Scotland are keen to keep their chances of progression open in a tight group as they take on bottom-placed Hungary in a pivotal encounter.
Scotland’s two wins in eleven games at the European Championships have come in the third matchday, and Steve Clarke will want to extend that record. This time, only a win over Hungary will give Scotland a chance of progression, while they hope Germany will triumph over Switzerland in their final group game.
After suffering a hammer blow at the hands of the tournament hosts on opening night, Scotland restored some pride with a hard-fought draw against second-placed Switzerland. Scot McTominay’s opener was finally credited to the Manchester United midfielder, as before Scotland could stabilise and regroup, Xherdan Shaqiri scored a stunning equaliser to bring parity.
They did come out of the draw with some damage, as Kieran Tierney suffered a suspected hamstring injury that will see him miss the tournament. On the table, Scotland remains third, as a win over Hungary will take them to four points and bring some hope of qualification, either as the second-placed team or hopefully as a third-placed outsider.
Meanwhile, Hungary will come into this clash against Scotland knowing that they are the least favourite to qualify out of the group stage. This is a team that has been performing consistently in qualifying but regularly faltering at the big stage.
Hungary are winless in eight European Championship games, with their last win coming against Austria in the opening round of Euro 2016. Such has been their level of performance on the big stage, and while they have talented players showcasing their ability in flashes, the loss to Germany proved it is not enough.
Jamal Musiala and Ilkay Gundogan put Hungary to the sword while placing their lingering hopes of qualification in jeopardy. A win over Scotland might still give them the slimmest chance of progressing as a third team, and this is a game that may be seen as open to both teams participating in it.
Team News & Tactics
Scotland
The big blow for Steve Clarke after the draw with Switzerland was the injury to Kieran Tierney, who will now miss the remainder of the tournament. The manager did mention it was a hamstring problem, which would also worry Arsenal as their wantaway left-back continues to suffer fitness issues.
Scott McKenna, who replaced Tierney against Switzerland, will likely come into the side in his place and take his spot in that back three alongside Jack Hendry and Grant Hanley. Andy Robertson and Anthony Ralston will continue to play wing-back roles.
Ryan Porteous remains unavailable as he continues to serve his two-match suspension following the red card against Germany. He certainly hopes Scotland progresses so that he can return for the round-of-16 clash. Meanwhile, Bournemouth midfielder Ryan Christie is within a shout to start for Scotland. However, Clarke might stick with his current setup.
This means the likes of Callum McGregor, Billy Gilmour, Scott McTominay, and John McGinn are all keeping their spots. However, there might be a change up front as Che Adams could be replaced by Hearts forward Lawrence Shankland.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Gunn; Hendry, Hanley, McKenna; Ralston, Gilmour, McGregor, Robertson; McGinn, McTominay; Shankland
Hungary
The will be an air of familiarity about his Hungary lineup, with their manager unlikely to make drastic changes and drop some of their key stars.
Centre-back Willi Orban has been doing all the hard work at the back and putting in some stellar shifts for the Hungarians. He will have the company of Attila Fiola and Marton Dardai, as Atilla Szalai will continue to feature on the bench once more.
They will persist with Adam Nagy and Andras Schafer in central midfield, flanked by Bendeguz Bolla and Milos Kerkez on either side. Star man and captain Dominik Szoboszlai will continue to lean more towards the attacking third alongside Roland Sallai, with Barnabas Varga leading the line for Hungary.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Gulacsi; Fiola, Orban, Dardai; Bolla, Nagy, Schafer, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Sallai; Varga
Key Stats
- Scotland have won two of their last three international games with Hungary.
- Scotland’s only two wins in European games have come on Matchday 3.
- Since the start of 2023, Scott McTominay has scored eight times, only one fewer than the rest of his teammates, spanning over ten games.
- Hungary are winless in their last eight European Championship games.
- After Euro 1972 and World Cup 1978, Hungary could potentially lose all three of their group games in a major tournament for the third time.
Player to Watch
Scott McTominay
Some astonishing statistics are in the rounds, which say McTominay has scored eight goals in 10 games since the start of 2023, which is one less than his entire Scotland team combined. The figure shows the Manchester United star’s importance in the team and the probability of him being their main man when they meet Hungary.
A win over Hungary seems vital, and with the game poised for a draw on paper, Scotland needs a hero of sorts to give them a big chance to progress through. McTominay has been their talisman throughout the qualifying rounds, and Steve Clarke will hope to invoke that feeling in the midfielder for this clash.
Prediction
Scotland 2-1 Hungary
Had this game been played on Matchday 1, our prediction would have thoroughly pointed towards an eventful draw, but not this time around. On paper, both teams have an equal chance of winning, meaning this is a game poised for a draw, but in such must-win games for either side, there has to be an outcome leaning towards one side.
Hence, given the absolute quality matching on both ends, Scotland may have the relentlessness and hunger to nick a win here. The likes of Scott McTominay and John McGinn know what it takes at the highest levels, and they will take the three points here.
