus picked up a sad injury during Dortmund's win over Schalke and will play no part in this international break while Neuer and Goretzka were sent home after the Bayern Munich pair caught COVID-19.
Hungary: Roland Sallai is out for the hosts due to an eye injury, which is a huge blow. Dominick Szoboszlai, meanwhile, is back with the national side and given the absence of the aforementioned attacker, the RB Leipzig ace will likely have to carry the goalscoring burden.
Key stats
-
This will be the 37th encounter between these two European sides.
-
Despite being one of the beautiful game's best footballing nations in history, Germany's head-to-head record against the opposition isn't great, winning 13 times before but also losing 11.
-
Die Mannschaft boast a lovely 13-game unbeaten run, a streak that dates all the way back to their Euro 2020 exit.
-
Nonetheless, the four-time World Cup winners are winless in all but one of their last five outings.
Broadcast listings
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
