Portugal is just one victory away from confirming its place in the 2026 World Cup when it hosts Hungary at the Estadio José Alvalade on Tuesday evening.
The Seleção survived a scare against the Republic of Ireland at the weekend, overcoming a missed Cristiano Ronaldo penalty to earn a hard-fought 1-0 win in Lisbon.
Ruben Neves proved to be a hero for Roberto Martinez’s side, scoring an injury-time winner to maintain his unblemished record in Group F.
This result increased Portugal’s lead at the top to five points with only three matches remaining, meaning that a victory over Hungary – in addition to Ireland’s victory over Armenia – will ensure qualification for next summer’s tournament.
Hungary arrives in Lisbon on the mend after a slow start to qualifying. Marco Rossi’s men rose to second place thanks to their 2-0 home win over Armenia, with Daniel Lukacs and Zsombor Gruber scoring the goals of the match. This result gives them little chance of catching Portugal, although avoiding defeat here is crucial to staying in the competition.
The Hungarians’ win last time out was only their second in nine matches, but it ended a run of eight matches without a clean sheet. It is encouraging that they have scored at least two goals in four consecutive matches in all competitions.
However, their record against Portugal is disappointing, with Hungary having failed to win any of their previous 15 meetings, including a 3-2 defeat at home earlier in this qualifying campaign.
Team news for the Portugal vs. Hungary match
Portugal emerged from its win over Ireland without any new injury concerns. Goncalo Inacio was replaced at half-time by Renato Vega, but the substitution appeared tactical rather than forced, and the Brentford defender may now start from the start.
Francisco Trincao is gunning for a place in the starting XI after his lively appearance at the weekend, where he set up Neves’ decisive goal.
Joao Neves is still unavailable due to injury, but Joao Balenha provides strong cover in midfield.
For Hungary, Marco Rossi welcomes back key strikers Roland Szalai and Barnabas Varga after suspension. Both are expected to return to the starting lineup, likely at the expense of Daniel Lukacs despite his goal against Armenia.
Dominik Szoboszlai will continue to captain the side and operate on the left of midfield, supported by Milos Kerkez, while Callum Stiles is expected to retain his place in midfield after an emphatic display last time out.
The expected lineup for the Portugal vs. Hungary match
Portugal: coast; Dalot, Dias, Vega, Mendes; Neves, Vitinha; Trincao, Fernandes, Liao; Ronaldo
Hungary: Tooth; Nigo, Urban, Salai, Kind; Paula, Styles, Schäfer, Szoboszlai; Salai, Varga
How to watch Portugal vs Hungary: TV channel, stream online
The Portugal-Hungary match kicks off at 7:45pm local time, at the José Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon, on Tuesday 14 October.
In the UK, the match will be shown live on Amazon Prime, while viewers in the US can catch the action on Fox Soccer Plus or stream via FuboTV.
Statistics for the match between Portugal and Hungary
- Portugal has won all six of its qualifying matches so far, scoring 17 goals and conceding only two goals.
- The Seleção has not lost in its last seven matches in all competitions
- Hungary’s 2-0 win over Armenia ended a run of eight consecutive matches without a clean sheet
- The Hungarians did not win against Portugal in their last 15 confrontations, dating back to 1966
- Cristiano Ronaldo has scored in four of his last six matches against Hungary
prediction
Hungary’s attacking buildup should make them more dangerous in the final third, and their recent goalscoring form suggests they are capable of troubling the hosts.
However, Portugal’s depth, balance and experience are likely to shine once again in front of their fans.
Prediction: Portugal 2-1 Hungary
https://www.101greatgoals.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/si_article_builder_3669022807.png
Source link