Stadium: Ferenc Puskás.
The Hungarians have never beaten the Portuguese in their 13-match losing streak. Will Marco Rossi’s side make headlines at the start of UEFA EURO 2020? We predict that the reigning European champions will not allow it!
Hungary
Hungary are a team that must be well aware that UEFA EURO 2020 is an exciting journey and a great experience for them, but nothing more than that, as they will be playing in the same group as the reigning world champions France, the reigning continental champions Portugal and the Germans in the last tournament with Joachim Löw. The Hungarians are going nowhere under such a pile of stars, although they are in great form at the moment. The last time they lost to the Russians was on September 6, 2-3, after that they have allowed four draws in 11 meetings and won another seven times by a combined score of 16-3.
Portugal
At UEFA EURO 2020, Portugal will look to defend the title they won five years ago when they sensationally defeated the French 1-0 in the final, thanks to a goal from Eder. Fernando Santos’s side have had no problems qualifying for the 2020 UEFA continental championships, although they finished only second in their group, with the Ukrainians ahead of them. Qualification for the World Cup 2022 began very well for the Portuguese as well, as they beat Azerbaijan and Luxembourg - 1-0 and 3-1, respectively, and a draw against Serbia 2-2, although in that game, Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winning goal in the 93rd minute, the referee at the time did not see the goal.
Expert Betting Tips
Hungary are a very comfortable rival for the Portuguese, as the Hungarians have never managed to win in their 13-match history of a head-to-head encounter, settling for just four draws. Of course, we can’t expect that to change now either, as the defending European champions are vastly superior to their rivals. Moreover, we can see that Group F is incredibly competitive with three teams fighting for playoff exits, so Fernando Santos’ charges should easily pick up three points here and get ready for more important games, and you can bet on Portugal’s victory with a handicap (-1.5) with odds of about 2.41.
The two best teams in each group, as well as the top four from the third-placed teams, will be directly qualified for the European Championship play-offs. The Portuguese team will play in the same group as Germany and France, so they will all lose points in their head-to-head encounters, which is why the goal difference that can be created in the game with the main group underdog, the Hungarians, is especially important. On this basis, the best option for the prediction seems to be Portugal’s Individual Total Over 2.5 goals at odds close to 3.16.
Cristiano Ronaldo is, of course, waiting for the matches against Germany and France, where he can prove himself, but it will be much easier to increase his scoring statistics in a match against Hungary. There is no doubt that the Portuguese will be fit for UEFA EURO 2020, so he will not have the kind of physical problems that have cropped up time and again for the season. After all, 36 years is a long way off. It is important to note that even without much stability he managed to score 29 goals in 33 Serie A games, and in the Champions League, he scored four goals in six games. In such a situation, a bet on a Cristiano Ronaldo goal with odds of around 1.90 is worth considering.
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