Portugal v Hungary – Line-ups, stats and preview

Match Preview for Portugal v Hungary

Portugal are just one victory away from confirming their place at the 2026 World Cup as they host Hungary at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Tuesday evening.

The Selecao survived a scare against the Republic of Ireland at the weekend, overcoming a missed Cristiano Ronaldo penalty to secure a narrow 1-0 win in Lisbon.

Ruben Neves proved to be the hero for Roberto Martinez’s side, heading home a stoppage-time winner to maintain their flawless record in Group F.

That result extended Portugal’s lead at the top to five points with only three games remaining, meaning that victory over Hungary – combined with an Ireland win over Armenia – would guarantee qualification for next summer’s tournament.

Hungary arrive in Lisbon in improving form after a slow start to qualifying. Marco Rossi’s men climbed into second place thanks to a 2-0 home victory over Armenia, with Daniel Lukacs and Zsombor Gruber on the scoresheet. That result gives them a slim chance of catching Portugal, though avoiding defeat here is crucial to staying in contention.

The Magyars’ win last time out was only their second in nine matches but did end an eight-game run without a clean sheet. Encouragingly, they have scored at least twice in four consecutive matches in all competitions.

However, their record against Portugal is daunting – Hungary have failed to win any of their previous 15 meetings, including a 3-2 home defeat earlier in this qualifying campaign.

Team news for Portugal v Hungary

Portugal emerged from their victory over Ireland without any new injury worries. Goncalo Inacio was replaced at half-time by Renato Veiga, but the switch appeared tactical rather than enforced, and the Brentford defender may now start from the outset.

Francisco Trincão is pushing for a place in the starting lineup after his lively cameo at the weekend, setting up Neves’s decisive goal.

Joao Neves remains unavailable due to injury, but Joao Palhinha offers strong cover in midfield.

For Hungary, Marco Rossi welcomes back two key attackers in Roland Sallai and Barnabas Varga following suspension. Both are expected to return to the starting XI, likely at the expense of Daniel Lukacs despite his goal against Armenia.

Dominik Szoboszlai will continue to captain the side and operate on the left of midfield, supported by Milos Kerkez, while Callum Styles is expected to retain his place centrally after an assured display last time out.

Expected line-ups for Portugal v Hungary

Portugal: Costa; Dalot, Dias, Veiga, Mendes; Neves, Vitinha; Trincao, Fernandes, Leao; Ronaldo

Hungary: Toth; Nego, Orban, Szalai, Kerkez; Bolla, Styles, Schafer, Szoboszlai; Sallai, Varga

How to watch Portugal v Hungary: TV channel, online stream

Portugal v Hungary kicks off at 7:45pm local time at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon on Tuesday, October 14.

In the UK, the match will be shown live on Amazon Prime, while viewers in the United States can catch the action on Fox Soccer Plus or stream via FuboTV.

The stats for Portugal v Hungary

• Portugal have won all six of their qualifying matches so far, scoring 17 goals and conceding just twice
• The Selecão are unbeaten in their last seven games in all competitions
• Hungary’s 2-0 win over Armenia ended an eight-match streak without a clean sheet
• The Magyars have not beaten Portugal in their previous 15 meetings, dating back to 1966
• Cristiano Ronaldo has scored in four of his last six appearances against Hungary

Prediction

Hungary’s attacking reinforcements should make them more dangerous in the final third, and their recent scoring form suggests they can trouble the hosts.

However, Portugal’s depth, balance, and experience are likely to shine through once again in front of their home crowd.

Prediction: Portugal 2-1 Hungary