Our prediction for this World Cup 2026 match:
Hungary will look to make amends for a heavy 4-0 loss to England when they take on Albania at their Elbasan Arena on Sunday. The Hungarians aim to regain their spot in top two, but this match will be anything but a walk in the park for the visiting team. Filip Holander has been left out of the squad this time out, while fit-again Leipzig midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai should keep his place in the starting XI.
Head coach Marco Rossi, though, could opt to make changes to the team that were crushed by England, with both Salloi and Varga pushing for a start. The Albanians, on the other hand, aim to bounce back from a 4-1 loss to Poland, and seeing that they are likely to go for a win in Sunday’s clash as well, we believe that there is a big value in betting on both teams to score. Both Bare and Hysaj are banned for the hosts.
Highlighted Player (Elseid Hysaj):
Born on 2nd February 1994, Elseid Hysaj is an Albanian defender who has spent his entire professional career in Italian Serie A and he is predicted a bright future in the game. Empoli scouts spotted his talent while he was playing for Shodra youth sides, and after three years in the youth team, the full-back was promoted to the first team set up.
Hysaj performed really well in his first three years as a first team regular, helping the Azzurri gain promotion to the top fight in the process. One season in Serie A proved enough for the right-sided defender to secure a big club move as he joined Napoli in the summer of 2015 and immediately nailed down a regular starting berth.
Capable of doing dirty defensive work as well as making forward runs, Hysaj is a modern full-back, who is destined for big things. The talented footballer is already a key member of the Albania national team and he will represent the country at the Euro 2016 finals.
Highlighted Team (Hungary):
Widely known as the Mighty Magyars during the 1950’s, Hungary national team had the world at its feet as the team featuring Ferenc Puskas, Sandor Kocsis and Zoltan Czibor reached the final of the 1954 World Cup, while recording several impressive wins over England and other top sides in international friendlies.
Hungary also made it to the semi-final at the Euro 1964 and Euro 1972, but they have since largely struggled to return to old glory days. The barren run finally came to an end as Foci defeated Norway in the play-off to qualify for the Euro 2016 finals, but there still appears to be a huge gap behind the top European sides.
Long-serving goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly has managed to break a 58-year record held by Jozsef Bozsik, having surpassed the 101-cap mark, but Ferenc Puskas still remains the top goalscorer in the history of the national team with an unbelievable record of 84 goals in 85 caps, followed by Sandor Kocsis, who has 75 goals in 68 appearances.