Turkey are targeting promotion to the top tier of the UEFA Nations League as they host Hungary in the first leg of the promotion playoffs. The Turks boast an impressive home record in the competition and will be confident of taking control of the tie against the relegation-threatened visitors, who have found things difficult lately.
Turkey come into this clash after finishing second in Group B4, narrowly missing promotion by one point following a 3-1 loss to Montenegro in their final group match. That remains their only defeat in this Nations League campaign having picked up three wins and two draws from the previous five matches.
The Turks have also been formidable at home, claiming two wins and a draw from three matches in front of their fans. However, their defending needs some work, with Vincenzo Montella’s men conceding five goals in their last three UNL matches.
Hungary played out a 1-1 home draw with Germany in their final Group A3 fixture, finishing third in the table and falling short of automatic qualification. Their UNL campaign has been underwhelming, with Marco Rossi’s men winning one of their six matches.
A poor record on the road has been an issue for Hungary, who have lost two of their three away matches in Group A3. They have been outclassed on their travels at times, with a 5-0 defeat to Germany and a 4-0 thrashing in Netherlands among their results on the road.
How the bookies view it: Turkey overwhelming favourites
Turkey have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 8/11 by BoyleSports to claim the win. A victory for Hungary is priced at 10/3 while a draw is set at 12/5.
Head to head: Recent Hungary dominance
Hungary have a 5-3 advantage with two draws from 10 previous matches against Turkey. The Hungarians have also won the last three meetings and claimed a 1-0 home victory in a friendly back in 2024.
Players to watch: Clutch Akturkoglu
Kerem Akturkoglu is Turkey’s top scorer in the Nations League with four goals and will be the one to watch on Thursday. He has also been in good form for Portuguese side Benfica and is priced at 15/8 by BoyleSports to score anytime.
Dominik Szoboszlai has scored three of Hungary’s four goals in this Nations League campaign. He has also scored in two of the last three matches against Turkey and could be considered to score anytime at 4/1 with BoyleSports.
Probable line-ups
Turkey will be without the suspended duo of Merih Demiral and Arda Guler for the first leg. However, Kenan Yildiz, and Kerem Akturkoglu are part of the squad and are expected to start.
Amongst the invited players and expected to start for Hungary are Peter Gulacsi, Roland Sallai, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Milos Kerkez.
Turkey: Gunok, Ayhan, Akaydin, Topcu, Elmali, Muldur, Calhanoglu, Kokcu, Yildiz, Kahveci, Akturkoglu
Hungary: Gulacsi, Orban, Fiola, Szalai, Botka, Kekez, Szoboszlai, Schafer, Sallai, Varga, Csoboth
Anything else catch the eye?
Three of Turkey’s last five UNL matches have produced over 3.5 goals which is priced at 3/1 by BoyleSports. Over 2.5 goals is valued at evens with BoyleSports, who are also offering odds of 10/11 on both teams to score.
All Turkey’s home games in this year’s Nations League campaign have produced halftime draws and the trend could be backed to continue at 11/10.
This UEFA Nations League match between Turkey and Hungary will be played on and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best Turkey vs Hungary prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
GambleAware