Slovakia will look to build on their win over Belgium when they face Ukraine in their second Group E match.
An Ivan Schranz goal and an assist from VAR saw Slovakia secure their biggest ever European Championship result against an underperforming Belgium side, with FIFA's 48th-ranked side aiming to reach the knockout stages for only the second time as an independent nation.
Meanwhile, Ukraine are looking to bounce back from a 3-0 defeat to Romania, while Serhiy Rebrov's men still hope to make it past the group stage. After last week's dreadful display, the Euro 2020 quarter-finalists cannot afford to lose against Slovakia.
Here it is 90 min Slovakia vs Ukraine Euro 2024 preview.
Slovakia vs Ukraine H2H Record (Last Five Matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Slovakia |
Ukraine |
|---|---|
|
Belgium 0-1 Slovakia – 17/06/24 |
Romania 3-0 Ukraine – 17/06/24 |
|
Slovakia 4-0 Wales – 09/06/24 |
Moldova 0-4 Ukraine – 11/06/24 |
|
Slovakia 4-0 San Marino – 05/06/24 |
Poland 3-1 Ukraine – 07/06/24 |
|
Norway 1-1 Slovakia – 26/03/24 |
Germany 0-0 Ukraine – 03/06/24 |
|
Slovakia 0-2 Austria – 23/03/24 |
Ukraine 2-1 Iceland – 26/03/24 |
|
The country |
TV channel / live streaming |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Web |
|
United States |
fuboTV, Sling, ViX |
|
Canada |
TSN1, TSN4, TVA+ TVA Sports |
Slovakia are unlikely to change much from their championship win over Belgium, especially across the back line. Star players Martin Dubravka, Milan Skriniar and David Hancko were all good en route to a clean sheet.
Ondrej Duda was taken off in the 94th minute due to injury but it's hard to tell if that was a real concern or just a waste of time. If fit, he should start with Stanislav Lobotka and Juraj Kucka in midfield.
Slovakia predicted to face Ukraine (4-3-3): Dubravka; Pekarik, Vavro, Skriniar, Hancko; Kucka, Lobotka, Duda; Schranz, Bozenik, Haraslin.
Rebrov may be tempted to make big changes after a tough day at the office against Romania, but he should keep faith in most of his stars. At the top, Artem Dovbyk, Mykhailo Mudryk and Georgiy Sudakov should not lose their places.
Everton's Vitaliy Mykolenko remains a doubt having missed the latest defeat through injury. If he is unavailable, Oleksandr Zinchenko will have to fill in at left back instead of operating in midfield.
Ukraine predicted schedule vs Slovakia (4-2-3-1): Lunin; Konoplia, Zabarnyi, Matviyenko, Zinchenko; Malinovsky, Stepanenko; Tsygankov, Sudakov, Mudryk; Dovbyk.
There can be no doubt which side will be in a more confident position going into this one, with Slovakia currently sitting proudly on cloud nine behind their skin. What was most impressive about their display was the defensive strength they showed against some of the top players.
However, there should be a reaction of some description from Ukraine, who should play without fear against Slovakia. Knowing that third place is not enough to qualify, all hope is not lost yet.
This could be a tight affair, with little to separate the two teams.
Prediction: Slovakia 1-1 Ukraine
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