Hungary v Portugal betting tips: Holders begin title defence
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Preview and odds of the Group F clash
Portugal finally begin their defence of the coronavirus-delayed European Championship by kicking off Group F with a trip to Hungary.
Fernando Santos’ side shocked hosts France in extra-time to lift their first major tournament trophy five years ago and are 8/1 to successfully retain their crown in the Euros winner odds, while Hungary have an uphill battle with Germany and Les Bleus also in their group.
Tuesday’s match is live on ITV and kicks off at 5pm as we look at some possible Hungary v Portugal betting tips.
Hungary v Portugal match odds
Portugal will want to get off to a winning start in the ‘Group of Death’, which features the last two winners of the World Cup.
Os Navegadores are 1/2 favourites to defeat Hungary, but Marco Rossi’s Hungary outfit will have the benefit of home support in two of their round-robin matches as Budapest is a tournament host.
They will want to make the most of the two home games against the defending champions and 2016 finalists France before travelling to Germany for the final match in the group stage.
Hungary are unbeaten in their last 11 matches, including six on home soil, and are a hefty 6/1 to record an opening victory on Tuesday evening at the Puskas Arena.
Nemzeti Tizenegy finished their preparations with a goalless against with the Republic of Ireland and during their lengthy unbeaten run the matches have been either dull or entertaining.
Five of those fixtures have seen over 2.5 goals – valued at 19/20 – while Portugal have seen plenty of goalmouth action since November 2020, with five of their last eight games recording four or more goals which can be backed at 12/5.
Hungary v Portugal head-to-head
Hungary are targeting their first ever victory over Portugal at the 14th attempt as they look to boost their chances of progressing to the last 16 – the stage they were knocked out of at the last European Championship.
However, the last time they did not taste defeat came in this competition five years ago where they took the lead on three occasions in the entertaining 3-3 draw.
Zoltan Gera and Balazs Dzsudzsak (2) were the scorers for Hungary as Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo (2) helped Portugal fight back for a valuable point. It is 100/1 for a repeat scoreline and 3/1 for the draw.
Previous XI
Portugal: Rui Silva, Cancelo, Pepe, Dias, Mendes, Neves, Carvalho, B Silva, Fernandes, Jota, Ronaldo.
Key battles
Cristiano Ronaldo is the standout name on the Portugal team sheet and is the overwhelming favourite in the goalscorer odds.
The 36-year-old is his country’s all-time top goalscorer and appearance maker and is 15/8 to break the deadlock or 5/6 to score at any time in the match.
Ronaldo has scored four in his last three clashes with Hungary and is 4/1 to bag two or more in Budapest.
Liverpool forward Diogo Jota scored 19 goals in 42 appearances for club and country this season and he can be backed at 9/2 to net first or 9/4 to breach Hungary’s defence.
Mainz striker Adam Szalai is the home side’s main threat, and he is 9/1 to score first and 4/1 to find the net during the match.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
