England v Hungary: Back Kane to save Three Lions

Paul Higham
14 June 2022
3 min read

Harry Kane can lead from the front for England

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Paul Higham says Harry Kane will be needed to break down a stubborn Hungary side to help England end the season with a win.

"Eight of England's last 10 Nations League game have gone low on goals, and Hungary will struggle to find the net at Molineux here."
Back England to beat Hungary to nil @ 1.84/5

England v Hungary
Tuesday June 14, 19:45 kick-off
Live on Channel 4

England desperate for first win

It's three games and zero wins for Gareth Southgate's England side after back-to-back draws against Germany and Italy - so they're in dire need of a first win of this Nations League campaign.

They're back at Molineux as they were against Italy, but this time with a full house of home fans, so even though legs will be tired at the end of this marathon season, this represents their easiest fixture of the campaign on paper.

It's three games without a win for Southgate for the first time since 2018, and with England bottom they face relegation from the top tier of the competition if they stay there.

Training at @Wolves ahead of Tuesday's game pic.twitter.com/Fsn5OznhWa
-- England (@England) June 12, 2022

A fourth game in 11 days will mean selection is based more on who has anything left in their legs than anything else, but expect Harry Kane to be back in the starting line-up and perhaps a return for Phil Foden.

With Kyle Walker, Jude Bellingham and John Stones all sitting out against Italy they could all return for a final game that now becomes crucial for England to end this season on a high.

Real deal Hungary holding their own

Hungary sit a surprising second in the group after following up the win over England with a narrow loss in Italy and a home draw against Germany.

It was a similar story to their win over England, as Hungary had far less possession than Germany but turned their 35 percent of the ball into seven shots on target to just one from the visitors.

Get behind England as they go head to head with Hungary once more, Tuesday 7pm LIVE & FREE on Channel 4 & All 4 pic.twitter.com/0fTV5HQrbq
-- Channel 4 (@Channel4) June 12, 2022

While Marco Rossi's side have had mixed display on the road in general, in the Nations League they've kept clean sheets in their last 11 matches overall, and three of the last four on the road.

Throw in their draw at Wembley in their last game against the Three Lions and Hungary will arrive at Wolverhampton full of confidence of making it three games against England without defeat.

Can huge favourites England find finishing touch?

You're not backing an England team with just one late penalty in three games at 1.251/4 favourites for this one, against a Hungary side capable of stifling sides and hitting them on the break.

The visitors are a big price at 14.013/1 and plenty will be tempted by the draw at 6.05/1.

Scoring goals has been the issue for England - they had 12 shots with four on target against Hungary and Italy, with 15 and six on target against Germany, yet have just one Kane penalty to show for it.

A lack of urgency and energy was to blame against Hungary. Germany was a tough tie but played at a decent intensity. Both England and Italy should really have scored at Molineux.

With England going under 2.5 goals in eight out of 10 in the Nations League, it may be a surprise to see over 2.5 ever so slightly favoured here at 1.84/5.

Kane to be the difference

Tammy Abraham was OK against Italy, but Harry Kane is a different animal and every time he doesn't play for England you realise how important he is, and will be to their World Cup hopes.

It may be a bit of a slog for England but, as Kane chases down Wayne Rooney's scoring record, I'm confident the Spurs man will find the net here as a 1.84/5 anytime goalscorer.

If he starts, Raheem Sterling at 3.02/1 would be worth a look to score as he missed an absolute sitter against Italy but was getting into regular scoring positions.

Dominik Szoboszlai scored the penalty winner for Hungary in Budapest, and the RB Leipzig man will be a big danger as a 6.511/2 anytime scorer shout.

This game really is all about England though, and Southgate finding the right attacking mix that on recent form should involve Jarrod Bowen and Bukayo Saka.

We'll take both Kane and Bowen to hit the target along with Hungary's star man, but we're not expecting the visitors to manage a goal here in what should be a tight England win.