Latvia vs Hungary: Preview and Prediction

Latvia vs Hungary
European Qualifiers – 2018 World Cup
Date: Monday, 10th October 2016
Kick-off at 19:45 UK
Venue: Stadions Skonto, Riga.

Latvia 2-0 loss to Faroe Islands in front of their home fans is arguably one of the biggest upsets of the matchday 2 of the European World Cup Qualifiers. They also struggled against Andorra on matchday 1 and managed to win by a narrow 1-0 margin. This will momentarily put them 4th in the table. And they will be a wounded Hungary side on matchday 3, who are yet to win a match in the qualifiers.

Hungary and Switzerland played out a high scoring thriller on the matchday 2 of Group B. However the Swiss eventually came on top with a 3-2 win and the magic Magyars must consider themselves unlucky. They were held to a 0-0 draw by the surprise package Faroe Islands in the group opener. Hungary are currently 5th in the league table and are a team in desperate search for a win.

Latvia vs Hungary: Head-to-Head stats

The only meeting between Hungary and Latvia in qualifying phase has to be dated back to the Euro 2004 edition. Latvia and Hungary share a win each from two fixtures during the period, both at respective home grounds and by the same 3-1 margin.

The have met in two friendlies after that and Hungary had won both, with the latest meeting coming on calendar year 2007.

Latvia vs Hungary: Prediction

Lativia’s recent performances are a big let-down and they have already struggled against two lowest ranked team in the current qualifiers. Their win against Andorra is their only win in the last 7 qualification fixtures. Moreover, they often struggle against higher ranked teams irrespective of the playing venue. Hungary have shown signs of brilliance and individual quality in the 3-2 loss against Switzerland. And they are a team in desperate need of a win and we believe they will deliver the three points this time.

Also, three of the four meetings between Latvia and Hungary have seen over 2.5 goals. So there is a good chance for this fixture to see 3 or more goals.