Hungary will attempt to keep alive their hopes of a playoff finish in Group I of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers when they host Albania at the Puskas Arena. The Albanians have been the surprise team of the group but face a difficult trip to Hungary.
Hungary were victorious in their previous qualifying fixture as they beat Andorra 2-1. They raced to an early two goal lead through Adam Szalai and Endre Botka before Andorra pulled one back eight minutes from time.
It was a welcome return to winning ways from Hungary, who had lost to England and Albania in their previous fixtures. The victory puts them back in contention for at least a playoff spot as they sit just two points behind Albania in second.
Hungary have won three times in the qualifiers and will be looking to channel the performance that saw them claim a 4-1 victory in Andorra. However, defending remains a problem for Marco Rossi's men who have conceded six goals in their last three matches.
Albania are also coming off a win after beating San Marino 5-0 last time out in the qualifiers. They had five different scorers with Rey Manaj, Elseid Hysaj and Myrto Uzuni all among the goals.
The Albanians have been one of the surprise teams of the qualifiers and sit second in Group I, four points behind leaders England. They have claimed four wins in six qualifying matches, including a 1-0 victory over Hungary in the reverse fixture.
One problem for manager Edoardo Reja is Albania’s recent poor record on their travels. They have lost their last two away matches and suffered a 4-1 defeat to Poland in their previous qualifying fixture on the road.
How the bookies view it
Hungary have the edge among the bookies with SBK offering 24/23 for a home win. A victory for Albania is priced at 16/5 by BetVictor while a draw is set at odds of 23/10 by SBK.
Head to head
Hungary have claimed three wins from four previous matches against Albania. The only defeat for the Hungarians came in the reverse fixture back in September which ended 1-0.
Players to watch
In the absence of injured captain Adam Szalai, striker Roland Salloi will be the one to watch for Hungary. He has two goals in the qualifiers and could be backed to get on the score sheet at 12/5 with Unibet.
Rey Manaj and Myrto Uzuni often feature in attack for Albania and both men have two goals each in the qualifiers. Bet365 has Manaj at 4/1 to score anytime while also offering 4/1 on Uzuni in the same market.
Anything else catch the eye?
Hungary and Albania have shown some attacking quality in the qualifiers and both teams could be backed to score at 6/5 with William Hill. The Hungarians have seen over 2.5 goals in five of their last six qualifying matches and a similar outcome is priced at 32/19 by SBK.
Hungary and Albania have a knack for finding the net before the break and both teams could be backed to score in the first half at 6/1 with Skybet.
This World Cup match between Hungary and Albania will be played on Oct 9, 2021 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Hungary vs Albania prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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