We must dictate the tempo against Armenia

Hungary's squad members met in Telki on Monday in preparation for the matches against Armenia on Saturday and away in Portugal next Tuesday. In September, Armenia defeated Republic of Ireland after losing to group favourites Portugal, so they go into this World Cup qualifier with three points, two ahead of Hungary, who drew away in Ireland and narrowly lost a thrilling match at home to Portugal. 

"If we want to advance from the group, we must win this match against Armenia", Rossi admitted. "We have to dictate the tempo, we have to keep the ball and we mustn't rush - we must build up the play patiently. Our opponents tomorrow have several players who play football at a high level, but we have prepared for them and the entire team, so our guys are aware of what is needed to stop the opponent."

The head coach added that the players have worked well all week, and that after another training session on Friday afternoon, he will still have a couple of decisions to make before the match, such as who to leave out of the squad, who to include, and one more decision related to one of the attacking positions. "We must play as a team, attack and defend together. If we are compact, then individual skills will stand out, which is essential for success," Rossi continued. "It's happened before that important players have been missing and we've also played without Roland Sallai and Barnabás Varga in the past. Neither their absence nor anything else can be an excuse tomorrow - we must stay focused throughout, not lose our heads and we have to win the match!"

Meanwhile, Callum Styles stated it wouldn't be a problem for him to play in a different position for the national team to the one in which he plays for his club, adding that he considers himself a flexible player, having played as a midfielder before and can switch between different roles. "Armenia have already shown what kind of team they are; they defeated Ireland, so that's why it is important for us to prepare well," Styles emphasised. "We have to control the match and because we're playing in our own stadium, we have to play football accordingly. Our opponent will also play to win, so we have to pay attention to that, but we definitely want to win on Saturday. I've not scored a goal for the national team yet, so it would be nice to score, but I'm aware of my task within the team and I want to help my teammates so that we're successful."

Saturday's match will be refereed by Englishman Chris Kavanagh with Dan Cook and Ian Hussin as his assistants, Sam Barrott as the fourth official and Darren England assisting them from the VAR room.