Italy vs. Hungary Predictions: Best bets for Nations League clash including a 11/1 longshot

European Champions Italy host Hungary in the Nations League on Tuesday evening and we’ve previewed the action and provided you with our best bets for the game that can be seen live on Premier Sports. 

After the humiliation of failing to make the World Cup in Qatar, Italy now look to be a squad going through a transitional period. Roberto Mancini named an inexperienced side to face Germany on Saturday where his young crop put in a strong showing to earn a point in a 1-1 draw in Bologna. After their 3-0 defeat in the Finalissma the week prior, many had expected the Italians to be turned over by Hansi Flick’s men and they can take confidence from that showing into this meeting with Hungary. 

Hungary currently find themselves top of League A Group 3, after a historic victory against England last weekend. Dominik Szoboszlai grabbed the only goal of the game, converting a penalty in the second half and Hungary will arrive here in Italy on a high, believing they can take something from the game. 

Marco Rossi is expected to name an unchanged side for Hungary who have won four of their last five matches in all formats. For the hosts, Roberto Mancini may look to Gianluca Mancini at the heart of the Italian defence, while Leonardo Spinazzola is available for selection after making his international comeback, since an achilles tendon tear at last summer’s Euros. 

After scouring the available markets for this match one selection stood out more than any other and that is for the young Hungary star, Dominik Szoboszlai to have Over 1.5 shots. The 21-year-old, who plays his club football for Red Bull Leipzig, has 21 International caps to his name since making his debut back in 2019 and has six goals to his name in that period. 

A player who looks to have a bright future, Szoboszlai is currently valued at £25m according to the website Transfermarkt.com, which is more than double any of any other player in the current Hungary squad. 

When it comes to letting off shots when representing his national side Szoboszlai has recorded two or more in nine of his last 11 competitive Internationals. Domestically he has let off at least two shots in nine of his 11 Bundesliga starts in 2021/2022 and went on to have 4+ shots in six of those. 6/4 looks to be a good price here on a player who has the ability to rack up the attempts in a side that is high on confidence. Another boost is that the youngster is also on penalty and free-kick duty for The Magyars.

At 11/1 we’re also taking Hungary forward Adam Szalai to score and register 2+ shots on target in the match. This is available with both Betfair and Paddy Power via their Bet Builder feature. Age 34 and captain of the side, Szalai has 81 International caps and 25 goals, with no other player in the current squad having scored more than six. 

At club level Szalia has mainly been used as a substitute this season for Mainz and made the switch to Swiss side Basel in the winter transfer window, where he managed four goals in 12 appearances. At the Euro 2020 finals he managed two shots on target against Portugal as well a goal and two shots on target against Germany, and it would be no surprise to see him let off a few strikes here with his side highly motivated after their triumph against England. With an overhauled Italian XI and Hungary playing their best football in years we think they can cause Italy real issues, with hopefully their striker Adam Szalai getting himself on the scoresheet as well as hitting the target twice.

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