Preview: Hungary vs Greece - prediction, team news, lineups

Both reeling from their failure to make it to the 2026 World Cup, Hungary and Greece lock horns in Budapest for a friendly match on Tuesday night with hopes of ending the international break with a victory.

Marco Rossi's side will be looking for a second victory in a row after overcoming Slovenia 1-0 during the week, while the Greeks will be looking to return to winning ways after losing to Paraguay 1-0.

Match preview

Hungary looked well placed to secure a playoff spot during their qualifying campaign after collecting seven points from their opening four matches, leaving them needing just a draw at home against the Republic of Ireland in their final group fixture.

However, the Magyars were subject to a stunning late Troy Parrot hat-trick, meaning their long absence from football's biggest tournament continues, with their attention now turning to international friendlies rather than preparation for the summer.

Although they have featured at each of the last three European Championships, Hungary have not played at a World Cup since 1986 and must now wait another four years for the next opportunity to end that drought, with both the Euros and Nations League offering chances to rebuild momentum and get their fans back on side in the meantime.

They did respond positively to their heartbreaking loss with a hard-fought win over Slovenia, secured by a Szabolcs Schon goal, and will now look to build momentum by ending the international break with back-to-back victories.

Another friendly against Finland awaits in June before the Nations League campaign begins later in the year, where Ukraine, Georgia and Northern Ireland make up their group.

Like their upcoming opponents, Greece also fell short in their qualification bid, finishing behind Denmark and Scotland in Group C to miss out on a place at the tournament.

A 3-1 defeat to the Danes back in October confirmed their fate, ensuring it will be a third consecutive World Cup without an appearance, with their last outing on the global stage coming in 2014.

The Azure & White initially started their qualifying campaign strongly, thrashing Belarus 5-1, but three straight losses and just four more points in the rest of the campaign meant they finished third in their group and four points adrift of second place.

They have since turned their focus to friendly matches but endured a disappointing start, losing 1-0 at home to Paraguay, a result that leaves them with just one win from their last six games in all competitions.

Ivan Jovanovic’s men will look to use this final friendly as a chance to build confidence ahead of their Nations League campaign, where a challenging group featuring Serbia, Germany and the Netherlands awaits them in September.

These two come head-to-head for the first time since 2022, when they faced off in a friendly, which Hungary won 2-1.

Hungary International Friendlies form:

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Hungary form (all competitions):

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Greece International Friendlies form:

Greece form (all competitions):

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Team News

Having named four uncapped players in their original squad, two debuts could still be handed out for Hungary on Tuesday night.

Donat Barany and Tamas Szucs both earned their first caps as substitutes in the win over Slovenia, while Mark Csinger and Aron Yaakobishvili are still waiting in the wings for their senior international debuts.

Schon also came off the bench and made his mark with his first-ever international goal, he could push for a start in place of Roland Sallai for this one.

Expect Liverpool duo Milos Kerkez and Dominik Szoboszlai to start for Rossi once again.

Greece, meanwhile, appear to have no new injury concerns following their defeat to Paraguay, although changes to the starting lineup are expected in their bid to return to winning ways.

Ivan Jovanovic made nine alterations for that match, with only Odysseas Vlachodimos and Pantelis Hatzidiakos completing the full 90 minutes, and both are likely to retain their places.

Greece captain Anastasios Bakasetas is also expected to resume in midfield as he looks to add to his 19 international goals while their top scorer in the World Cup qualifying campaign, Christos Tzolis, is expected to make his 32nd appearance for his country.

Hungary possible starting lineup:

Toth; Bolla, Orban, Dardai, Kerkez; Schafer, Vitalis; Schon , Toth, Szoboszlai; Lukacs

Greece possible starting lineup:

Vlachodimos; Rota, Mavropanos, Hatzidiakos, Tsimikas; Mouzakitis, Kourbelis; Karetsas, Bakasetas, Tzolis; Douvikas

We say: Hungary 2-1 Greece

Both sides enter this fixture looking to respond after disappointing qualification campaigns, and with little separating them, a closely contested encounter is expected.

We expect the hosts to make the most of their home advantage and secure back-to-back victories for the first time in over two years.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.