Hungary are the latest nation we’re profiling in our Euro 2024 Fantasy team previews.
In these country-by-country guides, we’ll be looking at the best players from each nation, taking a stab at predicted line-ups, reviewing the road to Germany and more.
To do this, we’ll be calling on the help of correspondents from each country.
Here, Fantasy Football Scout user deyell answers questions about his homeland.
All prices given are from the official Fantasy Euro 2024 game.
THE ROAD TO QUALIFICATION
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hungary | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 7 | +9 | 18 |
| 2 | Serbia | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 9 | +6 | 14 |
| 3 | Montenegro | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 11 | -2 | 11 |
| 4 | Lithuania | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 14 | -6 | 6 |
| 5 | Bulgaria | 8 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 14 | -7 | 4 |
After failing to qualify for a major international tournament for 44 years, Hungary have now reached their third in a row.
And they did so with plenty to spare this time around, going unbeaten in a qualifying group that included Serbia and Montenegro to finish top after five wins and three draws.
Marco Rossi’s side were particularly strong at home, where they recorded four wins out of four, the pick of them a 3-1 comeback win over Montenegro in which Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai (€7.0m) scored two goals in three second-half minutes.
Though their qualifying section was not exactly the group of death this is possibly the best national side Hungary have produced since the 1960s – and they will fancy their chances of getting past Germany, Switzerland and Scotland.
QUALIFICATION IN NUMBERS
- Most starts: Denes Dibusz, Adam Nagy, Attila Szalai, Dominik Szoboszlai (8), Adam Lang, Milos Kerkez (7)
- Most goals: Dominik Szoboszlai, Barnabas Varga (4)
- Most assists: Dominik Szoboszlai (5), Loic Nego, Roland Sallai (2)
- Clean sheets: 3 from 8
UNDERLYING STATS
RECORD SINCE QUALIFYING
| Date | Competition | Opposition | Result | Score | Goalscorers | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 March | Friendly | Turkey (h) | W | 1-0 | Szoboszlai (pen) | |
| 26 March | Friendly | Kosovo (h) | W | 2-0 | Szoboszlai, Zs Nagy | Schafer, Lang |
| 4 June | Friendly | Republic of Ireland (a) | L | 1-2 | Lang | Orban |
| 8 June | Friendly | Israel (h) | W | 3-0 | Sallai, Varga x2 | Varga, Bolla, Sallai |
Hungary kept their unbeaten record going with friendly victories over Turkey and Kosovo in March. Szoboszlai scored from the spot in the 1-0 home win over Turkey and was on target again at the Puskas Arena four days later in a 2-0 win in which Adam Nagy (€5.5m) also scored.
The Magyars had been unbeaten since September 2022, when they suffered a 2-0 Nations League defeat to Italy in Budapest. Indeed it is worth remembering that in that Nations League campaign in June 2022 Hungary beat England twice including a 4-0 thrashing at Molineux.
However, that 14-match run came to an end last week thanks to a last-minute Ireland winner in Dublin. The hosts had only two shots on target all game, with their winner being their only effort of the second half, so there was an element of bad luck for the Magyars.
Budget defender Adam Lang (€4.0m) was on target for Hungary at the Aviva Stadium. Don’t get too excited: that was his first international goal since 2016.
That loss to Ireland was quickly forgotten about four days later, with an early three-goal blitz seeing off Israel in Debrecen. Forward Barnabas Varga (€6.0m) was involved in all three goals, assisting once and scoring a brace.
An injury scare surrounding Szoboszlai in that match has been downplayed.
MOST RECENT INTERNATIONAL LINE-UPS
22/03/2024 – Turkey (h)
(3-4-2-1): Gulacsi; Balogh (Dardai 67), Lang, Szalai; Nego (Bolla 46), A Nagy (Styles 61), Schafer, Kerkez (Zs Nagy 61); Sallai (Kleinheisler 80), Szoboszlai; Varga (Adam 80)
26/03/2024 – Kosovo (h)
(3-4-2-1): Dibusz; Lang, Dardai, Szalai; Bolla (Nego 68), A Nagy (Schafer 46), Styles (Vancsa 84), Zs Nagy (Mocsi 88); Gazdag (Kleinheisler 46), Szoboszlai; Adam (Varga 46)
04/06/2024 – Republic of Ireland (a)
(3-4-2-1): Gulácsi (Dibusz 46); Lang (Balogh 73), Dárdai, Orbán; Négo (Botka 46), A Nagy, Schäfer (Styles 71), Kerkez (Zs Nagy 71); Szoboszlai, Sallai; Varga (Kleinheisler 61).
08/06/2024 – Israel (h)
(3-4-2-1): Gulácsi; Lang (Fiola 46), Orbán, Szalai; Bolla, A Nagy, Styles (Kleinheisler, 41), Kerkez (Zs Nagy 78); Sallai (Gazdag 46), Szoboszlai (Csoboth 57); Varga (Ádám 57).
GROUP FIXTURES
- 15 June: Switzerland
- 19 June: Germany
- 23 June: Scotland
HOW FAR WILL THEY GET?
“Round of 16. Although all of our group opponents have a stronger squad on paper, the Hungarian national team has a tendency to show up big for the Euros. I think we will edge out Scotland and qualify for the next round as one of the four best third-placed teams.” – deyell
STRENGTHS
“Hungary’s biggest strength is grit and playing above our level. Our players take tournaments like this very seriously and play their hearts out. The backline, anchored by RB Leipzig centre-back Willie Orbán, is disciplined, which allows the talented Szoboszlai to show off his playmaking abilities.
“Freiburg winger Roland Sallai is also a standout for the national team with his dribbling abilities and high work rate. Barnabás Varga, the striker from Ferencváros, has scored six goals in 11 matches for Hungary, two of which came against Serbia in qualifying.” – deyell
WEAKNESSES
“Defensive midfield and depth in general.
“The defensive midfield, where we play a double pivot, lacks talent. Ádám Nagy plays in Serie B, while Callum Styles plays for Sunderland in the Championship. Although these two players usually perform better for the national team than for their clubs, they can be exposed by good teams.
“If we have to rely on substitutes, that can also be a problem due to the lack of quality depth.” – deyell
BEST EURO 2024 FANTASY PLAYERS: HUNGARY
The rest of this article below is completely free to read but requires a Fantasy Football Scout user account for access – you can get yours at no cost here
9 months, 28 days agoHard to look past the Ginter/Gunter defensive double up!