England vs Hungary

England will be looking to get their dreadful 2022/23 UEFA Nations League campaign off and running when they encounter Hungary at Molineux Stadium.

England failed to avenge Euro 2020 heartbreak as they could only manage a scoreless home draw against Italy in their last Nations League outing. An uneventful showing at Molineux forms part of England’s three-game winless start to Group A1 (D2, L1), leaving them four points adrift of section-leaders Italy. But despite experiencing a three-match winless streak for only the second time under Gareth Southgate, the ‘Three Lions’ will feel more concerned about their abysmal scoring form. Except for Harry Kane’s penalty in a 1-1 draw with Germany on Matchday 2, Southgate’s men have failed to score from open play in this season’s Nations League. In fact, the Euro 2020 runners-up have drawn a blank in seven of their 15 Nations League fixtures to date.

In the meantime, Hungary have failed to beat on a hard-fought 1-0 home triumph over England in the reverse fixture, their first H2H victory in more than 60 years. The ‘Magyars’ have gone winless in both Nations League matches since (D1, L1), both of which featured precisely two first-half goals. However, Marco Rossi’s lads have defied their status as group outsiders, as they enter this matchday second in Group A1, two points adrift of Italy. Low scoring has been a common theme in Hungary’s recent games, with four of their last five internationals containing under 2.5 goals. Another tepid affair could aid the Hungarians’ cause, especially considering they’ve kept seven clean sheets across their 11 previous Nations League contests.