Prediction: Hungary Vs Ukraine

Hungary and Ukraine will face off at the Puskas Arena on Friday night as the two teams begin their Nations League Group B2 campaign.

Neither side has qualified for the World Cup and this game provides an opportunity to rebuild confidence. Georgia and Northern Ireland teams belong to this group.

judgment: Under 2.5 goals
Best odds: 4/5
Bookmaker: 1xBet

Hungary

Hungary has had time to recover from the disappointment of last year’s World Cup qualifying campaign.

The 3-2 loss to the Republic of Ireland was a bitter ending, but the results since have been encouraging. Marco Rossi’s side beat Slovenia 1-0 and drew 0-0 with Greece in March, before beating Finland and Kazakhstan in June.

These four friendly matches resulted in three wins and one draw, and only two goals were conceded. Hungary needs to bring defensive improvements into competitive football, especially with several key attacking players sidelined.

Rossi has already made Restoring stability in the backcourt is the top priority when he announced his lineup. Injuries to Barnabas Varga and Roland Salai gave him another reason to dominate this game.

If Varga takes center back and Salai runs around him, Hungary will have to find different ways to support the attack. Dominik Szoboszlai can still create chances from the air and from set pieces, but the players around him need to give him somewhere to pass the ball.

Milos Korkozy should provide help on the left, with his forward runs pulling the Ukrainian midfielder across the pitch. Hungary will have to be careful about how many players follow him, though, as losing possession with both sides moving forward can give the visitors space to counterattack.

The home team is good enough to win. Their selection problem suggested that patient presentation with relatively low risk would offer them the best chance.

Hungary Team News

Varga, Salai and Callum Styles withdraw due to injury. Donat Baranyi, Zsolt Nagy and Milan Todt have been called up as substitutes.

Denes Dibusz was left out of the original lineup to rest. Balazs Toth is among the available goalkeepers, along with Armin Pecsi and Bence Gundel-Takacs.

Willy Orban should provide experience on defense, as can Mark Singer and Cornel Schukes. Kolquez remains an important option on the left wing.

András Schaefer and Alex Todt can help Szoboszlai in midfield. Further forward, Daniil Lukac and Damir Rejic are among Rossi’s options as he adjusts to the loss of two established attackers.

The changes have made the attacking combinations more unpredictable, although Hungary still has a captain responsible for final passes and dead balls.

Ukraine

Ukraine still needs to experience defeat in the World Cup.

In March, a 3-1 loss to Sweden in the play-offs ended any promotion hopes. They beat Albania 1-0 and then beat Poland 2-0 in the next friendly.

Winning streak without losing Provides a reasonable starting point for this trip. Hungary will have plenty of support, while Ukraine will need to avoid giving their home fans an early goal celebration.

With experienced defenders in Andrea Maldera, they should be able to survive periods without possession with ease. Illia Zabarnyi and Mykola Matviyenko can help provide continuity at the back, while Vitaliy Mykolenko knows when to get close to the centre-backs.

The visitors should have chances to push forward through Georgy Sudakov and Viktor Tsygankov. The question is how often they can find teammates in the paint, especially with Artem Dovbik out.

There are replacement forwards in the team, but this is still an awkward away game and a new attacking combination will need to be established. Ukraine may have been content to keep the first half tight and look for a better start as Hungary became more hungry to score.

This method is suitable for target selection below 2.5. Both teams have reasons to protect themselves while the offense is out.

Ukraine Team News

Dovbick is out with a club-level injury. Alexander Andreevski is also absent due to appendicitis, and Ihor Krasnopil and Alexander Pikhajonok have been included in the squad.

Anatoly Trubin should be the leading candidate for starting goalkeeper. Zabarnyi, Matvienko and Mykolenko are available in defence, while Valery Bondar provides another centre-forward option.

Volodymyr Brazhko and Mykola Shaparenko can provide midfield support for Sudakov. Tsygankov, Alexander Zubkov and Andrei Yarmolenko provide Maldra with different attacking options.

Vladislav Vanat, Roman Yaremchuk and Danilo Sikan are among the forwards vying to replace Dovbik. Maldera also Add Vladyslav Veleten to group Busy international window.

Key factors to consider in Hungary vs Ukraine

Hungary remains unbeaten in four international matches in 2026, recording 3 wins and 1 draw.
Hungary has conceded just two goals in these four games.
In March, Hungary defeated Slovenia 1-0 and drew 0-0 with Greece.
Ukraine has won its last two games, beating Albania 1-0 and Poland 2-0.
The Hungarian team is missing Varga, Salai and Stiles due to injuries.
Ukraine is missing Dovbyk and Andreevski.
Both teams will start their Group B2 matches.

in conclusion

Hungary’s home advantage makes this trip a tough one for Ukraine, but the hosts are missing two players who usually do most of the work near the opposition penalty area.

Szoboszlai can still decide a close game. However, with Varga and Salai sidelined, it becomes more difficult to ask him to create enough chances to pull off a convincing victory.

Ukraine had its own problems replacing Dovbek, while clean sheets against Albania and Poland gave the visitors some defensive groundwork.

A narrow win or a low-scoring draw for either side would suit this scenario. Under 2.5 goals is the best choice.