Hungary vs Finland Predictions
Hungary have more quality in the final third, and they should emerge with a narrow win in Friday’s international friendly fixture.
I have stakes on Hungary to win and under 2.5 goals scored.
Low-Scoring Home Win on the Cards
- Hungary have seen under 2.5 goals in 4 of their last 6 matches
- Hungary won 3 of their last 6 matches
- Hungary won 3 of their last 4 matches against Finland
- Finland lost 5 of their last 9 matches
- Finland have seen under 2.5 goals in 2 of their last 3 matches
Hungary Edge Finland in H2H Record
Hungary and Finland have met on seven previous occasions since 2010. Hungary won four of those matches while Finland secured two victories.
Hungary Held by Greeks
Hungary face the first of two scheduled June friendly fixtures after a goalless draw against Greece in their last friendly international at the end of March.
Marco Rossi’s men had the better of the opportunities in Budapest but were forced to settle for a share of the spoils at Puskas Arena.
Prior to their stalemate against the Greeks, Hungary had edged to a narrow 1-0 win against Slovenia three days earlier. Szabolcs Schö scored his first international goal to seal victory for the Magyars.
Rossi’s men missed out on World Cup qualification after a painful 3-2 home defeat against Ireland in the playoffs earlier this year.
Usually a more reliable defensive force, Hungary kept clean sheets in four of their last six matches, including three of four previous contests at Puskas Arena.
Finland Out-of-Form
Finland make the trip to Hungary after a painful 4-0 defeat against Germany earlier this week. Stuttgart forward Deniz Undav scored twice as Julian Nagelsmann’s men eased to victory in Mainz.
Like the home side, Finland missed out on World Cup qualification, eventually finishing third in a tough section behind the Netherlands and Poland. A mediocre campaign saw three wins and four defeats recorded in eight qualifiers.
A lack of attacking quality was the biggest issue for Jacob Friis’s side. The Eagle-owls scored just eight goals in eight World Cup qualification matches.
The Finns have been unable to find much form in the past year, with five defeats recorded in their last nine international fixtures, including heavy road defeats against the Netherlands (4-0) and Poland (3-1).
Squads and Team News
Hungary Squad
Goalkeepers: Balazs Toth, Peter Szappanos, Armin Pecsi, Aron Yaakobishvili.
Defenders: Roland Sallai, Willi Orban, Zsolt Nagy, Bendeguz Bolla, Milos Kerkez, Callum Styles, Marton Dardai, Attila Osvath, Kornel Szucs, Mark Csinger, Akos Markgraf.
Midfielders: Dominik Szoboszlai, Andras Schafer, Alex Toth, Milan Vitalis, Peter Barath, Tamas Szucs, Norbert Szendrei, Rajmund Toth.
Forwards: Barnabas Varga, Szabolcs Schon, Daniel Lukacs, Zsombor Gruber, Damir Redzic, Bendeguz Kovacs.
Hungarian head coach Marco Rossi selected seven uncapped players for Hungary’s June friendly fixtures. AZ Alkmaar forward Bendeguz Kovacs is among those hoping to make their first international appearance this week.
Columbus Crew forward Daniel Gazdag misses out due to an injury issue.
Finland Squad
Goalkeepers: Lukas Hradecky, Jesse Joronen, Viljami Sinisalo.
Defenders: Tony Miettinen, Miro Tenho, Ryan Mahuta, Samuli Miettinen, Nikolai Alho, Ville Koski, Rony Jansson.
Midfielders: Matti Peltola, Niklas Pyyhtia, Leo Walta, Robin Lod, Santeri Vaananen, Adam Markhiyev, Juho Kilo, Anssi Suhonen, Doni Arifi.
Forwards: Oliver Antman, Naatan Skytta, Topi Keskinen, Benjamin Kallman, Joel Pohjanpalo, Daniel Hakans, Oiva Jukkola, Casper Terho.
Finnish boss Jacob Friis is likely to make some changes to the side that slipped to defeat in Germany. Oliver Antman, Daniel Hakans and Joel Pohjanpalo are among those pushing for a recall to the first XI.
Jere Uronen and Glen Kamara are notable absentees for the Finns.