The final countdown to UEFA Euro 2024 has officially begun as we approach a string of highly anticipated international friendlies. Some of the nations that are playing this week are heading for the big tournament and others aren’t, but either way, it’s important for all of them to try and build some momentum. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the impending clash between Hungary and Israel.

Historically speaking, Hungary have enjoyed some truly memorable moments in their international history - and in recent times, they’ve done well to qualify for the last two editions of the European Championships. They reached the round of 16 back in 2016, and even though they didn’t get out of the group stage in 2021, they fought as hard as they could throughout and impressed the masses.

Hungary may have been in the weakest group on paper in qualifying, but they still did their job to the best of their ability as they went unbeaten. They managed to top Group G and while they did draw three of their eight games, their qualification was never in too much doubt.

Israel have qualified for the World Cup on one occasion, and they’ve never qualified for the European Championships. The interesting part about it is that they often seem to be in the mix in qualifying, but more often than not, they lose a game they should win or they just fall away in the final few games. Moving forward, they need to work on their development if they’re going to get to a point of relevancy.

Israel finished just two points behind Switzerland in Group I which, by their standards, was pretty solid. Alas, when it came to the play-offs, they just weren’t good enough to compete as they fell to a comprehensive 4-1 defeat courtesy of Iceland in their semi-final clash.

In a game like this, the whole point is to do everything in your power to make an impact - but at the same time, there are far more important matches that lie ahead. Therefore, while we do think there will be some big moments here and there, our official prediction is under 2.5 goals scored.