Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Water Polo World Championship match.
The quarter-finals of the World Aquatics Championships will see a showdown between Hungary, bronze medallists at the 2022 World Championship, and Italy, who secured silver in 2023. Hungary have shown strong form throughout the tournament but have encountered difficulties when facing elite opposition.
Hungary (women)
Hungary progressed through the group stage with three victories. They opened with a narrow 10:9 win over Greece, followed by comfortable wins against Japan (33:13) and Croatia (22:6). However, past meetings with Italy have been closely contested — Hungary have won four of their seven encounters, but only twice by a margin greater than one goal.
Italy (women)
Italy earned two wins from three group matches. They defeated Singapore (32:5) and New Zealand (14:9), but were outplayed by Australia in a 15:19 loss. In the previous knockout round, they narrowly overcame China (13:11). Since last year’s Olympic Games, Italy have suffered seven defeats in nine matches against top-five ranked teams globally, yet only two of those losses came by more than three goals.
Hungary (women) vs Italy (women) Prediction
Hungary head into this fixture as favourites, but Italy are expected to offer strong resistance. Italy are rarely beaten by large margins and have consistently pushed Hungary in their past meetings. While Italy stand a realistic chance of advancing, the more prudent approach is to back them with a handicap.
