Soccer

    England vs Hungary news: Three Lions facing relegation six-pointer at Molineux

    Michael GrahamMichael Graham13 June 2022
    Raheem Sterling in England action

    Raheem Sterling in England action

    England are bottom of their Nations League Group as they face Hungary on Tuesday, and they will be keen to avoid the consequences of staying there.

    England face the odd concept of a relegation six-pointer on Tuesday when they host Hungary at Molineux.

    The Three Lions sit bottom of group A3 after two draws and a defeat and if they finish there they will be relegated to the B-tier of the competition.

    England got off to the worst possible start in the group in the reverse fixture as they went down 1-0 in Budapest courtesy of a controversial penalty.

    When: Tuesday, June 14, 19:45 BST

    Where: Molineux, Wolverhampton

    Where to watch: Channel Four

    Follow the game in our Live Centre

    Who is the ref for England vs Hungary

    Frenchman Clement Turpin will take charge of this one, which probably doesn't bode all that well for England.

    The last time he took charge of an England Nations League game, they lost 3-1 to the Netherlands. England did win their two games officiated by Turpin before that, though.
    Hungary will likely be quite happy to see him, though. He was the man in charge when Hungary beat Austria 2-0 at Euro 2016 - a match in which an Austrian red card was pivotal.

    Recent form

    England's form is quite tough to judge, really. In fact, all form at this point in the year when players are obviously tired, is.

    In truth, draws against Italy and Germany are not necessarily bad results. However, viewed through the lens of the defeat to Hungary that came before it and they suddenly look a bit worrying.

    Ultimately, England have not won in three games, so they will be keen to end that run before it commands the pre-World Cup narrative.

    Hungary, by comparison, have won one, lost one, and drawn one in the group.

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    England and Hungary players in form

    Dominik Szoboszlai has been the stand-out player for Hungary during the Nations League.

    The RB Leipzig youngster has been an influential figure in the midfield and Hungary will be looking to him again at Molineux.

    England look a tired team who are struggling for rhythm. Harry Kane's performance against Germany was a standout, though.

    The Tottenham man was rested in favour of Tammy Abraham against Italy, but expect to see him return for this one.

    Previous meeting

    Hungary 1-0 England (Nations League, June 4, 2022)

    These two sides faced each other earlier this month, so we have a very recent comparison to look at.

    It was far from a classic with England subdued throughout and was ultimately decided from the penalty spot.

    To say the award of it was soft would be a bit of an understatement, but Szoboszlai tucked it away nicely.

    International head-to-head

    England wins: 16
    Draws: 3
    Hungary wins: 6

    Manager's thoughts

    Gareth Southgate says England players cannot just rely on Harry Kane to end their recent goalscoring problems.

    "If you look over the last two, three years we've definitely had goals in different areas in terms of set plays, defenders getting goals, midfielders picking up with goals.
    "In any top team, you're going to probably have a main striker that gets the majority of the goals, a main attacking winger who is going to get some goals.
    "I'm sure every lad that puts on an England shirt wants to score and get assists and affect the game.
    "The most important thing is the mentality of having that hunger to go and get those goals."

    England vs Hungary predicted teams

    Possible England starting line-up: Pope; Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier; Bellingham, Ward-Prowse, Gallagher; Saka, Kane, Sterling

    Possible Hungary starting line-up: Dibusz; Lang, Orban, At. Szalai; L. Nego, Schafer, A. Nagy, Z. Nagy; Sallai, Szoboszlai; Ad. Szalai

    England vs Hungary prediction

    England definitely look jaded but they are too good a team to allow this winless run to continue much longer. Let's go for a 2-0 England win.

    READ MORE: England still among the favourites for the World Cup despite Nations League flop