Slovakia 2020 UEFA Euro Betting
For just the third time ever, Slovakia has qualified for a major international tournament. Slovakia is not known for its soccer, so the Falcons have some of the longest odds of any team at EURO 2020. However, they have surprised at their previous two international tournaments, making it out of the Group Stage and to the knockout rounds in both of those prior trips.
Slovakia Squad Profile
UEFA Euro Odds: +20000
Coach: Stefan Tarkovic
FIFA Ranking: 36
Best Finish: Round of 16 (2016)
Group: E ( Spain, Sweden and Poland )
How They Got Here
It wasn’t easy for Slovakia to get back to the European Championships. They were placed in a qualifying group where four of the five teams ended up making it to the Euros. Croatia and Wales finished first and second, while Slovakia and Hungary qualified through the play-in bracket.
Slovakia went 4-1-3 in qualifying with two wins over Hungary and two wins over Azerbaijan. They drew Wales at home, but their loss to Wales in Cardiff meant that they finished a point behind Wales in the group.
That meant Slovakia had to best both Irish teams in order to qualify for the Euros. They played a scoreless 120 minutes with Ireland before advancing on penalties, setting up a match with Northern Ireland in Belfast for one of the last spots in this tournament. Juraj Kucka scored in the 17th minute, and it looked like that goal would hold for nearly the full 90 minutes. However, an own goal in the 88th minute sent the game to extra time. There, Michal Duris proved to be the hero with a goal in the 110th minute.
Team Preview
It’s been a rough year for Slovakia on the pitch. They went 1-1-4 in UEFA Nations League play, and their World Cup qualifying did not get off to a good start. Slovakia settled for a draw on the road against Cyprus before allowing two goals in a stunning draw at home against lowly Malta. However, they rallied to knock off Russia at the end of March with goals from Milan Skriniar and Robert Mak.
Captain Marek Hamsik is the main goal scoring threat on Slovakia. He has 26 goals in 126 games with the national team, and he was one of the anchors for Napoli for a dozen years as they tried to unseat Juventus and the two Milan clubs in Serie A. Hamsik has not been as sharp over the last couple years though.
There are some real concerns about how this team will score goals because there isn’t a lot to work with up front. Michal Duris and Ivan Schranz featured against Russia, and Robert Bozenik will be in the mix too.
American soccer fans will recognize two players in the midfield. Albert Rusnak and Jan Gregus play in the MLS and have bagged some goals for Slovakia in the past. Kucka and Mak are the two playmakers aside from Hamsik though, and Ondrej Duda will see some time too.
Skriniar is a superb defender and has shined for Inter Milan this season. He is the star of the defense, and he will be the leader of this team for years to come. Peter Pekarik is the other defender of note, as he will earn his 100th cap in the run up to the Euros.
Slovakia Schedule
GROUP STAGE
Monday June 14
Poland vs. Slovakia (Dublin; noon ET, 6 p.m.)
Friday June 18
Sweden vs. Slovakia (Dublin; 9 a.m. ET, 3 p.m.)
Wednesday June 23
Slovakia vs. Spain (Bilbao; noon ET, 6 p.m.)
Slovakia’s History at the European Championships
Before Czechoslovakia split into two countries, it was one of the top national teams in the world. Czechoslovakia finished runner-up at the World Cup in 1934 and 1962, finished in third place at the European Championships in 1960 and 1980, and won the 1976 Euros in Yugoslavia.
Slovakia’s first major international competition after the split was the 2010 World Cup. They stunned Italy 3-2 on the final day of the Group Stage to make it to the knockout rounds thanks to a brace from Robert Vittek. They were unable to beat the Netherlands in the Round of 16 though, as the Dutch were too much.
This country didn’t make it to the Euros until 2016. After an opening loss to Wales, Slovakia responded with a win over Russia and a goalless draw against England to make the knockout rounds. There, they were hammered 3-0 by Germany in the Round of 16.
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