The second match of the three at Euro 2024 on Wednesday sees the tournament hosts Germany back on the pitch looking to make it through to the knockout stages with a game to spare when they go up against Hungary in Stuttgart.
Given the emphatic nature of their opening win any victory for Germany here will send them through to the round of 16. Hungary lost their opener and will be staring at an early exit if they are beaten for a second time here.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live and in full on the BBC1 channel in the UK with the build-up to the contest beginning at 4.30pm ahead of a 5pm kick off in Stuttgart.
Germany
I suspect if you had asked Germany how they would have wanted to open their home tournament after 18 months or so without a competitive game I doubt even they could have scripted the beginning that they delivered. There will be people who question what they beat and there might be merit in doing so, but at the same time you had to admire the way Germany took the game to Scotland and never let their foot off the gas.
It led to an emphatic victory and that means they will probably make it through just by avoiding defeat here but their ambitions will be a lot bigger than that. The two questions that were asked of the Germans heading into the tournament were whether their defence would stand up to pressure and whether they have a number nine who could win them the competition. We got nearer to seeing that they do have the latter but the former issue is yet to be solved.
Hungary
A lot was expected of Hungary heading into the tournament. They qualified with a very strong record and brought a really good run of form into the competition with them but whether they were overawed by the occasion or the pressure of the expectation got to them only they will know, but there is no doubt that they will be disappointed by their showing against Switzerland. Their recent form suggests that they are better than that display and will need to show that here.
The first hour Hungary were very ordinary. They were poor defensively and opened up way too easily and they didn’t really feature as an attacking force. They do deserve credit for changing things up and getting themselves back into the game but in the end it was too little too late. They won’t be able to start slowly here and get away with it so we should look for a more positive start from the Hungarians, albeit potentially with more of a structure to their play.
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Team News
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann has suggested he has a fully fit squad to select from for this match which means that Ilkay Gundogan is good to go again despite being maimed in the opening game. Kai Havertz is expected to continue in the number nine role.
Callum Styles was not available for the first game of the tournament for Hungary but the reason why wasn’t specified so it is hard to know if he is available for this one. He could come into the side if he is with Marco Rossi likely to make some changes.
Betting
While I am not taking anything away from Germany and their emphatic win in the first game, I would be absolutely amazed if Hungary can be as bad as Scotland were that night. With that in mind, I think there has been a bit of an overreaction to that Germany win and I am expecting a much tougher game for them here. Scotland were like a rabbit in headlights in that match and are a limited side anyway. I think there is much more upside to this Hungary team who have players from top leagues throughout their team.
You can get Hungary on a +1.75 Asian line for this match so for this bet to lose in full Germany would have to win by three clear goals. We often see these middle matches in groups play a lot tighter with a draw never a bad result regardless of whether you have won or lost your opening game. Hungary themselves have a bit of a point to prove after an ordinary first hour although in the last half an hour against Switzerland they looked a good side. These two met in the last Euros and twice in the Nations League and Hungary picked up a pair of draws and a win so they won’t go into this fearing Germany and I think they can ride that Asian line home for us.
Tips
Back Hungary (+1.75AH) to beat Germany for a 3/10 stake at 1.87 with Bet365
