As England play their first international since Euro 2020 on Wednesday, the Three Lions will look to ease their Wembley final heartache from earlier this summer against Italy.
Sitting pretty atop Group I in World Cup Qualifying with three wins from three, by far England’s toughest game of the entire campaign comes next however, as Three Lions travel to Budapest to face Hungary at the Ferenc Puskas Stadium.
With the Mighty Magyars unbeaten in the Group thus far like the visitors, Gareth Southgate’s men are still significant favourites to go to 12 points and take a big step toward the World Cup in Qatar next November. England are 2/5 with most major bookies including SkyBet, Bet365, Betfred, William Hill and Paddy Power to take the win on the banks of the Danube.
But Hungary should not be taken lightly after ruffling more than a few feathers in the Group of Death during the Euros. If we consider also they have scored three times in each of their three qualifiers to date, most importantly, Hungary now have their talisman in the form of Dominik Szoboszlai back and ready to fire after injury. Could Hungary hit two at least more versus England? With Adam Szalai in decent scoring form for both club and country to boot, for the hosts to score twice, Bet365 are offering 6/1 odds well worth exploration.
A Hungary win is surely too much to expect given England’s attacking wares, so what of the draw? The last time England failed to win a qualifier away from home was less than two years ago during October 2019 in a 2-1 defeat to the Czech Republic, and this does feel like it could be a difficult evening, with a partisan crowd set to roar the hosts on. As such, 7/2 odds on the draw with BetVictor or 17/5 with UniBet looks very good value indeed.
The individual goalscorer market, similarly, looks like it could carry decent merit. We already spoke of Szoboszlai’s return to the Hungarian fold but having yet to fully impress for new club RB Leipzig after crossing the Red Bull divide from Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga, the playmaker will be keen to put on a show versus the Euro runners-up. Szoboszlai is 7/1 to score anytime with Bet365, PaddyPower, Betfair and William Hill. For Both Teams to Score meanwhile, SBK is the place to go for strong 13/9 value.
If you are one for a long-shot punt, roaming centre-back Attila Fiola is partial to a foray forward for his country and having netted against France in the Euros and in Hungary’s last qualifier against Andorra, Fiola carries a hefty 28/1 odds with Bet365 to score. If the hosts are behind late on, Fiola will be one to watch like a hawk and could bring some serious winnings to brave punters.
Finally, from an England point of view, set pieces are again set to be the go-to route for goals, and Harry Maguire can still be fetched at a full 9/1 with Bet365 to score in 90 minutes. For a potential Three Lions scorer double meanwhile, Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling’s goals led England through their summer odyssey only months ago, and for the two both to notch in Budapest, SkyBet are offering a relatively short but attainable 7/2 price.
