Hungary National Football Team

Manager / Marco Rossi
Appointed / June 2018
Captain / Adam Szalai
Top Scorer in Euro 2020 Qualifiers / Willi Orban, 3
Top Scorer in Squad (Domestic season 2020-21) / Janos Hahn, 22 (Paksi FC, Hungarian First Division)
Most Carded in qualifying / Adam Nagy, 3
Group / F, vs. Portugal (16/06/2021), vs. France (20/06/2021), vs. Germany (24/06/2021)

* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing *

Hungary Road to Euro 2020

Hungary scraped into the tournament by the skin of their teeth and the 12 points they accumulated throughout their qualifying campaign is the lowest of any side who are taking part in this summer’s Euros. They placed 4th in a five team Group E finishing above only Azerbaijan in the group and managed to advance through to the playoffs via their impressive Nations League campaign.

They have fared better in the Nations League and a 2nd place finish in their league ensured promotion which secured the all-important playoff place. It was here they faced Iceland in Budapest and an early Gylfi Sigurdsson goal looked to have eliminated them. Loic Nego bagged an 88th minute equaliser before star man Dominik Szoboszlai scored a 92nd minute winner with an extraordinary solo goal. The celebrations were raucous and jubilant as the Hungarians secured themselves a place in the Euros in the most dramatic fashion.

In general it hasn’t been a good 30 years for Hungarian football however. The 2016 Euros was the first major tournament they had qualified for since 1986. They failed miserably in their World Cup 2018 qualification campaign losing to minnows Andorra in the process which was a new low in Hungarian football. Italian Marco Rossi was handed the managerial reins in June 2018 in a bid to rejuvenate and re-energise the national team. He seems to slowly but surely improving his team having lost just once in their last 11 competitive fixtures (W7-D3-L1). I can’t see this unbeaten run lasting long however with the Magyars drawn in the group of death alongside France, Germany and Portugal.

Hungary Euro 2020 Squad

The absence of star man Dominik Szoboszlai from the Hungarian squad this summer can’t be underestimated. The RB Leipzig midfielder is undoubtedly the country’s most influential and talented player and without him they are really lacking from an offensive point of view. There are a few other well-known names dotted around the squad but they are predominately in defensive positions and on the whole the squad looks relatively underwhelming.

Goalkeeper

Few issues from a goalkeeping standpoint for the Hungarians with undisputed number one Peter Gulacsi a very reliable performer. Gulacsi plays his club football at German Bundesliga side RB Leipzig who enjoyed a stellar season finishing 2nd behind only Bayern Munich. This campaign just gone also saw him marshal the meanest defence in the Bundesliga, with only 32 goals conceded. He saved around two-thirds of shots that came his way as he played every minute prior to being given a rest for the final match day. A forever reliable pair of hands, his coach over the last two years, Julian Nagelsmann, was praising his goalkeeper well into their first season together for his continued development: “His game has completely changed. He’s probably the player with the biggest change. He will be supported by Denes Dibusz and Adam Bogdan who now both play their club football for Hungarian side Ferencvaros. Neither will threaten Gulacsi who will all but certainly start all the games throughout the tournament.

Defence

Another strong area of the squad particularly is the centre of defence where Willi Orban, Atilla Szalai and Adam Lang form a very solid defensive trio. Orban plays alongside goalkeeper Gulacsi at RB Leipzig and like his club compatriot enjoyed a very impressive season. He is the standout defender within the squad and must be at his very best for the Hungarians to have any chance of qualification. Although Leipzig finished second in the league and cup, it was a good campaign for Orban personally. He finished top of the class among Die Roten Bullen for pass completion (91.3 per cent), tackle success (62.8 percent) and aerial duels won (136). He was also Hungary’s most used centre-back across Euro 2020 qualifying, as well as scoring in that play-off semi-final. Alongside him in a back 3 will be Szalai who has made himself a regular with Turkish giants Fenerbahce. Despite their deficiencies further up the pitch, the Magyars boast one of Europe’s best goalkeepers and a defender in form on the back of a standout season in Germany.

Midfield

Creative inspiration and chance conversion remain the main issue for the Hungarians and the absence of Szoboszlai will only heighten the problem. There are no real standout individuals other than him in midfield with it very much a workmanlike looking team in the middle of the park. Adam Nagy tends to do the dirty work and he will be a name some of you might recognise as he plays his club football for English Championship side Bristol City. Despite being just 25, Nagy is one of the most experienced players in the Hungary squad with 46 caps. In fact, only captain Adam Szalai (70) has won more than Nagy among those going to Euro 2020. Nagy will likely partner the lively Laszlo Kleinhesler in midfield who will bring energy but technically will struggle massively against the world class midfielders they are likely to come up against in Group F.

Attack

Rossi likes to play with two strikers in a rather pragmatic 3-5-2 formation. Captain and most experienced player Adam Szalai will lead the line partnered by Freiburg forward Roland Sallai. Szalai has struggled to make a mark at club level since rejoining Mainz at the start of last season, scoring just two Bundesliga goals. But at international level, he remains an important part of Hungary’s plans. He has 23 goals in his 70 international caps to date and is comfortably the top scorer in the Hungary squad this summer. Sallai who is naturally a winger for his club side plays in attack for Hungary to offer much needed pace in attack. Beyond that the rest of the attacking options are relatively unknown and play football in their native Hungarian league. Janos Hahn may be worth keeping an eye on having scored an impressive 24 goals in all competitions this season in just 31 appearances for his club side Paksi FC.

Hungary predicted line-up vs. Portugal: Dimitrievski; Gulacsi; Lang, Orban, Szalai; Nego, Kalmar, Nagy, Kleinheisler, Holender; Szalai, Sallai

Hungary Euro 2020 Betting Tips & Predictions

Veteran striker Adam Szalai is favourite to be top scorer for the Hungarians according to the bookmakers. However given his goalscoring form at club level (just 2 goals in 20 apps this season for Mainz) I think there is value to be had on his partner up front Roland Sallai. Sallai is a versatile youngster, playing a number of attacking positions, centrally and on the right wing. He notched eight times as many goals as Szalai this season in the German Bundesliga and at a price of 5.0 I feel there is some potential value in this selection.

Given the strength of the group they find themselves in and the general lack of goalscoring threat within the squad in the absence of Szoboszlai I don’t see Hungary scoring many goals this summer. They are priced at a generous 6.00 to be the lowest scorers in this summer’s tournament. While there are some weaker teams on paper such as North Macedonia; I feel the toughness of Group F makes Hungary exceptional value to be the team who score the lowest number of goals in the tournament.

Predicted stage of elimination: Group Stage

How to watch Hungary v France in Euro 2020

📅   When / Saturday, 19 June 2021, 14:00 BST
🏟   Where / Puskás Aréna (Budapest)
📺   TV / BBC One, ARD
📱   Online streaming / bet365