We start with a blank sheet of paper this year

Friday saw Hungary head coach Marco Rossi hold his last training session with his squad before Saturday's home friendly match against Slovenia. Centre-back Willi Orban, who'd arrived in Telki a few hours earlier, trained with everyone else during this session, but two players who will definitely not be able to play on Saturday, Barnabás Varga and Kornél Szűcs, have returned home from the national-team camp due to injury.

At the pre-match press conference held before the training session, Rossi made it clear he considers it important for the national team to start the year well.

"This will be the first match for the new head coach of Slovenia, so we don't know how our opponent will line up, but that's not the most important thing at the moment. They have a solid defence and fast wingers, so a difficult match is expected. We're starting the year with a clean slate, so a good start is very important. I can't count on eight players from the squad originally announced, so I hope that no new members of the squad will be forced to drop out before the match," admitted Rossi, who revealed that the starting line-up is not yet confirmed in his mind, but that he's planning to hand starts to both Milán Vitalis and Dániel Lukács.

Meanwhile, András Schäfer, who was unable to play for Union Berlin in the previous two Bundesliga rounds due to suspension, also attended the press conference and revealed that he has tried to use the enforced break to rest.

"There are many new players in our squad, but unfortunately there are also many injured players. We're trying to help the new players aand I hope they can fit in as soon as possible, because we have a great need for new players who can step up in the national team and help us achieve our goals.” Schäfer also emphasised that everyone in the squad has already moved on from their last match against Republic of Ireland and feels that it would be a mistake to still have that in their minds.

The match against Slovenia will be officiated by Norwegian Rohit Saggi, his assistants due to be compatriots Anders Olav Dale and Jørgen Rønning Valstadsve, the VAR assistant Kristoffer Hagenes, and the fourth official Karoline Marie Jensen.