Hungary will host Portugal at Puskás Aréna for the first time since September 2017, on Tuesday, June 15. Portugal have been the more successful team in three of their last four trips to Hungary, however, they have only once managed to defeat Hungary with more than a goal to spare.
Hungary vs Portugal
Where: Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary
When: Tuesday, June 15 – 18:00 CEST
Weather: Intermittent Clouds, 25°C
Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (TUR)
After hitting all three of our betting predictions for Monday, June 14, we’re back with another EURO 2020 betting preview for a match between Hungary and Portugal.
Portugal enters this match as heavy betting favourites, having already beaten Hungary at their home ground three times since 1998. Still, the Navigators should know that Hungary don’t give in too easily, which could make this bout much closer than expected.
Slight Injury Concerns for Hungary
Hungary will begin their EURO 2020 campaign with a tough match against the reigning EURO champions, Portugal, who travel to Hungary hungry for all three points. Even though the visitors should outclass Hungary, the hosts can at least comfort themselves knowing that home games are their speciality.
Hungary are unbeaten in their last six home games, which includes three wins against Iceland (2-1), Turkey (2-0), and Cyprus (1-0), as well as three draws with Serbia (1-1), Poland (3-3), and Ireland (0-0).
Not precisely spectacular results, but good enough for us to view Hungary as a resilient home side. Perhaps most impressive is their backline, which leaked more than a goal in only one out of their last six home fixtures.
Hungary enter this match with a few missing players. That includes Zsolt Kalmar, Mate Patkai, Barnabas Beze, and Dominik Szoboszlai. On a more positive note, Marco Rossi will be able to count on Roland Sallai, who will return to the team.
Despite missing quite a few names, Rossi has plenty of option to fill in the gaps and should assemble a competitive squad for their EURO 2020 opener.
Portugal’s Superior Quality
Portugal will miss Joao Cancelo for this match after he has tested positive for COVID-19. On a more positive note, he is the only missing player for the Navigators.
Portugal will look to break Hungary with the help of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva, and Diogo Jota. Helping the three will be Bruno Fernandes to round up a very potent frontline.
The four players have combined 82 goals on the season, which includes 36 from Ronaldo and 28 from Fernandes. In addition, Silva and Jota have contributed five and 13 goals for their teams this term.
Although a scary frontline, Portugal’s main strength lies in the midfield, where they field one of the best players at the tournament. This allows Portugal to control the tempo of the game and exploit their opponent’s weaknesses, although it’s not characteristic of Fernando Santos’s men to go all out and chase goals.
Portugal clearly have enough talent to take on any team, but you can’t underestimate Hungary at their home stadium. Rossi’s men have proven to be very resilient and have done well against some of the best teams in the world before, which suggests Portugal could be in for a more challenging match than initially expected.
Hungary vs Portugal Betting Picks
Portugal have more than enough talent to win here, but we don’t expect to see a complete stomp. Hungary have kept Portugal at one goal in two of their last three meetings in Budapest (0-1, 0-1), with a 3-3 draw at EURO 2016 sandwiched between those two results.
Expecting Hungary to win is not realistic, nor do we believe Portugal will walk away with a very commanding score. A draw or a narrow 1-0 victory for the visitors seems likely.
Prediction: Under 2.50 goals – 1.94 at Sportmarket
For premium betting picks and predictions, join our premium membership, where we cover football, tennis, horse racing, golf, and more. For the duration of EURO 2020, we’re offering a discount for all subscribers – read more about it HERE.
