Two goalless sides meet in Budapest as Georgia play a second game under a new manager
Hungary host Georgia at the Puskás Aréna on Friday, 2 October 2026, on matchday three of UEFA Nations League B, Group 2, with kick-off at 20:45 CEST. Both have a single point and neither has scored: Hungary lost 0-1 at home to Ukraine despite a string of chances and then managed one shot on target in a 0-0 in Belfast, while Georgia lost to a 99th-minute Northern Ireland goal in Tbilisi after Kvaratskhelia had a penalty saved, then drew 0-0 with Ukraine in Ramaz Svanadze’s first game after Willy Sagnol’s departure. Ukraine and Northern Ireland lead the group on four points, so both of these sides need a win and both have been shown how hard that is. Serbian referee Srdjan Jovanović takes charge.
„Sokszor edzőtábor helyett inkább kórháznak tűnik egy ilyen összetartás“ – Marco Rossi: a camp like this often looks more like a hospital than a training camp.
Predicted lineups: Hungary vs Georgia
Rossi’s biggest question is at right-back. Bendegúz Bolla was stretchered off after half an hour in Belfast; the federation says the injury is only bruising and a sprain, Hungarian outlets call his availability questionable and Georgian reports say he will miss out, so Attila Osváth, who replaced him at Windsor Park, is the likelier starter. Varga, Sallai and Styles were out before the camp, Redzic injured an ankle against Ukraine, and Szalai of Paks is training again but has not yet made a matchday squad. Szoboszlai and Kerkez start, and the Hungarian former pros quoted by Nemzeti Sport this week want two strikers and more crosses rather than Lukács alone. Georgia’s eleven follows the side Svanadze used against Ukraine: a back five with Kakabadze and Tsitaishvili as wing-backs, Kochorashvili, Kiteishvili and Chakvetadze in midfield, and Kvaratskhelia alongside Mikautadze. No Georgian injuries have been reported, although eight yellow cards in the Ukraine game leave individual suspension positions unclear.
Hungary Team News & Preview
Hungary have not scored in the Nations League and have not been short of chances. Against Ukraine in front of 59,000, Rossi’s side missed a string of openings and lost to Sikan’s goal before half-time; the manager’s verdict was that „we didn’t deserve to lose but we did, we missed every chance, they scored with their first“. In Belfast the performance was flatter: one shot on target, Schäfer wide from a good position around the hour, Bárány’s header over, Szoboszlai wide late on, while Northern Ireland hit the bar through Kelly and forced Balázs Tóth into saves from Kelly, Donley and Price. Promotions.hu counts roughly 30 attempts without a goal across the two games, Telex notes it is the first time Hungary have drawn two consecutive blanks since September 2021, and the absence of a competitive win against anyone other than Armenia since October 2024 is the problem the fans are now pinning on Rossi.
The squad explains some of it. Varga, the main striker, and Sallai were out before the camp, Styles too; Redzic went down with an ankle injury against Ukraine; Bolla was stretchered off in Belfast. Rossi’s „hospital“ line was said with a smile and a promise that „we’ll still be competitive“, but the attack has been Lukács alone with Szoboszlai dropping deep to find the ball and being marked out of games, which is exactly what Telex and the former internationals quoted by Nemzeti Sport are criticising. The federation says it is „not negotiating with anyone“ about a change of manager, and Rossi’s message before Georgia was that „a difficult match awaits us, caused by both the opponent’s strength and our personnel problems“. That is the honest summary, and it points at a game Hungary will try to win without the tools to win it comfortably.
What works for or against Hungary
- No goal in two games despite around 30 attempts, one shot on target in Belfast, and Hungary's first back-to-back blanks since 2021.
- Varga, Sallai, Styles and Redzic out, Bolla doubtful, and the manager himself calling the camp a hospital.
- Szoboszlai and Kerkez are fit, the home crowd was 59,000 for Ukraine, and the chances have been created even if they have not been taken.
- Rossi has used a lone striker in both games; Hungarian pundits are pushing for two up front and more crosses.
