Slovakia on the Brink of Securing Their Euro 2024 Berth

Slovakia vs Iceland

Slovakia are about to realise their Euro 2024 dream because they have one foot in the door. Getting one point is all it takes for them to finally make it come true, which is achievable against Iceland on Thursday night at Tehelné pole.

Eight matchdays in, and Francesco Calzona’s men are sitting pretty in second place with 16 points behind Portugal. Luxembourg and Iceland are right behind Slovakia, with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

While Iceland’s hope of directly qualifying for Germany next year is unlikely, they can keep themselves in contention because they have a playoff place to fall back on and they are on a run of positive Euro 2024 results.

Learn more about these two teams in detail, as we’re here to provide today’s match preview.

Talking Points

Slovakia’s underrated stars

Much has already been said about Slovakia’s defence, which has seen them concede only five goals from their opponents and produce five clean sheets in their eight qualifying games thus far, and they can largely thank the centre-half partnership of David Hancko and Milan Skriniar for that.

Another player that deserves praise is Stanislav Lobotka, who has been their maestro in midfield. The Napoli man’s leadership has been a key reason why Slovakia are on the verge of making their third consecutive Euros.

But other than these three, SBOTOP football fans have to take a look at the likes of Lukas Haraslin, Leo Sauer, and Peter Pekarik.

Haraslin’s return from injury is a massive boost for the Slovak Falcons because he is in great form. The 27-year-old winger is Sparta Prague’s leading scorer this season with seven goals.

Leo Sauer is far from a finished article, but the 17-year-old has shown signs of promise at Feyenoord after scoring a goal on his professional debut against Sparta Rotterdam last August.

And last but not least, Peter Pekarik is on course to reach 125 caps if he plays on Thursday and Sunday. The 37-year-old full-back is Slovakia’s second-most-capped player in the national team’s history.

Almost but not quite for Iceland

Losing four of their first five matches in Group J has proven to be costly for Iceland, even with their late surge. Iceland’s 3-1 loss and 1-1 draw to Luxembourg particularly hurt since the latter has a weaker team on paper.

And ahead of this Thursday match, Iceland have several injuries to deal with, although that means more opportunities for their younger players to show their head coach, Age Hareide, what they got.

National team mainstays Gylfi Sigurdsson, Mikael Anderson, and Hordur Magnusson are out against Slovakia, and U-21 stars Andri Gudjohnsen, Mikael Egill Ellertsson, and Kristian Hlynsson are candidates to deputise.

Meanwhile, Al-Arabi’s Aron Gunnarsson will continue to wear the captain’s armband for Iceland. The 34-year-old is expected to reach 104 caps on Sunday when they take on Portugal in the final matchday.

History

Slovakia and Iceland are actually meeting in a competitive setting for the first time ever this Thursday.

Prior to that, these two nations faced off in a couple of exhibition games, where Slovakia recorded two wins, one draw, and one loss, with their last encounter being a 2-1 result dating back to November 2015.

Since gaining independence from Czechoslovakia in 1992, Slovakia have only made two appearances in the Euros. In 2016, they reached the Round of 16 stage, eventually losing 3-0 to Germany. But in 2020, they failed to get out of the group stage, falling short behind Spain and Sweden in Group E.

As for Iceland, their only appearance in the Euros was in 2016, when they shocked the world by making it to the quarter-finals. After placing second in Group F, Iceland dispatched England 2-1 in the Round of 16 before losing to France 5-2 in the final eight.

Betting Tip

The Euro 2024 odds have the hosts winning on Thursday evening. Slovakia are at 1.73 odds to win, while Iceland are 4.10 underdogs, and a draw is priced at 3.35 in the 1X2 market.

Slovakia are in full control of their destiny, and they’re not leaving anything to chance. So, expect them to bring their A-game at home, although it’ll be the first time in a while that they’ll be playing on the front foot. Other than our recommended bet above, Under 2.00 at 2.28 seems like a real possibility, while Total Goals 0-1 at 2.65 is also something to think about given Slovakia’s ability to secure clean sheets so far in this tournament.

 

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