MX23RW : Monday, March 18 20:59:16| >> :600:183885:183885:
[monks data]
Hungary national football team
European Championship | Group Stage
Jun 15, 2021 at 5pm UK
 
Portugal national football team
Hungary
0 - 3
Portugal

Nego (80'), Orban (86')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Guerreiro (84'), Ronaldo (87' pen., 90+2')
Dias (38')

Preview: Hungary vs. Portugal - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Tuesday's European Championship clash between Hungary and Portugal, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Portugal will be looking to win their second European Championship in succession this summer, and Fernando Santos's side open their Euro 2020 campaign with a clash against Hungary in Budapest.

A Selecao will be determined to make a strong start on Tuesday considering the strength of Group F, but Hungary are now a team to be taken extremely seriously at this level of football.


Match preview

Hungary players salute their fans after their final Euro 2020 warm-up game on June 8, 2021© Reuters

Hungary finished third at the 1964 European Championship before claiming fourth in 1972, but they then did not qualify for the finals of the competition until Euro 2016.

Nemzeti Tizenegy impressively topped Group F in the last European Championship - finishing ahead of Portugal in the process - before losing heavily to Belgium in the round of 16.

Hungary managed to book their spot in the finals of this year's tournament through the playoffs, overcoming Bulgaria and then Iceland, with Dominik Szoboszlai scoring a last-minute winner in the final, but an injury has ruled the talented 20-year-old out of the competition, which is a huge blow for the team.

Marco Rossi's side are unbeaten in their last 11 matches in all competitions, including strong wins over San Marino and Andorra in their 2022 World Cup qualification section.

Hungary's preparations for Euro 2020 were also solid, as they recorded a 1-0 win over Cyprus earlier this month before playing out a goalless draw with the Republic of Ireland. The strength of this section means that it is going to be a very tough task to finish in the top three positions, but a positive result against Portugal in their opener would certainly leave the fans dreaming of what could happen.

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring their second goal with Ruben Dias, Bruno Fernandes, Pepe and teammates on June 9, 2021© Reuters

Portugal, meanwhile, are the holders of the trophy, having triumphed at Euro 2016, beating hosts France 1-0 in the final courtesy of an extra-time effort from Eder.

There is simply no downplaying the importance of this clash, as a victory would place them in an excellent position ahead of their two toughest fixtures in the section; Germany will be their opponents in Munich on June 19, before taking on tournament favourites France in Budapest on June 23.

The Iberian nation did not win a single game in the group stages of Euro 2016, drawing all three of their matches, but they managed to qualify in third, which is an option again this summer.

Portugal overcame Croatia in extra-time before beating Poland on penalties to advance to the semi-finals, where they recorded a 2-0 victory over Wales to advance to the final.

A Selecao have a strong overall record in this competition, reaching the semi-finals in 1984, 2000 and 2012, while they were present in the quarter-finals of Euro 1996 and Euro 2008. Portugal were also runners-up on home soil at Euro 2004 and are fancied to advance deep into this year's tournament.

Santos's side will bring a six-game unbeaten run into this match, meanwhile, and they drew 0-0 with Spain before thumping Israel 4-0 in their two friendlies earlier this month.

Hungary form (all competitions):
  • W
  • D
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • D

Portugal form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • W
  • D
  • W



Team News

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo pictured on June 9, 2021© Reuters

As mentioned, Hungary will be without the services of talented RB Leipzig attacker Szoboszlai this summer, while an injury has also ruled out Zsolt Kalmar.

Willi Orban and Attila Szalai are certainties to start at the back, but the other position in the back three is open for debate, while the right-sided wing-back spot is also seemingly open at this stage.

Roland Sallai has recently been absent due to a slight issue, but the 24-year-old is expected to be fit for the section opener, joining the captain Adam Szalai in the final third of the field.

Attila Fiola could ultimately get the nod at the back, while Laszlo Kleinheisler may feature on the right in a 3-5-2 formation, with Bristol City's Adam Nagy lining up in the middle of the park.

As for Portugal, Bernardo Silva and Diogo Jota are expected to join Cristiano Ronaldo in the front three, while Bruno Fernandes is a certainty to start in a deeper position.

Portugal's midfield is incredibly strong in terms of depth, meaning that it is difficult to predict the two players that will feature alongside Fernandes, but Santos could ultimately select Danilo and William Carvalho to provide support to the back four.

Ruben Dias - off the back of an excellent season at Manchester City - will start in the middle of the defence and should be joined by Pepe, while Raphael Guerreiro's experience should see the 27-year-old given the nod over the talented teenager Nuno Mendes at left-back.

Joao Cancelo has tested positive for coronavirus ahead of the clash, though, meaning that there could be a start at right-back for Nelson Semedo.

Hungary possible starting lineup:
Gulacsi; Fiola, Orban, Attila Szalai; Lovrencsics, Kleinheisler, Nagy, Schafer, Holender; Sallai, Adam Szalai

Portugal possible starting lineup:
PatrIcio; Semedo, Dias, Pepe, Guerreiro; Danilo, W Carvalho, Fernandes; Bernardo, Ronaldo, Jota


SM words green background

We say: Hungary 0-1 Portugal

Hungary held Portugal to a draw when they locked horns at Euro 2016, and Santos's side are unlikely to have it all their own way on Tuesday. The holders need to get off to a strong start, though, and we fancy Ronaldo to inspire his side to an important victory over the Hungarians.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data



ID:451181:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect12245:

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Portugal win with a probability of 61.67%. A draw had a probability of 25.2% and a win for Hungary had a probability of 13.17%.

The most likely scoreline for a Portugal win was 0-1 with a probability of 18.83%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (14.59%) and 1-2 (8.14%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 0-0 (12.15%), while for a Hungary win it was 1-0 (6.78%). The actual scoreline of 0-3 was predicted with a 7.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Portugal would win this match.


Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Game History

How you voted: Hungary vs Portugal

Hungary
13.8%
Draw
9.1%
Portugal
77.1%
1308
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo talks to Bruno Fernandes on March 24, 2021
Read Next:
Portugal Euro 2020 preview - prediction, fixtures, squad, star player
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS

2024

Ranking of third-placed teams

GTeamPWDLFAGDPTS

Subscribe to our newsletter


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!