Hungary revved up for Euros opener as fragile Swiss seek turnaround

COLOGNE, Germany : Hungary and Switzerland open their Euro 2024 campaigns on Saturday with points to prove after starkly contrasting form, as they look to lay down some early markers for who will advance from the group stage.

Hungary have been oozing panache after an astonishing unbeaten run that lasted 20 months until last week, and are a side the fragile Swiss would have preferred to avoid for an opener in which they desperately need a confidence boost.

Switzerland finished second in the easiest of the groups after a dismal, at times clumsy qualifying campaign, beating only Andorra in their last eight games and squandering leads late on in four of those matches, against Romania, Kosovo, twice, and Israel.

Hungary and Switzerland are joined by Scotland and hosts Germany in a Group A that the form guide indicates is wide open.

Italian manager Marco Rossi has introduced to Hungary a brand of free-flowing football that has been generating excitement at home, with a stellar record since 2022 that has included wins away to England and Germany.

Rossi's team is built largely around creative midfield maestro Dominik Szoboszlai, who at 23 will be the youngest player to captain a side at a European Championship.

NOTHING TO LOSE

Szoboszlai was injured before Euro 2020 and spoke on Wednesday of his anguish in missing out on matches against heavyweights France and Germany that ended in draws and an early exit, fuelling his determination to help Hungary return stronger.

"We want to go as far as possible ... the team unity is really good, everyone has to go into the tournament with nothing to lose," he said.

"If we go into it with the right attitude, we can really achieve something great."

A win on Saturday could dramatically change