Turkey will hope to maintain their first-leg lead and advance into League A of the UEFA Nations League on Sunday when they travel to Puskas Arena to take on Hungary.
The visitors boast a commanding lead following their 3-1 victory in the first leg on March 20, a game in which Sunday’s hosts wasted a number of opportunities in front of goal while Turkey were clinical.
Match preview
Hungary registered 10 of their 15 shots from inside the box but the likes of Kevin Csoboth and Zsolt Nagy wasted excellent chances from close range.
The hosts have conceded eight times in their past three matches and have only triumphed by two or more goals once in their last 10.
Boss Marco Rossi‘s side face relegation from the League A of the Nations League after finishing third in their four-team group with six points, three points behind second-placed Netherlands and eight points behind first-placed Germany.
The Magyars’ form is poor, with the team losing five, drawing three and winning just two of their 10 most recent fixtures.
While Hungary are winless in their last four at home – being held to a stalemate three times in that period – they did achieve victory in nine of their previous 10.
Opponents Turkey only generated one big chance, three shots on target and 0.72 xG but second-half strikes from Kerem Akturkoglu and Irfan Kahveci were enough to claim the win.
It should be noted that the visitors did lose their prior match 3-1 against Montenegro in the Nations League on November 19, though that was their only defeat by at least two goals in their past 10.
Manager Vincenzo Montella‘s team have never been in League A of the competition, and they were in fact relegated to League C at the end of their 2020-21 Nations League campaign.
Though the Crescent-Stars only triumphed in one of their last three, they won each of their prior three and achieved victory in six of their past 10 while losing just twice.
However, Turkey’s away record is far from perfect considering they have been beaten in five of their 11 most recent games on the road, only winning on three occasions.
Team News
Hungary will hope that attackers Dominik Szoboszlai, Barnabas Varga and Kevin Csoboth can turn around the team’s fortunes in the second leg.
The three forwards could be supported by a midfield consisting of Andras Schafer and Tamas Nikitscher, while centre-backs Attila Fiola, Willi Orban and Marton Dardai will likely protect goalkeeper Denes Dibusz.
Opponents Turkey are almost certain to name a similar starting XI to the team that triumphed in the first leg, so expect Samet Akaydin and Abdulkerim Bardakci to shield shot-stopper Ugurcan Cakir.
The visitors may field a double pivot featuring Orkun Kokcu and Hakan Calhanoglu, and the duo could start behind striker Kerem Akturkoglu.
Hungary possible starting lineup:
Dibusz; Fiola, Orban, Dardai; Bolla, Schafer, Nikitscher, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Varga, Csoboth
Turkey possible starting lineup:
Cakir; Muldur, Akaydin, Bardakci, Elmali; Kokcu, Calhanoglu; Aydin, Yildiz, Yilmaz; Akturkoglu
We say: Hungary 1-1 Turkey (Turkey win 4-2 on aggregate)
Turkey will be able to surrender possession to their hosts, and it would not be surprising if they created chances during counter-attacks.
Hungary’s recent defensive vulnerability makes it difficult to see them keeping a clean sheet, and they could find themselves relegated from League A by the time Sunday’s match ends.
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