Republic of Ireland vs Hungary

Dublin’s Aviva Stadium forms the backdrop for an exciting friendly between the Republic of Ireland and Hungary.

Ireland’s unsuccessful attempt to return to the Euros for the first time since 2016 was the end of the road for long-serving manager Stephen Kenny, who was relieved of his duties immediately after the qualifying campaign. The Boys in Green suffered six defeats in eight qualifying matches, finishing second from bottom in Group B, only thanks to beating minnows Gibraltar twice. Kenny’s successor and former Manchester United defender, John O’Shea, kicked off his interim tenure with a commendable scoreless draw against European powerhouse Belgium before slumping to a narrow 1-0 home loss to Switzerland. O’Shea’s underwhelming start has extended Ireland’s winless run to four internationals (D2, L2).

In contrast to Ireland’s troubling qualifying campaign, Hungary went from strength to strength in Group G, going unbeaten in all eight games (W5, D3) en route to a top-table finish and their third consecutive Euro qualification. Marco Rossi’s men have got their warm-up campaign for the tournament off to a flying start, dispatching Turkey and Kosovo in the first set of friendlies by a 3-0 aggregate score. A fiercely contested duel awaits them in Dublin, with only three of Hungary’s 12 previous meetings with Ireland featuring a full-time margin of 2+ goals (W4, D6, L2). Adding to this sentiment, four of the Magyars’ last five away internationals have ended as a draw (W1), though just one produced a scoreless affair.