Hungary vs Lithuania

A textbook definition of a lopsided Euro 2024 qualifying contest pits Hungary and Lithuania agaisnt each other at the Puskas Arena.

An uneventful scoreless draw at Montenegro last time out slightly overshadowed Hungary’s stellar Group G start, which saw them thrash Bulgaria 3-0 on home turf on day one. A victory over sub-par Lithuania would significantly boost the Hungarians’ chances of appearing at a third consecutive European Championship as they sit joint second with Montenegro but with a game in hand. The abovementioned draw in Podgorica extended Hungary’s unbeaten run to five matches (W3, D2), with each of the last three accompanied by a clean sheet. Head coach Marco Rossi might feel overly confident about his team’s prospects of returning to winning ways, with an impressive record of seven wins from their last eight Euro qualifiers on home turf (L1) justifying his lofty ambitions.

In stark contrast to Hungary, a two-game winless start to their Group G campaign (D1, L1) has left Lithuania’s bid to secure their maiden berth at the Euro finals since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in tatters. After a 2-0 defeat at Serbia on day one, they let slip an early lead in a 1-1 home draw against Bulgaria last week, extending their disastrous winless streak in all competitions to 12 matches (D3, L9). But considering that stalemate followed a scoreless draw against Greece in March, Edgaras Jankauskas’ side could go unbeaten in three consecutive games for the first time since November 2020. Unfortunately, anything other than a first-ever H2H win over Hungary after four straight failed attempts (D1, L3) would likely end their hopes of climbing up the ladder.