Prediction: Hungary vs Ukraine

Hungary and Ukraine will meet at Puskas Arena on Friday evening, as both teams begin their Nations League Group B2 campaigns.

Neither side qualified for the World Cup, and this competition offers a chance to rebuild some confidence. Georgia and Northern Ireland complete the group.

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

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

The 3-2 defeat against Republic of Ireland was a painful way to finish, but the results since then have been encouraging. Marco Rossi’s team beat Slovenia 1-0 and drew 0-0 with Greece in March, before recording victories over Finland and Kazakhstan in June.

Those four friendlies brought three wins, a draw and only two goals conceded. Hungary needs to carry that defensive improvement into competitive football, especially with several important attacking players unavailable.

Rossi had already made restoring stability at the back a priority when he announced his squad. The injuries to Barnabas Varga and Roland Sallai give him another reason to keep this game under control.

Without Varga occupying the central defenders and Sallai making runs around him, Hungary will have to find different ways to support its attack. Dominik Szoboszlai can still create chances from open play and set pieces, but the players around him need to give him somewhere to pass.

Milos Kerkez should help on the left, where his forward runs can pull Ukraine’s midfield across the pitch. Hungary must be careful about how many players follow him, though, because losing possession with both sides pushed forward would give the visitors space to counter.

The hosts have enough quality to win. Their selection problems suggest that a patient performance, with relatively few risks, would give them the best chance.

Hungary Team News

Varga, Sallai and Callum Styles have withdrawn through injury. Donat Barany, Zsolt Nagy and Milan Toth have been called up as replacements.

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

Willi Orban should provide experience in defense, with Mark Csinger and Kornel Szucs also available. Kerkez remains an important option on the left.

Andras Schafer and Alex Toth can help Szoboszlai in midfield. Further forward, Daniel Lukacs and Damir Redzic are among Rossi’s options as he adjusts to the loss of two established attackers.

Those changes make the attacking combination less predictable, although Hungary still has its captain to take responsibility for the final pass and dead balls.

Ukraine also has a World Cup disappointment to move past.

The 3-1 playoff defeat against Sweden ended its qualification hopes in March. They responded by beating Albania 1-0, then won 2-0 against Poland in their next friendly.

Successive wins without conceding offer a reasonable starting point for this trip. Hungary will have plenty of support behind it, and Ukraine needs to avoid giving the home crowd an early goal to celebrate.

Andrea Maldera has experienced defenders who should be comfortable spending spells without possession. Illia Zabarnyi and Mykola Matviyenko can help keep the back line together, while Vitaliy Mykolenko knows when to stay close to his central defenders.

The visitors should have opportunities to move forward through Georgiy Sudakov and Viktor Tsygankov. The question is how often they can find a teammate in the box, particularly with Artem Dovbyk missing.

There are alternative strikers in the squad, but this is still an awkward away game in which to establish new attacking combinations. Ukraine may be content to keep the first half tight and look for a better opening as Hungary becomes more eager to score.

That approach would suit the under 2.5 goals selection. Both teams have reasons to protect themselves while working around absences in attack.

Ukraine Team News

Dovbyk is out with an injury sustained at club level. Oleksandr Andriyevskyi is also unavailable because of appendicitis, with Ihor Krasnopir and Oleksandr Pikhalyonok brought into the squad.

Anatoliy Trubin should be a leading candidate to start in goal. Zabarnyi, Matviyenko and Mykolenko are available in defense, while Valeriy Bondar offers another central option.

Volodymyr Brazhko and Mykola Shaparenko can provide the midfield support for Sudakov. Tsygankov, Oleksandr Zubkov and Andriy Yarmolenko give Maldera different attacking choices.

Vladyslav Vanat, Roman Yaremchuk and Danylo Sikan are among the forwards competing to replace Dovbyk. Maldera has also added Vladyslav Veleten to the group for the busy international window.

Hungary vs Ukraine key factors to consider

• Hungary is unbeaten in four internationals in 2026, with three wins and one draw.
• Hungary conceded only two goals across those four matches.
• Hungary beat Slovenia 1-0 and drew 0-0 with Greece in March.
• Ukraine won its last two matches, beating Albania 1-0 and Poland 2-0.
• Hungary is without Varga, Sallai and Styles through injury.
• Ukraine is missing Dovbyk and Andriyevskyi.
• Both teams are beginning their Group B2 campaigns.

Conclusion

Hungary’s home advantage makes this a difficult trip for Ukraine, but the hosts are missing two players who usually do much of their work around the opposition penalty area.

Szoboszlai can still decide a close game. However, asking him to create enough chances for a convincing win becomes harder when Varga and Sallai are unavailable.

Ukraine has its own problem in replacing Dovbyk, while the clean sheets against Albania and Poland give the visitors something to build on defensively.

A narrow win for either team or a low-scoring draw would fit the circumstances. Under 2.5 goals is the best selection.

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

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