Bulgaria vs Hungary Prediction: Magyars to seal Germany spot

Hungary need just a point from their final two qualifiers to secure their place at the 2024 European Championships and they will be hoping to seal the deal when they travel to struggling Bulgaria in Group G on Thursday.

Initially scheduled to take place at Stadion Hristo Botev, a late venue change was made due to construction work being carried out at the Plovdiv venue and the fixture will now be staged at Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia.

The Hungarian football federation has been critical of the decision, saying you would not "organise a family holiday in this way", while UEFA has stepped in and ordered the match to take place behind closed doors.

Another element to this clash is that it will be Ilian Iliev's first game in charge since being appointed Bulgaria's head coach, following the sacking of Mladen Krstajic last month due to unsatisfactory results.

With Bulgaria unable to finish in the top two and facing a battle to clinch a place in the play-offs, IIiev faces a tough battle to turn things around and it is hard to look past anything other than a Hungary win here.

Match Odds

Bulgaria are 11/2 to pick up their first qualifying win, with the draw priced at 11/4 and Hungary 4/7 to claim the spoils.

Both teams to score is available at 11/10, with the 'No' option 4/6, while a repeat of the 3-0 victory for Hungary secured in the reverse fixture is 10/1.

Team News

Bulgaria are without suspended midfielder Andrian Kraev, who serves his one-match ban for the red card he received in defeat to Lithuania last month.

Meanwhile, Hungary are missing Willi Orban, Attila Fiola, Laszlo Kleinheisler, Roland Sallai, Barnabas Varga and Balint Vecsei for this international break due to injury.

Hungary to win & under 2.5 total goals @ 21/10

Bulgaria will be hoping for that new manager bounce following the appointment of IIiev, who will also continue as head coach of Cherno More Varna, but the fact no supporters will be in the stands takes away any home advantage they may have had.

The Lions have lost their last four matches and they haven't tasted success in their last nine assignments, failing to score in six of those and conceding 12 times.

Hungary arrive in Sofia looking to extend a 10-match unbeaten streak that began in November 2022 and includes a comfortable 3-0 home success over Bulgaria in March this year.

Marco Rossi is missing a number of key players for this clash and while there should be enough quality in the squad to get the win, it may not be a high-scoring affair and a victory with under 2.5 goals looks like the value play.

Find more Euro 2024 Betting Tips here at Betfred Insights