Hungary vs England
England head to the Puskas Arena in Budapest on Thursday for a World Cup 2022 qualifier against Hungary, and it’s a chance for Gareth Southgate’s young team to shake off the disappointment of Euro 2020 and keep their World Cup challenge on track.
The Three Lions are top of Group I with three wins from three but their hosts are a force to be reckoned with, the Magyars have seven points and can take top spot with a victory. It’s one of the ties of the week and it will be fascinating to see how the young Lions respond in their first competitive match since losing the Euro final to Italy on penalties. Southgate has been at pains to voice is support for the three players who missed penalties, Manchester United duo Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka.
None of the three have made spectacular starts to the Premier League season, but all are in the squad and the manager will have faith in them if called upon. Many of the other players who had their hearts broken by the Azzurri will be on show and the pre-match Hungary vs England betting odds say the Three Lions can recover immediately, at a price of 1.41…but I have a feeling it won’t be that easy.
Talking Points
Magyars love a big game
Any England fans who think that Southgate’s boys will have too much skill and strength for Marco Rossi’s Hungary should probably think again. The Hungary vs England highlights are unlikely to be a case of attack versus defence, with the hosts trying to hold off waves of England attacks. The Magyars are no respecters of reputation as they proved at the European Championships.
Drawn in the Group of Death at Euro 2020 Hungary gave a superb account of themselves; recovering from a 3-0 loss to Portugal by drawing 1-1 with World Champions France and then 2-2 with Germany. On the final day of the group games Hungary were in a qualifying position for most of the match, leading twice, but when the final whistles blew they were the unlucky team to miss out.
England’s defence, arguably the most suspect part of Southgate’s team, will be under serious pressure from a team which has scored ten goals in three qualifiers so far, and they will be fired up by a passionate home crowd. Twin strikers Roland Sallai and Adam Szalai have two goals each and they will give the England back line a real test while, at the other end of the pitch, Red Bull Leipzig defender Willi Orban will organise the hosts’ rearguard.
Bamford ready for England
During his tenure as England head coach Southgate has led the Three Lions to a semi-final at the Russia 2018 World Cup and a final at the Euros, so England fans are hoping the upward trend can continue and World Cup glory is on the horizon. The manager has not been afraid to hand out debuts and there could be a new cap for Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford on Thursday. The long running saga of Harry Kane’s future has dominated the Premier League news over the summer, and he is the first pick up front, but the withdrawal of Everton’s injured star Dominic Calvert-Lewin has opened the door to the Leeds star.
In the middle of the pitch the return to fitness of Jordan Henderson has made Liverpool title contenders again and that is good news for England too, as he provides much needed leadership in such a young team. The three Lions have already beaten Andorra, San Marino and Poland and will hope to lay the ghost of the Euro 2020 final with a fourth win in Budapest.
History
These two nations have met just five times since 1962 and England have won the last four of the meetings, while Hungary won the very first game 2-1, but this is the first encounter since 2010.
The Magyars are without a win in four, drawing three in that time, while England are unbeaten in 13, apart from penalty shoot-outs of course!
Betting Tip
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Hungary vs England | Total Goals 2-3 @ 1.86 |
| September 3, 2:45 AM |
With Hungary at SBOTOP odds of 6.56 and the draw at 3.78, anything other than an away win is at a good price. The double chance of Hungary or Draw is at 2.62, while
England -1.00 is available at odds of 1.73.
The Three Lions should come through this test, but I’m not entirely convinced they will have made a full recovery and Hungary will be full of confidence, so I’m hedging on a 1-1 draw or a 2-1 win either way.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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