'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAJAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQYH/9oACAEBAAAAAIAjexP/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAF/9oACAECEAAAABv/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB/9oACAEDEAAAAH//xAAnEAABAwICCwEAAAAAAAAAAAACAQMEAAUSIQYHFzEyNlJVYXHB0v/aAAgBAQABPwCHq5lhDfjFbbgcp3ELUgxEWiISXNOhMO/EudbN9I+1vr5E2/3Vn5fvHoPtFxLX/8QAGxEAAgEFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgMBAAUxYeH/2gAIAQIBAT8AddxWIzK875X/xAAZEQEAAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAIDMVH/2gAIAQMBAT8ADJVWtt9J/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Hungary and Albania resume their pursuit of a place in the World Cup on Saturday when they face off at the Ferenc Puskás Stadium.
The hosts picked up a morale-boosting victory against Andorra last time out, while the visitors claimed an emphatic 5-0 win over San Marino.
Hungary returned to winning ways in Group I of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers last time out as they edged out a dogged Andorra side 2-1 on home turf.
Prior to that, they suffered successive defeats at the hands of England and Albania, conceding five goals and scoring none.
Hungary are currently fourth in the group standings, two points behind Saturday’s visitors and six behind group leaders England.
Head coach Marco Rossi will hope the win last time out can serve as a springboard for a fine run of form as they look to move into the top half of Group I.
Meanwhile, Albania made it two wins from two games last time out when they thrashed San Marino 5-0 on home turf.
This followed a slender 1-0 win over Saturday’s hosts in the reverse fixture back in September.
Albania have picked up four wins from their five group outings so far and they will fancy their chances of doing the double over Hungary this weekend.
Hungary vs Albania Head-To-Head
Hungary boast a superior record in the history of this fixture, claiming five wins from their last seven encounters. The visitors have picked up one win, while the spoils have been shared once.
Hungary Form Guide (all competitions): W-L-L-D-D
Albania Form Guide (all competitions): W-W-L-L-D
Hungary vs Albania Team News
Hungary
The hosts have called up a strong 26-man squad, including RB Leipzig's trio of Peter Gulacsi, Willi Orban and Dominik Szoboszlai.
Injured: None
Suspended: None
Albania
The visitors have named a 25-man squad for their upcoming games, including Lazio’s Elseid Hysaj, goalkeeper Etrit Berisha and Chelsea loanee Armando Broja. Erion Hoxhallari tested positive for COVID-19 and is in quarantine. He will not be available for this fixture.
Injured: None
Suspended: None
Unavailable: Erion Hoxhallari
Hungary vs Albania Predicted XI
Hungary Predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Peter Gulacsi; Attila Szalai, Adam Lang, Willi Orban; Bendeguz Bolla, Andras Schafer, Adam Nagy, László Kleinheisler; Rolland Sallai, Dominik Szoboszlai; Adam Szalai
Albania Predicted XI (3-4-3): Thomas Strakosha; Elseid Hysaj, Marash Kumbulla, Berat Djimsiti; Odise Roshi, Amir Abrashi, Klaus Gjasula, Lorenc Trashi; Sokol Cikalleshi, Bekim Balaj, Armando Broja
Hungary vs Albania Prediction
After a slow start to their qualifier campaign, Hungary find themselves in fourth place in the standings. While they take on an evenly-matched opposing side on Saturday, we are tipping Hungry to come away with all three points, albeit by a narrow margin.
Prediction: Hungary 2-1 Albania
