Germany is embarking on a new chapter as they host Hungary in Dusseldorf for their inaugural UEFA Nations League match on Saturday evening. Following the departure of several key players subsequent to the host country’s elimination from Euro 2024, a revamped squad will commence their participation in League A Group 3.
To win (90 min)
Germany 1/4
Draw 42/10
Hungry 9/1
Germany
Germany’s dream of lifting the European Championship trophy on home soil ended in the quarter-finals of this summer’s tournament, as Julian Nagelsmann‘s side were eliminated by eventual winners Spain in Stuttgart. Nagelsmann will now usher in a new era for the German national team, as senior players such as Manuel Neuer, Ilkay Gundogan, Thomas Muller, and Toni Kroos have all departed the international stage after several years of duty. Some fresh faces are therefore involved in Nagelsmann’s first Nations League campaign, as he builds towards qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and then trying to regain the global title. The 37-year-old has won seven of his first 13 matches in charge – losing three – with one of those victories coming against this today’s opponents at the Euros, where the hosts won 2-0 en route to topping Group A.
Hungry
Hungary still trails in the overall head-to-head, with 12 wins to the Germans’ 14 – plus a dozen draws – with their most famous defeat coming in the 1954 World Cup final when all-time great Ferenc Puskas just missed out on glory in a controversial contest. More recently, Marco Rossi‘s current squad only missed out on a place in the knockout phase of Euro 2024 due to goal difference, as they took three points from as many Group A games. Appointed in 2018, Rossi remains in charge of the challenge ahead, as his side tries to beat the Netherlands and Bosnia-Herzegovina to a top-two finish in Group 3, which would be good enough to reach the new quarter-final stage.
Prediction:
Germany is yet to win the Nations League – or even progress beyond the group phase – in three previous attempts, but they should be among the favourites to prevail next June. With an abundance of attacking talent available, Julian Nagelsmann’s men are set to beat a stubborn Hungary side again on Saturday night.