Wales vs Hungary
Group E comes to a thrilling climax at the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday, when Wales welcome Hungary for a final game shoot-out.
Marco Rossi brings his Magyars to Wales knowing that a draw will be enough to take them to Euro 2020, which of course means the hosts will be on the attack in search of all three points.
Croatia is the big name in Group E, already through, and the World Cup finalists did Wales and Hungary favour by beating Slovakia to take them out of the picture. That means we’re sure to have an explosive night in Cardiff. Our SBOBET Euro 2020 team are backing the Dragons to breathe some fire on Tuesday night, with a home win at odds of 1.79. Wales (24th) are 26 places ahead of Hungary (50th) in the latest FIFA rankings,
But as one of the truly pivotal games in next week’s round of matches Wales vs Hungary will be the big Euro 2020 news and Rossi will make sure his team is up for the fight.
Talking Points
Wales stars set to shine
Head coach Ryan Giggs rested Aaron Ramsay in the 0-2 win over Azerbaijan, bringing him on for the last 30 minutes, and handing a half-hour breather to captain and talisman Gareth Bale. He juggled his squad well as they dominated from the off, and goals by Kieffer Moore and Harry Wilson handed them a comfortable victory, while young winger Dan James tormented their hosts all night.
Giggs knows he has a talented group of players but not the deepest of squads so he needs to handle his prize assets carefully. In the build-up to the match in Baku, he admitted he had an eye on the group climax in Cardiff. They needed two wins from two, but the pressure of the finale and the quality of opposition made Tuesday the priority.
Ramsay started on the bench which was great news for Wales fans, as this was his first appearance in the campaign having been dogged by injury at his new club Juventus.
Bale too hadn’t played since the draw with Croatia in October, so the two being fit for the Hungary match is a major boost. Bale has had a turbulent start to this campaign, seemingly on his way to China in the summer, with the blessing of Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane after upsetting team-mates and fans last season.
And it seems he’s at it again! He recently said he gets more excitement playing for Wales than for Los Blancos, which has raised a few eyebrows, and he has been dubbed ‘The Miracle in Wales’ by the Spanish press, as his last appearance for Real was at the beginning of October. He hasn’t even trained with his club colleagues since then.
Hungary
A 1-0 win over Azerbaijan has kept Hungary in the hunt after a good start to the group was undone by a difficult run. Rossi knows his defence will be under serious pressure and they will be well drilled. Botond Barath and Adam Lang are likely to line up as the centre back pairing, with full back Mihaly Korhut also in for a busy night.
The visitors will play on the break with Adam Szalai the lone striker upfront, possibly supported by Mate Patkai who has scored two goals from midfield in the campaign.
Szalai was on target in Hungary’s 1-2 defeat as they warmed up against a strong Uruguay team which contained Edinson Cavani, Luis Suarez, Rodrigo Bentancur and Diego Godin.
Rossi wanted his defence to be tested and it was, as the South American stars had 63 per cent of the ball and 20 shots on goal.
History
In the nine games played since Hungary’s heady days in the 1950s, Wales have won five, with the Magyars winning two and there have been two draws.
Hungary’s 1-0 win over Wales in Budapest thanks to a late goal from Patkai left the Welsh with a mountain to climb, but the Dragons have now given themselves a great chance to reach the finals of a major tournament for the second time since 1958.
They will remind themselves that missed chances, one golden opportunity for Bale, cost them dearly in Hungary as they were punished by a late onslaught.
Their opponents have a more illustrious history, in the 1950s the great Ferenc Puskas was the best player on the planet as the Magyars reached the World Cup final for the second time.
But in the now, Wales are the better side and home advantage gives them a big advantage. When playing at home Wales have not lost to Hungary in the last three encounters. And they are unbeaten in five at home.
Betting Tip
Wales vs Hungary | Wales Asian Handicap -0.50 @ 1.77 | |
November 20, 03:45 (GMT+8) |
Take a look at the Wales vs Hungary betting odds and you can expect a hard-fought game, but Wales’ individual quality and home advantage should make the difference.
Hungary are at 3.75 with the draw available at 3.35 but, particularly with Bale more excited playing for his country than club, I expect the Magyars to have a tough night!
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR () BETS ARE WORTH: | |||
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= €20 (Highly confident) | = €10 (CONFIDENT) | = €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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