UEFA Euro 2024 Team Previews: Slovakia
UEFA Euro 2024 is just weeks away from kicking off in Germany. Over the next 17 days, we will be previewing each team that will be taking part in Europe’s biggest football tournament. Check out all of the team previews that have been done so far. Up next is Slovakia.
Slovakia had a strong qualifying campaign for Euro 2024. They won seven matches, which was tied for the second-most by any nation. The only two they lost were against Portugal. Since qualifying for Euro 2024, “Sokoli” (The Falcons) have lost just a single match while winning their last two. After another World Cup absence in 2022, they are back and looking to put a Cinderella story run together.
Euro Appearances
Euro 2024 will be the third straight that Slovakia has made. However, that came after “Sokoli” had failed to qualify for the previous five as Slovakia and an additional three as part of Czechoslovakia. As Czechoslovakia, they had qualified for three more.
Best Finish at the Euros
Results as Czechoslovakia will not be counted for this since the Czech Republic is also in Euro 2024. Slovakia has made two Euros as their own team and only once made it out of the group stage. That was at Euro 2016. “Sokoli” finished third in their group behind Wales and England but advanced as one of the best third-place teams. They went out in the round of 16 by losing 3-0 against Germany.
Key players
While the players on the team will be the ones carrying the hopes of Slovakia on their shoulders, the biggest story is that this will be their first major tournament without Marek Hamšík. Hamšík retired officially from “Sokoli” in 2023 after his time as the captain saw him rise to the nation’s most-capped player and highest goalscorer. Filling his shoes as captain will be 29-year-old PSG center-back Milan Škriniar. Škriniar will be joined in defense by Peter Pekarík, who has the second-most caps for Slovakia with 127.
Leading the attack for Slovakia has been Lukáš Haraslín. The 28-year-old from Sparta Prague scored a team-leading three goals during Euro 2024 qualifying. Four of his six career goals for “Sokoli” have come since the start of qualifying, so he has been finding his scoring boots as of late. Only two players on the Slovak national team play their club football in Slovakia. The ŠK Slovan Bratislava duo of midfielder Juraj Kucka and forward Dávid Strelec helped win the Slovak Super Liga this past season. Strelec finished with the fifth-most goals in the league with 11.
Manager
One of the more interesting appointments of a manager was when Italian Francesco Calzona was hired by Slovakia in 2023. Calzona became the first manager of “Sokoli” who was not from a Czechoslovak nation. It will be interesting to see how well he knows his team since he has also been the manager of Napoli in Serie A since February. Managing both a national and club team at the same time is rather uncommon at this level.
Biggest Group Game – vs Romania on June 26
Slovakia is up against it in Group E. However, according to the FIFA rankings, “Sokoli” is two places behind Romania in 48th. This could mean a very close and exciting game. If Slovakia wants to advance to the knockout stage, this will be a must-win.
Prediction
Slovakia is the weakest team in Group E, and sadly, that will be on display. There is a chance they pick up points somehow, but I do not see them getting enough to advance to the knockout stage at Euro 2024. For the second edition in a row, “Sokoli” will head home in the group stage.
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