Slovakia vs Spain
Slovakia vs Spain takes place on June 23 in Seville, as Group E winds to a close. Slovakia come into this game knowing a draw should be enough to see them through to the knockout stages; Spain on the other hand know that only a win will do having failed to beat Poland in this stadium on Friday afternoon. Read on for more analysis, match predictions and betting tips.
Form
Slovakia have very much been the surprise team in this group having beaten Poland in their opening game and then only being beaten by a penalty in the game against Sweden. Spain is another step up in class from those two teams but with the home team under immense pressure it might be that Slovakia can benefit from that. However Slovakia have only won four games since 2019 - and one of those was after extra time.
Spanish head coach Luis Enrique came into this tournament under pressure having not picked any Real Madrid players and kept his squad to just 24 when 26 were allowed. That pressure has now been multiplied tenfold after the draw with Poland, with fans seething over his insistence of playing Marcos Llorente at right back, and for bringing off Alvaro Morata and Gerard Moreno late on when chasing the win. