Hungary vs Serbia Preview: Vlahovic’s Absence & Team’s Rise
Group G’s Top Two Meet
Vlahovic Out for Serbia
Hungary have been one of the most surprising national teams over the last couple of years. Even though they’ve played one fewer match than every other team in UEFA Euro qualifying Group G, Hungary are in first place. On Saturday, they’ll take on their neighbors, second-placed Serbia, in an important match. Serbia striker Dusan Vlahovic is injured for this one, but Aleksandr Mitrovic has been in great form. We’ll closely examine each team and their respective odds in our Hungary vs Serbia preview.
⚽ Hungary vs Serbia ⚽
Day/Time:
Location: Puskas Arena Park, Budapest, Hungary
Head-to-Head
Hungary vs Serbia previews note that these UEFA teams have met four times since the beginning of 2020. In September, Hungary picked up a 2-1 win on the road as goals from Barnabas Varga and Willi Orban canceled out an Attila Szalai own goal. All four recent matches have been decided by one goal or finished in draws. Hungary are 2-1-1 vs. Serbia, but in the Serbia and Montenegro era, Hungary lost both head-to-head matchups.
Hungary on Top of Group G
Currently, Hungary are in first place in the Group G UEFA Euro qualifiers standings even though they’ve played one game fewer than every other team. They’re on an eight-game unbeaten run, in all competitions, and are 3-1-0 in Euro qualifiers so far. Hungary have played two games at home so far in qualifiers and have won both by a combined 5-0 scoreline. However, they did draw vs. the Czech Republic last month in a friendly.
Over the last few years, Hungary have certainly raised their profile, and they’ve got some excellent talents on their roster. Midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai is Hungary’s captain and has hit the ground running for Liverpool. Szoboszlai, along with goalkeeper Denes Dibusz and defenders Attila Szalai and Willi Orban, have played every minute of qualifiers so far. That streak will end for RB Leipzig’s Orban, as he’s not in the squad for the matches vs Serbia and Lithuania on the UEFA Euro qualifiers schedule.
Orban’s knee injury could keep him out through November. Meanwhile, midfielder Laszlo Kleinheisler is also out but has only made two substitute appearances so far. Striker Barnabas Varga leads Hungary with two goals in qualifiers, and his rise has been rapid. Since joining Ferencvaros from Paks, he’s scored eight league goals in just seven appearances.
Serbia Going for First Euros
Serbia have managed to qualify for the last two World Cups but have never made the Euros as an independent nation. This certainly appears to be their best chance to qualify as they’re in second place in Group G with just three UEFA Euro qualifiers games remaining. Serbia are currently 3-1-1 and have scored in each one of their matches so far. Their biggest goal threat is Aleksandr Mitrovic, who’s also Serbia’s all-time leading goalscorer.
Mitrovic, who recently moved to Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, has found the net 55 times in 83 appearances for Serbia. With Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic out injured and Luka Jovic not in the squad, it’ll be up to Mitrovic to score goals vs Hungary and Montenegro. Serbia, coached by Dragan Stojkovic, have a deep roster with plenty of players on top European teams.
Expect Sevilla’s Nemanja Gudelj and Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic to be starting at center back come Saturday. Stefan Milinkovic-Savic is Serbia’s midfield general, and he was arguably Lazio’s best player before also heading to Al Hilal. Stojkovic has plenty of other midfield options, like captain Dusan Tadic, Filip Kostic, Sasa Lukic, and Nemanja Radonjic.
Hungary’s Match Analysis & Odds
Hungary vs Serbia previews note that this game is expected to be incredibly close. In this pick’em, Hungary pk comes in at -115 odds, while Serbia pk sits at -110. Hungary defeated Serbia last month and are slight home favorites to grab another victory. Currently, Hungary to win shows +165 odds, while Serbia’s moneyline is +175. It’ll be a blow for Hungary not to have Willi Orban in the center of defense, but Serbia’s frontline will also be impacted with Dusan Vlahovic out.
A draw is priced at +225 odds and wouldn’t exactly hurt either team here. Serbia will be well aware that they’ll be able to clinch their first berth in the Euros with consecutive wins over Hungary and Montenegro over the next week. The last meeting between the sides finished with three goals, but under 2.5 goals display -140 odds.
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