England will start ramping up its preparations for the World Cup when it visits Budapest to take on Hungary in the teams’ opener of the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League. The Three Lions went unbeaten in 10 games, winning eight of them, in qualifying for Qatar 2022, while the Hungarians finished fourth in the same group with the Brits. Hungary hasn’t made the World Cup since 1986. Now they are in a Nations League group with England, Italy and Germany, so they will need the crowd on their side. However, the qualifying meeting between the teams in September was marred by racist abuse hurled at England players, so the crowd will be limited to fans under 14 and one adult guardian per 10 children. More than 30,000 have requested the free tickets. England won that September game 4-0 and has not lost to Hungary since 1962.
Kickoff is set for 2:45 p.m. ET at Puskas Arena. England is the -250 favorite (risk $250 to win $100) on the 90-minute money line in the latest Hungary vs. England odds. Hungary is the +775 underdog, a draw is priced at +350 and the over-under for total goals scored is set at 2.5. Before you lock in your England vs. Hungary picks or make any UEFA Nations League predictions, you need to see what proven soccer insider Martin Green has to say.
After working in the sports betting industry for several years, Green became a professional sports writer and handicapper and has covered the game worldwide. Since then, his European soccer picks have been stunningly accurate. Green has generated more than $37,000 for $100 bettors since the 2017-18 season, and he has his finger on the pulse of the game all over the globe.
Now, Green has broken down Hungary vs. England from every angle and just locked in his picks and UEFA Nations League predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the betting lines and trends for England vs. Hungary:
- Hungary vs. England spread: England -0.5
- Hungary vs. England over-under: 2.5 goals
- Hungary vs. England money line: Hungary +775, England -250, Draw +350
- HUN: Hungary has conceded six goals over its last eight matches
- ENG: England has outscored Hungary 30-6 in the last 15 meetings
Why you should back England
The Three Lions are 12-3-0 against Hungary since 1962, and 16-3-5 all-time. Hungary won five of six between 1934 and 1962. Four of those were led by the man the stadium is named after, legendary striker Ferenc Puskas, as Hungary was at the forefront of revolutionizing “Total Football” in the 1950’s. Now, the England squad is one of the world’s best, led by striker Harry Kane but boasting numerous other scorers. Kane scored 29 goals in 49 games for Tottenham this season and has 49 in 69 career matches with the national team.
Manager Gareth Southgate has tons of other players who can complement Kane, including Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Bukayo Saka. Sterling had 17 goals in 47 games (32 starts) for Manchester City this season, while Foden scored 14 and Grealish had six for the loaded league champs. The English also have playmakers behind the strikers, including Mason Mount, who had 13 goals and set up 16 for Chelsea as one of the EPL’s top playmakers. Fullbacks Trent Alexander-Arnold and Reece James confound defenses with their crosses.
Why you should back Hungary
The Magyars pulled off a 1-1 draw against England at Wembley Stadium in the last matchup and have three draws in the past nine meetings. They have scored in four of the past five matchups, and they could find an England team looking ahead to matches with Italy and Germany, as well as the World Cup. The Nations League is unpopular among top players after a long club season and with Qatar right around the corner, Hungary might be able to take advantage of some apathy.
The Hungarians have a strong core from the German Bundesliga. RB Leipzig’s Peter Gulasci mans the net, and he tied for the league lead with 10 clean sheets this season. Red Bulls teammate Willi Orbán is a key presence on the back line, and midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai had six goals and eight assists for Leipzig. Freiburg‘s Roland Sallai has six goals in 25 games for Hungary, and captain Adam Szalai has 25 international goals. Szalai put almost 65 percent of his shots on target with Basel to lead the Swiss Super League and had four goals in 12 games.
How to make Hungary vs. England picks
Green has scrutinized the Hungary vs. England match from every angle, and he is leaning over on the goal total. He also provides two confident best bets and has a full breakdown of the match. He’s only sharing those his picks at SportsLine.
So, who wins Hungary vs. England in their UEFA Nations League matchup on Saturday? And where does all the betting value lie? Visit SportsLine now to see the best bets for the Hungary vs. England match, all from the European soccer expert who has generated more than $37,000 for $100 bettors over the past four seasons, and find out.