Hungary – Serbia

Serbian national team will be closer to victory in Budapest

Hungary and Serbia will meet in the main match on Saturday, concluding the programme of the seventh round of European qualification. The first clash between the rivals, which took place a little over a month ago, intrigued the relationship between the national teams. The Serbian squad hosted the Hungarians in Belgrade and in the tenth minute they forced a mistake from Salai, who sent a goal into his own net. Despite such a start, Rossi's men did not falter and within 34-36 minutes they stunned the Maracana with two goals from Varga and Orban. In the second half, the total advantage did not bring any result for the Serbs, and the final whistle signalled a 2-1 victory for Hungary. Before the next round, the rivals top Group G with ten points, but the Hungarians have one less match played. Only Montenegro can compete with these teams for a place at UEFA EURO 2024. They have eight points in five rounds and are two points behind the leaders. Bookmakers have not decided on the favourites for the upcoming meeting, offering a slight slope of odds in favour of the home team. Hungary flew past the World Cup in Qatar, finishing fourth in the group with Albania, Poland and England. But last year's Nations League was a real breakthrough for the Hungarians. In their debut season in the A-League, the Hungarians not only struggled for survival in the company of Germany, England and Italy, but until the last round, they claimed a sensational exit to the Final Four. Rossi's team is not without a few misfires in the current European qualifiers, but they are the most stable in Group G. The team has lost points only once, playing 0-0 in Montenegro, and the only goal in four games was scored in Belgrade. In last year's Nations League, Serbia lost only five points out of a possible eighteen in the company of Sweden, Slovenia and Norway, which allowed them to finish in first place and send them to the next Nations League A League. The Serbs started their qualification for the UEFA EURO 2024 with two wins, but then faltered, failing to beat Bulgaria and losing at home to Hungary. The Serbs boosted their confidence in Lithuania, where they beat the group outsider 3-1. The visitors are unlikely to lose again to less well-equipped opponents.