Analysis of EURO 2021: Slovakia goes to the second European Championship in history, rather an outsider in the group

Slovakia will compete at the European Championships for only the second time in its history. Five years ago in France, the Slovaks reached the eight finals, where they were eliminated by Germany. This year’s squad, however, is not so optimistic anymore, and the lot has assigned our neighbours a very difficult group.

In the main group, Štefan Tarkovič’s charges will face Spain, Sweden and Poland. All three teams would like to advance and are bringing very good teams to the tournament.

Goalkeepers: Martin Dúbravka (Newcastle), Marek Rodák (Fulham), Dušan Kuciak (Lechia Gdansk)

Between the three poles, the management team has a lot to choose from. Two goalkeepers from the Premier League and the very experienced Kuciak. Recently, all three have been rotating in goal, also due to Dúbravka’s injury. The number one will probably choose between him and Rodak.

Defenders: Dávid Hancko (Sparta Praha), Tomáš Hubočan (Omonoia), Martin Koscelník (Liberec), Peter Pekarík (Hertha Berlin), Ľubomir Šatka (Lech Poznań), Milan Škriniar (Inter Milan), Martin Valjent (Mallorca), Denis Vavro (Huesca)

Peter Pekarik will certainly start at right-back, the 34-year-old Hertha Berlin defender already has 85 national team starts to his name. The question is whether Hancko or Hubočan will get a chance at left back, the Omonia defender has been given more space in recent games.

The number one stopper is Milan Škriniar, the Inter Milan defender. But next to him, no one has a place for sure, in qualification and in the Nations League Šatka, Valjent and Vavro have taken turns. Lubomir Šatka has played the most minutes.

Midfielders: László Bénes (Augsburg), Ondrej Duda (Cologne), Ján Greguš (Minnesota), Marek Hamšík (IFK Göteborg), Lukáš Haraslín (Sassuolo), Jakub Hromada (Slavia Praha), Patrik Hrošovský (Genk), Juraj Kucka (Parma), Stanislav Lobotka (Napoli), Tomáš Suslov (Groningen), Vladimír Weiss (Slovan Bratislava)

The Slovakian back line is probably the biggest strength of the team. There are several candidates for the 3 centre positions. Hamšík, Lobotka, Hrošovský, Kucka, Duda, Gregus and Hromada. Tarkovic has often solved this overload by putting one central player on the edge.

Captain Hamsik seems to have a secure place, with Juraj Kucka coming on almost every time. Lobotka and Hrošovský are likely to battle it out for the third spot, Duda may come in from the flanks.

Forwards: Róbert Boženík (Feyenoord), Michal Ďuriš (Omonoia), Róbert Mak (Ferencváros), Ivan Schranz (Jablonec)

Róbert Mak is almost a regular on the wing and will probably play in the starting line-up at the championship. Ondrej Duda can play on the other side, Vladimír Weiss is also a possibility.

The coaches will probably choose a spike striker according to the opponent. They can choose from the talented Boženík, the experienced Ďuriš and Ivan Schranz, who had the season of his life in Jablonec.

Key factors for success: A solid defensive line and the use of Hamšík

The Slovakian defence certainly does not give a solid impression. It has kept a clean sheet only four times in the last 20 games, and has only been held scoreless by Azerbaijan, Ireland, Scotland and Cyprus. If Škriniar and co. can keep an eye on Lewandowski, Isako, Morata and others, this could be the way to success.

Despite his slightly advanced age (33), Marek Hamsik is still an excellent player. His individual quality is immense and that is what the Slovaks must rely on. If they create enough space for him to think up actions and finish, Hamšík can then decide matches on his own.

Location Tip: Main group

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