Rossi: I expect a high-intensity match in Dublin

Marco Rossi led a training session for Hungary's squad members in Telki on Friday morning, and by the evening was holding his official press conference at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, the venue of Saturday's Republic of Ireland vs Hungary FIFA World Cup qualifier.

"We've thoroughly analysed the opponent since their change of coach. We know their players and we know what we can expect from them on the field tomorrow, so I don't think the sides can spring any big surprises on each other," stated Hungary's head coach. "Portugal are at a different level than the other teams in the group, so we are expected to fight for second place with Republic of Ireland over the next two months. I expect an even match, which could even be decided by one single moment, so I hope that in the end, we will come out of the match on top. We're playing against a very solid rival and, knowing the opponent, I expect a high-intensity match, so we've tried to prepare perfectly for this in recent days. Of course, I know how important the World Cup qualifying campaign and tomorrow's match are for the fans and all Hungarians. As for me, since my first match, I've been working with 100% motivation for the team's success and this has not changed for a moment since my appointment."

Attila Szalai, defender at Turkish club Kasimpasa, also attended the press conference and emphasised that every player is aware of how much perseverance and humility the team requires to achieve its goal and qualify for next year's World Cup.

"Over the past year, we've lost a little bit of the identity that made us strong in recent times. We've had a few small ups and downs in this regard, part of which was due to the fact that the effectiveness of our defence had slackened," Szalai admitted. "We felt that we needed to improve our team unity in order to return to our previous form, so it's important that we stick to the tactical plan throughout our matches. Our goal is for Hungary to appear at the World Cup again after 40 years, but everyone is aware of how much work, perseverance and humility it will require for us to achieve this in this qualifying campaign. We have to go into every match playing to the best of our abilities. We know how important tomorrow's match is, because it will be our first match and against the team we are expected to compete with for [play-off] qualification. We want to start the campaign well."

Saturday's match will be refereed by German Tobias Stieler and he'll be assisted by Lasse Koslowski and Eduard Beitinger, with Harm Osmers as the fourth official and Benjamin Brand in the VAR room.