Georgia Team News & Preview
Georgia changed manager between the two September games. Sagnol’s 4-3-3 lost 0-1 at home to Northern Ireland in front of 5,000, a defeat that came in the ninth minute of stoppage time after Pierce Charles had saved Kvaratskhelia’s penalty at 0-0 and Mikautadze had been denied from six yards; Sagnol left the next day and the under-21 coach Ramaz Svanadze was appointed through 2028. His first game was the 0-0 with Ukraine in Tbilisi three days later, and the change was immediate: a back five with wing-backs, three central midfielders, Kvaratskhelia and Mikautadze together up front. Georgia had the better of it – Kiteishvili saved inside two minutes, Chakvetadze saved on 19, a Kiteishvili header before half-time, Trubin saving from Kvaratskhelia on the hour – against a Ukraine side that made ten changes, and Svanadze’s own assessment was that „overall we were the better side“ but that the team tired after an hour.
What Svanadze has not yet done is find a goal. Georgia have scored none in the Nations League from 14 shots, Kvaratskhelia apologised to supporters for the two games without a win, and the attack that produced two 2-0 wins earlier in the year has gone quiet since the manager change. The upside of the new structure is defensive: Ukraine managed two real attempts in 90 minutes. Against a Hungary side that has not scored either, a Georgian back five with Mamardashvili behind it is the single most important fact in the game. I treat a second match under a new manager with the caution it deserves – the Ukraine draw says little about where Georgia are going – but the shape he has chosen points towards a tight, low-scoring evening rather than an open one.
What works for or against Georgia
- Dominated the 0-0 with Ukraine under Svanadze's back five and allowed only two real attempts, with Mamardashvili behind a settled line.
- Kvaratskhelia and Mikautadze both fit and starting together, and Georgian media point to a solid recent away record.
- No goal in the Nations League from 14 shots, a saved penalty and a six-yard miss against Northern Ireland – the finishing has deserted them.
- Only the second game under a new manager, with eight yellow cards against Ukraine leaving individual suspension positions unclear.
Hungary vs Georgia Odds
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Hungary Form, Stats & Data
Around 30 attempts and no goals is the Hungarian story, and the two games split into a wasteful one against Ukraine and a toothless one in Belfast, where a single shot on target was the whole output. The defence has been fine – one goal conceded in 180 minutes, Balázs Tóth busy and reliable – and that is the half of the team that survives the injury list intact. The attack does not: without Varga there is no reference point, Lukács has not scored, and Szoboszlai is being marked out of games when he drops to collect the ball. I expect Hungary to have the ball and the territory and to find a Georgian back five hard to break, which fits the low-scoring picture at both ends.
Georgia Form, Stats & Data
Georgia’s two games produced 14 shots, a saved penalty, a six-yard miss and no goals, and the manager change in between has shifted the balance of the team towards defence: five at the back against Ukraine, two attempts allowed, a clean sheet. Kvaratskhelia and Mikautadze remain a pairing that can score against anyone, and Georgia’s recent away record compares well with Hungary’s home form. The second game under a new coach is a moment to be careful with, and I am not backing Georgia to win or to lose; I am backing the shape Svanadze has chosen and the finishing both sides have shown to keep the total low.
Hungary vs Georgia: Prediction & Betting Tip
The decisive fact for me is simple: four Nations League games between these two sides have produced two goals, neither of them scored by Hungary or Georgia. Both attacks are misfiring for different reasons – Hungary through injuries and a lone striker who is not scoring, Georgia through a saved penalty, a six-yard miss and a new manager who has rebuilt the side around a back five – and both defences have been solid, one goal conceded apiece. A 1-0 either way or a 0-0 is the picture I keep coming back to.
The strongest argument against is that both sides have been creating. Hungary’s 30 attempts and Georgia’s dominance against Ukraine suggest the goals are being delayed rather than prevented, Szoboszlai and Kvaratskhelia are good enough to produce two moments in one game, and a Hungarian side that needs a win in front of its own crowd could open up late. That is why the stake is moderate.
My main bet is **Under 2.5 goals at 1.67 with MyStake**. My correct-score pick is 1-0 to Hungary.