Hungary vs Germany preview, team news, tickets and prediction
There is an exciting clash on matchday 6 of the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League when Hungary hosts Germany for their third meeting in the last five months. With second place enough to secure passage to the quarterfinal, Hungary will be looking to edge the Netherlands on the table.
This League A Group 3 game comes after Germany beat Hungary twice in 2024, scoring seven times without conceding a single goal. However, they failed to defeat Hungary over both legs of their last Nations League campaign.
Marco Rossi's side only missed out on a knockout spot at Euro 2024 merely on goal difference, as they took three points from as many games. Nevertheless, their victory over Scotland ended an eight-match winless streak at the European Championship and they will be keen to build on that flicker of belief.
Under their Italian manager, the Magyars have reached consecutive continental tournaments and they will now be looking to advance from the Nations League group stage for the first time.
Their campaign began in the worst possible circumstances with a 5-0 defeat to Germany, but they reacted positively with consecutive draws before defeating Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0. That result leaves them level on points with the Dutch as their destiny is in their own hands going into the final fixtures.
Hungary must now get points off both the Netherlands and Germany to be able to reach the knockout rounds. They will certainly fancy their chances of causing a couple of upsets against some European heavyweights.
The strength of Hungary’s opponents will make for cautious observation going into the final game as Die Mannschaft are already assured of a place in the next round of the competition.
Julian Nagelsmann's side failed in their spectacular efforts to win a fourth European Championship on home soil, as they were eliminated by eventual winners Spain in the quarterfinal. Yet, they were beaten by the best team at the tournament having already displayed how much talent they have at their disposal.
There is a lot to look forward to within the German national team and they will now be regarded as favourites in upcoming major tournaments.
Par for the course, Germany thumped Hungary 5-0 to get their Nations League campaign off to a winning start, then they drew 2-2 with the Netherlands. Two more victories have followed as they seized control of the group, and they can afford to hand competitive minutes to fringe players amidst a raft of international debuts so far this season.
DFB-Team are yet to win the Nations League or even progress past the group phase from their three previous attempts, but they will surely advance into the knockouts as one of the favourites this season.
Pertinently, that winning appetite was what drew the German Football Association into appointing Nagelsmann last year on a contract that ran until Euro 2024. The short-term thinking looks to now be paying dividends as a misfiring group of experienced players sparkled at the Euros.
Nagelsmann will now stay till the 2026 FIFA World Cup with the aim of wrestling the world title back from defending champions Argentina.
First, they will be keen to gain valuable winning experience together as a team by lifting the Nations League title.
Match tickets
This UEFA Nations League fixture takes place on Tuesday, 19 November 2024 with kick-off scheduled for 7:45 PM UK time. Match tickets are available for sale on the UEFA website and the official channels of each national team’s association, it is important to make your reservations early in order to be considered.
Hungary will welcome their German counterparts to the Puskas Arena in Budapest which is a fitting venue for this big match with about 65,000 seats available.
Yet, reserving a seat for the game may become a complicated venture via official sources, so fans must find alternatives.
Those looking to watch this game live can find Hungary vs Germany tickets on a resale site, while there are also tickets for other Hungary national team matches.
Team news
Hungary is fortunate to have a fully-fit squad to call from at the time of writing, and they will hope it stays the same ahead of this all-important match against Germany.
All their key players must be available for what will certainly be a tough encounter against the side currently ranked 11th in the FIFA world rankings.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen has been named as the retired Manuel Neuer's successor in goal, but the Barcelona man has now been ruled out for the rest of the season, leaving the likes of Oliver Baumann, Alexander Nubel and Oliver Blaswich to fight for the starting gloves having never played for Germany before.
Elsewhere, Die Mannschaft is also having to replace Toni Kroos, Thomas Muller, and Ilkay Gundogan within the team, and will need time to evolve.
Line-ups
Captain Dominik Szoboszlai will be a sure starter alongside stalwarts like Peter Gulacsi and Willi Orban who will all be expected to lead their teammates against heavyweight opponents.
Rolland Sallai will be key in Hungary’s forward line as he provides attacking impetus alongside Barnabas Varga.
Hungary: Gulacsi; Botka, Orban, Fiola; Bolla, Nagy, Schafer, Kerkez; Sallai, Szoboszlai; Varga
Joshua Kimmich will continue to captain the Germans at right-back, as the likes of Aleksandar Pavlovic, Robert Andrich, and Pascal Gross rotate to fill the midfield void left by Kroos and Gundogan.
Golden boys Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala could continue their budding on-pitch understanding in the final third, as Kai Havertz or Denis Undav start up front.
Germany: Nubel; Kimmich, Rudiger, Tah, Mittelstadt; Gross, Pavlovic; Musiala, Havertz, Wirtz; Undav
Prediction
Considering the abundance of attacking talent available to Germany, they are expected to beat the hosts but Hungary is a stubborn unit that will aim to frustrate their forward play.
The Tricolours are desperate to get a result from this fixture to harbour any chance of reaching the next round, and they will be giving it their all in front of a passionate home crowd.
Hungary 2-2 Germany
