Hungary vs Ukraine – News and Probable Lineups

Hungary and Ukraine kick off their UEFA Nations League season for 2026-27 on Friday evening.

Both teams compete in Group B2 alongside Georgia and Northern Ireland, with Hungary having been relegated from the top division last season.

Match overview

After failing to qualify for the World Cup playoffs due to a home loss against the Republic of Ireland, Hungary finds itself in a challenging rebuilding phase.

Despite the disappointing outcome, Marco Rossi has led his squad to an unbeaten streak of four matches.

Victories came against Slovenia, Finland, and Kazakhstan, while they also secured a goalless draw against Greece.

Including a 2-2 draw in Portugal, Hungary has experienced just one loss in their last eight fixtures, and Rossi is keen to remind his players of the potential they have to progress further.

Having appeared in the last three European Championships, the upcoming match represents an initial step toward qualifying for a fourth consecutive tournament.

While Hungary drops to League B, Ukraine narrowly missed out on promotion to League A after losing in the playoff to Belgium with an aggregate score of 4-3.

However, head coach Andrea Maldera, appointed in May, may find solace in facing less formidable opponents as he acclimates to his role as Ukraine’s first foreign manager.

Maldera began his tenure with a 2-0 win over Poland followed by a 2-1 defeat to Denmark, taking encouragement from both matches as he seeks to guide Ukraine to the top of this group.

Nevertheless, Ukraine hasn’t scored more than twice in a match in its last seven outings.

Team News

With Ronald Sallai and Barnabas Varga unavailable for Hungary, Rossi faces crucial choices in the attacking positions.

Damir Redzic and Daniel Lukacs might start on the right side and as the center-forward respectively, while Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai could potentially shift to the left.

Despite limited playing time at Bournemouth, Alex Toth is still expected to feature for the home side.

Ukraine’s Ruslan Malinoxyi will be absent, which might see Mykola Shaparenko returning to the midfield.

Paris Saint-Germain defender Illia Zabarnyi was deployed as a right-back in the latest fixture against Denmark.

Roman Yaremchuk is likely to spearhead the attack, while national team stalwart Andriy Yarmolenko may start on the bench.

Hungary probable starting XI:

B Toth; Osvath, Orban, Csinger, Kerkez; Schafer, Vitalis; Redzic, A Toth, Szoboszlai: Lukacs

Ukraine probable starting XI:

Trubin; Zabarnyi, Sarapiy, Matvienko, Mykolenko; Nazarina; Tsygankov, Shaparenko, Ocheretko, Sudakov; Yaremchuk

This match promises to be a closely contested affair, as Hungary seeks to overcome the disappointment of their World Cup playoff omission. Nonetheless, it seems likely that Rossi’s squad will prevail in a challenging clash, potentially finding the net towards the end of the match.