Hungary vs Switzerland Prediction & Tips
The two teams considered most likely to battle Euro 2024 host nation Germany for the top two places in Group A kick off their participation with a clash that could prove decisive in determining who advances directly to the Round of 16. Hungary will be participating in their second consecutive Euro under current coach Marco Rossi, who has been tasked with improving on their disappointing Euro 2020, in which they finished last in Group F despite playing two games in Budapest.
However, based on their method of qualifying for 2024 compared to then, along with a second-place finish in their first UEFA Nations League A appearance to finish above Germany and England, they promise much more this year. Hungary were one of the last teams to qualify for Euro 2020, but they reached Euro 2024 after winning their qualifying group unbeaten (G5, E3), which helped form a 14-match unbeaten run (G9, E5), including friendlies, that the Republic of Ireland ended just this month.
This will be Switzerland’s first European Championship under Murat Yakin after qualifying as Group I runner-up despite failing to win six of their last seven group matches (G1, E5, P1). The “Red Crosses” set a new benchmark in 2020 by reaching the Euro quarterfinals for the first time, although it was a rather difficult tournament in which they emerged victorious in regulation time in only one of the five matches they played (E3, P1).
Yakin recently pointed to the experience of a team that has been supplemented by an injection of younger players as a reason to expect to make it out of the group stage again. The 49-year-old coach selected no less than 15 players who were also at Euro 2020, while 13 of them also traveled to the 2022 World Cup. Some players, including strikers Granit Xhaka, Ricardo Rodriguez and Steven Zuber, can even remember beating Hungary twice (5-2 at home, 3-2 away) in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers in their last meetings with each other.
Players to watch: Barnabás Varga’s brace in Hungary’s previous match against Israel was his eighth goal-scoring appearance for club or country in 2024, while Xherdan Shaqiri is the only Swiss player to have scored twice for his nation this calendar year.
Fast Fact: Hungary has scored in its last 11 matches, including friendlies.
Hungary – Switzerland FREE TIPS
Hungary – Win @ 3.40
