Slovakia look to cause a major upset as they visit Spain at La Cartuja, Seville, in their final Group E match of Euro 2020.
Victory would see Slovakia through and potentially as group winners if Sweden fail to beat Poland elsewhere, whereas Spain must win to stand any chance at progressing to the knockout stages.
Team News
Embed from Getty Images
Denis Vavro remains absent for Slovakia as he continues to self-isolate following a positive Coronavirus test.
Manager, Stefan Tarkovic however has no other concerns to report as Ivan Schranz is set to again miss out with a thigh injury.
Spain have no fresh injury concerns to report as Sergio Busquets looks to start after recovering from a bout of Coronavirus.
Stat Attack
- This is Slovakia’s first-ever meeting against Spain at a major tournament.
- Slovakia are unbeaten in two of their last six meetings against Spain in all competitions (W1, D1, L4).
- Spain are unbeaten in two of three clashes against Slovakia when playing as the ‘away’ team (W1, D1, L1).
- Both teams have scored in five of their six previous clashes, with the only exception being a 2-0 home win for Spain in September 2016 in Qualifying for Euro 2016.
- In 10 previous appearances at the Euros, Spain have exited at the Group Stage on three occasions (1980, 1988 & 2004).
- Slovakia haven’t exited at the Group Stage in their two previous appearances at major tournaments since breaking away from Czechoslovakia, losing in the Round of 16 at 2010 FIFA World Cup and 2016 UEFA Euros.
Prediction
Slovakia have surprisingly been one of the better Group E teams with two strong performances and were unlucky to lose to Sweden via a penalty kick, so I do expect to see them give Spain a tough test given that this fixture has a habit of seeing goals at both ends.
Spain meanwhile simply must win because if Poland better their result, the three-time champions would be out, yet they just seem to lack any bite in their end product which is a huge worry given their possession based dominance.
This therefore should be an intriguing clash because both teams aren’t through yet and defeat would most likely send the losers home if Poland beat Sweden elsewhere, so I am expecting the first goal to be key and based on current performance levels, I can see a shock result here.
Prediction: Slovakia 1-0 Spain
