Rossi upbeat despite squad changes

Other setbacks for Rossi include playmaker Roland Sallai's restricted availability, his return to German club SC Freiburg now necessary following the Hungarian national team’s European Championship play-off semi-final against Bulgaria, which means he'll not be available for the Nations League fixtures against Serbia and Russia. Péter Gulácsi will also have to return to his club RB Leipzig, also of Germany, after the game against Serbia. Rossi's goalkeeping struggles have been exacerbated by Ádám Kovácsik's injury during the team’s training sesson on Tuesday, the MOL Fehérvár number one being forced to withdraw from the squad. His place has been taken by Paks' Lajos Hegedüs. From the original squad announced on 28th September, Benjamin Babati of Zalaegerszeg is also missing due to an injury sustained in his club's league match last weekend.

Neverthless, head coach Rossi believes his team can win in Sofia with a disciplined, motivated game, attitude and tactical discipline being the likely key factors for success in Thursday evening’s knockout match.

"Our opponent will be a team that fights and never gives up, and several of their squad members are capable of great things individually," Rossi said. "We know our opponent's strengths and weaknesses, I trust the abilities of my players and I know that with the right attitude and adherence to the tactics we've practised, we can be successful in Sofia. There is not much difference between the two teams, our rivals being able to benefit from playing at home in front of their supporters, but we are going to Bulgaria to win and we will do everything we can to win the match. We have a plan for the starting eleven and luckily we now have more options than usual for different positions, which is gives me a good problem to have in terms of selecting who to play".

In response to questions about the loss of Dominik Szoboszlai and the call-up of Loic Nego, Rossi answered:

"Szoboszlai's loss was unexpected, because everyone is aware of what he means to the national team, but we have other players who have similar technical abilities. With the right motivation and attitude, it is my hope that we can compensate for the problems caused by absent players. Everyone knows Nego well, as he's been playing football in Hungary for a long time, so we are well aware of his capabilities. He joined us two days ago, and has only trained with the team twice, but it is possible that he will already have a role to play in our team to take on Bulgaria".

Meanwhile, Sallai talked about Bulgaria's fighting qualities being a weapon which will add to their home advantage:

"We have a tough match ahead of us, one in which our target has to be play a style of football which will get us goals. We have to put on the gloves in which we can do battle with the Bulgarians, but as a team and individually, the scales can swing in our favour. It’s a big blow that several of our players can’t be with us, but those who are here are capable of making up for those absent. Unfortunately, Hungarian fans can't be there in the tribunes, so we are fighting to be able to play one more qualifier in the Puskás Arena in November, where we'd have a similar advantage over our opponent".

One debutant in the squad, striker Norbert Könyves, also answered journalists' questions, stating he felt welcomed because every squad member had helped him integrate, that his first impressions were very good and that in Sofia the most important thing would be for the team to follow the head coach's tactical instructions.