Zoltán Gera: We have a great opportunity

At the beginning of the week, the unfortunate series of events surrounding the U21 national team - which is preparing for the European Championship jointly-hosted by Hungary - continued, seven footballers who would have expected squad selection being ruled out due to illness, but the ordeal was not over. Dániel Zsóri's knee crumpled under him in a challenge in training on Sunday afternoon and on Monday it turned out that the Budafok forward had suffered a cruciate ligament rupture, which will rule him out for several months.

On Monday, Donát Bárány was also unable to finish training due to minor thigh pain, but fortunately the tests showed no lasting damage, so the DVSC player will remain in the squad, which can now be considered final except for one spot. Of the 20 named outfield players, Pál Dárdai and Dániel Zsóri have been replaced by Csaba Bukta and Bence Bíró.

"Unfortunately, several regular squad members have had to withdraw from the squad, most recently Dániel Zsóri, who has been replaced by Bence Bíró. He's not unknown to us and his call-up will have a positive effect on the players, because he has a very good mentality and now gets a chance to prove himself. I think the team has responded well to the difficulties, everyone is very optimistic and is looking forward to the first match", Gera told those participating in the official online pre-match press conference.

"We have a plan for how we want to play in the match against the Germans, we are prepared and the players are aware of what we expect from them. We haven’t changed the tactics despite the squad changes and we trust the players we have available. Let's not forget, however, that we'll play against very strong national teams in the group stage. We respect our opponents but we are not afraid of them, and we see the meetings as an opportunity.

Our dream is to progress from the group stage, but the most important thing is for the team to perform well. We have analysed our first opponent, Germany, and we want to prevent them from playing to their strengths, but this requires 100% concentration, enthusiasm and discipline" Gera concluded.

Meanwhile, MTK youngster Szabolcs Mezei also spoke at the press conference of the desire within the team to prove itself:

"Everyone is very motivated and the newcomers were welcomed by the rest of the squad, because everyone has been preparing for this European Championship for two years and wants to be here. Many of us are playing regularly in Hungary's top league, which is very good for the national team, as it has strengthened the depth of the squad. All three opponents will be very strong based on form on paper, and we'll probably have the best chance of winning against Romania, but we can't rely on that. Of course, we want to spring surprises in every match".

Hungary's U21 European Championship squad:

Goalkeepers:

Balázs Bese (Budafok)
Péter Kovács (Budaörs)
Martin Auerbach (Puskás Akadémia)

Defenders:

Botond Balogh (Parma)
Bendegúz Bolla (MOL Fehérvár)
László Deutsch (Puskás Academy)
András Huszti (Budafok)
Attila Mocsi (Haladás)
Tamás Olivér (Paksi FC)
Benedek Varju (MTK Budapest)

Midfielders:

András Csonka (Budafok)
Kristóf Hinora (Vasas)
Mihály Kata (MTK Budapest)
Szabolcs Mezei (MTK Budapest)
Martin Palincsár (MTK Budapest)
Norbert Szendrei (Budapest Honvéd)

Forwards:

Donát Bárány (DVSC)
Bence Bíró (MTK Budapest)
Csaba Bukta (Altach)
Tamás Kiss (Puskás Académia)
Márk Kovácsréti (Kisvárda)
Alen Skribek (Budafok)
Adrian Szőke (Heracles)