You could argue Slovakia have a storied history in this competition, having won it in 1976 while joined to neighbours Czech Republic, along with two third-place finishes as a combined nation.
They’ve not had much to shout on the football pitch since independence in the mid 1990s, and their chances in Germany this summer look slim on first glance.
Slovakia tackle Belgium first, and it’s likely their other two matches against Ukraine and Romania are where they will pick up any points.
Francesco Calzona’s side have only lost three of their last 15 games though, two of which were against Portugal, so will be confident of doing well and at least getting into the knockout phase of the tournament.
While the vast majority of the team will be unknown to even the most hipster of football fans, they do boast the likes of PSG’s Milan Skriniar, Napoli’s Stanislav Lobotka, Feyenoord’s David Hancko and Newcastle’s Martin Dubravka and don’t give up too many goals.
MANAGER: Francesco Calzona
CAPTAIN: Milan Skriniar. After a successful six seasons playing at the back for Inter, Skriniar moved to PSG last summer where he partnered Lucas Hernandez/Danilo Pereira at centre back for much of the season. He did miss a bit of the season through injury but he’s made it back just in time for the Euros. He’s won the league with both Inter and PSG, the Coppa Italia twice and has been runner-up in both the Champions League and Europa League Final.
STAR PLAYER: Stanislav Lobotka makes the team tick. Sitting in front of the central defenders, he pivots the play from the centre of the park, just like he does at Napoli. Lobotka doesn’t score nearly enough goals but thanks to Calzona’s playing style, he’s happy for his players to score first and park the bus.
HOW THEY GOT THERE: Slovakia finished second in Group J behind Portugal, winning seven, drawing one and losing two.
HOW WILL THEY DO: No doubt they’ll be aiming for second place as Belgium will surely take top spot. They certainly have the defensive nous to make it out of the group but it’s their forward department that looks lacking, most of which play in the domestic league or across the border in the Czech Republic and that lack of experience might hurt them.
BEST BET: With that lack of attacking talent, Slovakia to be eliminated in the Group Stage looks the most likely outcome.
SLOVAKIA EURO 2024 FIXTURES & SCHEDULE
Group E
Monday, June 17: Belgium v Slovakia, 5pm (Frankfurt Arena, Frankfurt)
Sunday, June 21: Slovakia v Ukraine, 2pm (Dusseldorf Arena, Dusseldorf)
Wednesday, June 26: Slovakia v Romania, 5pm (Frankfurt Arena, Frankfurt)
SLOVAKIA EURO 2024 SQUAD
- GOALKEEPERS: Florin Niță, Horațiu Moldovan, Ștefan Târnovanu, Răzvan Sava.
- DEFENDERS: Nicușor Bancu, Andrei Burcă, Ionuț Nedelcearu, Adrian Rus, Andrei Rațiu, adu Drăgușin, Vasile Mogoș, Bogdan Racovițan.
- MIDFIELDERS: Nicolae Stanciu, Răzvan Marin, Alexandru Cicâldău, Ianis Hagi, Dennis Man, Valentin Mihăilă, Marius Marin, Darius Olaru, Deian Sorescu, Florinel Coman, Adrian Șut, Constantin Grameni.
- FORWARDS: George Pușcaș, Denis Alibec, Denis Drăguș, Daniel Bîrligea.
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