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Germany will kickstart a new era on Saturday as they renew hostilities with Hungary at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf in their opening UEFA Nations League fixture. Germany's head coach Julian Nagelsmann has his work cut out for him in the coming months after several top stars announced their retirement this summer.
Die Mannschaft were one of the best teams at Euro 2024 but their dreams were quashed prematurely in the quarter-finals by eventual champions Spain. Subsequently, legendary German footballers Manuel Neuer, Toni Kroos, Thomas Muller and Ilkay Gundogan called it a day on their international careers.
It will be interesting to see how Nagelsmann goes about finding the right combinations, especially in the centre of the pitch and further forward.
Meanwhile, Hungary returned from their Euro expedition pretty early with their Saturday opponents being one of the sides that progressed beyond the group stages at their expense. But Marco Rossi's men did secure a lone victory in the tournament, beating Scotland 1-0 in their final group-stage outing.
Rossi, entrusted with the team's reins since 2018, will need to work some magic to help his side beat the Netherlands and Bosnia and Herzegovina to a top-two finish in Group 3.
Germany vs Hungary Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Germany and Hungary are rivals with a rich history. The two sides have clashed a total of 38 times. Germany have the edge with 14 wins. Hungary have won 12 matches and a dozen others have ended in a draw.
- In the last four meetings between them, Germany and Hungary have picked up a win each.
- The last time Die Mannschaft faced Hungary in the UEFA Nations League was in September 2022. Hungary won the game 1-0.
- Germany failed to beat Hungary twice in the last UEFA Nations League in 2022. They lost at home and drew on the road.
- Nagelsmann has led this German side to seven wins in his first 13 matches in charge since replacing Hansi Flick in September 2023.
Germany vs Hungary Prediction
Germany have a terrible record in the Nations League. They have never made it past the group stage in the three editions of the tournament so far. But this German side seems capable of bucking that trend.
Nagelsmann has a wide array of top talent at his disposal and they should be able to kickstart their Nations League campaign with a win against Hungary on Saturday.
Prediction: Germany 2-0 Hungary
Germany vs Hungary Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Germany to win
Tip 2: Game to have under 2.5 goals - Yes
Tip 3: Germany to keep a clean sheet - Yes
