Luck and perfect performances are key against Portugal

Rossi's squad held its last training session before its opening European Championship match against Portugal on Tuesday, after which captain Ádám Szalai joined his head coach at the official press conference.

"Everything is fine in terms of motivation; there would not be a place in the national team for anyone who would have to be especially motivated for a European championship tournament," Rossi explained. "The players are very much looking forward to taking part in the tournament and representing Hungary. On the question of whom we should fear in tomorrow’s match, I could list the whole Portuguese team, the whole squad, as we are talking about the reigning European champion and the winner of the Nations League. All their players pose danger to us, but above all, their amazing forward line could fill us with concern, with even the substitutes' bench featuring world-class players. We'll have to compete with them as a team, play football in an organised way, help each other on the pitch and close down the space, as well as hoping for some luck, in order to gain a good result".

Rossi also revealed that Ádám Szalai will be a member of the starting line-up, as will Roland Sallai, who missed the warm-up matches earlier this month.

Indeed, Ádám Szalai will lead the Hungarian national team on to the pitch as team captain, and he believes that a much stronger Portuguese team awaits them than five years ago at the European Championship in France.

"One of the greatest achievements of my career is that I can wear the Hungarian national team captain's armband, and I am perfectly aware of the weight of responsibility on this," said the striker who has played his club football in Germany for the last decade. "I see my most important role in supporting my teammates and creating a cohesive unit both on and off the pitch. The European Championship five years ago got off to a fantastic start for us so we know well how important the first match is, but we also know the level of group opponents we have to play with in the coming days. We have to be very careful tactically and defensively and be brave with the ball. I expect a much stronger Portuguese national team than at the 2016 European Championship and I see a much stronger Portugal than I did five years ago".

Ádám Szalai went on to talk about the Puskás Arena and the 50,000+ Hungarian fans who will be inside it. One of the most beautiful experiences of his career was the opening match of the stadium in 2019 and the atmosphere at that match against Uruguay is still vivid in his memories.

"Everyone's biggest dream comes true by being able to wear the national team jersey in front of Hungarian fans at the European Championship. I am happy that we've come together at another European Championship and I'm really looking forward to the match", Szalai added.