Slovakia will be looking to get their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign back on track when they host Liechtenstein. With 10 points from five games, the home team is presently second in Group J. Liechtenstein is last with 0 points from its first five matches.
Preview (Slovakia vs. Liechtenstein)
Slovakia performed admirably in their match against Portugal on Friday. Bruno Fernandes’ goal in the opening period was the deciding factor. As a result, the Falcons now sit in second position in Group J with 10 points. They are five points behind group leader Portugal and tied on points with Luxembourg in third place. The team led by Francesco Calzona drew with Luxembourg 0-0 in the group opener. They then defeated Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iceland, and Liechtenstein three times in a row.
The one-goal loss to Portugal was a setback. Especially considering that they will travel to the group leaders on October 13. This emphasizes how crucial it is to earn all three points at this location. The Blue Reds lost 4-0 to Portugal in their section opener before giving up seven goals to Iceland at home on March 26. However, they have improved recently, only dropping games to Luxembourg, Slovakia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday night.
Konrad Funfstuck has lost all three of his matches as head coach since taking over at the beginning of June. There have been noticeable improvements under his direction. Only five of Liechtenstein’s historical qualification games for the European Championship have they ever won. They have never advanced to a major event final. The Blue Reds have dropped all 18 of their games in all competitions. They haven’t won since a 2-1 friendly victory over Luxembourg in October 2020.
Team News
Despite the fact that Slovakia has not reported any injuries during their match with Portugal, head coach Calzona will be considering adjustments after the team’s one-goal defeat the previous time out. Robert Bozenik and Tomas Suslov, who came off the bench first and second, respectively, against Portugal, could possibly start on Monday. The most seasoned players on the current team in terms of appearances are Peter Pekarik and Juraj Kucka, who are expected to keep their positions. Lukas Haraslin should once more play in the final third of the field. For Liechtenstein, it may be more of the same because the head coach would have been pleased with his team’s performance against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday night.
Sandro Wolfinger and Maximilian Goppel should stay in the wing-back positions in a 5-3-2 formation. With four goals, Dennis Salanovic leads the team in goal-scoring. The 27-year-old is anticipated to once again partner with Ferhat Saglam in the final third of the pitch, with Aron Sele playing in a wide position. It is really difficult to support Liechtenstein despite their clear improvement under their new manager because they haven’t won a game in nearly three years. On Monday, Slovakia could need to be patient, but we anticipate them to secure three points, which would be very significant.
Slovakia 2 – 0 Liechtenstein
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