Hungary and the Netherlands will face off in the World Cup qualifiers on Friday.
Hungary desperately needs to win this game if it has any hopes of winning a spot in the second-place playoff. The club has 14 points in eight games but only leads Turkey and Romania by one point in the race for second. While those teams face lesser opponents like Estonia and Andorra, Hungary has the most difficult draw and must make the most out of it.
Unless Andorra tops Romania and Estonia shocks Turkey, Hungary will not be able to clinch second place without a win.
The last time these teams met, the Dutch managed a dominant 4-1 win in Budapest; now they will be in Amsterdam with the home crowd likely to spur them on.
However, Hungary may look at the 2-2 draw between Estonia and Netherlands as a means of boosting its confidence; the recent draw showcased some weakness in the Dutch side and could be exploited by a solid Hungarian team.
The Dutch have already clinched a spot and the only thing at stake for them is the chance to improve their FIFA ranking through victories in order to be among the top seven teams that get seeded into the first pot of the group drawing.
On a more personal level, Robin Van Persie may be looking to improve upon his eight goals in qualifying; he is just four shy of being the top scorer in the tournament and has two matches to pull off the feat.
Prediction: This will be a hotly contested match but the Dutch are superior in every respect. Look for them to win 3-0.
Start Time: Kick-off starts at 2:30 p.m. EST.
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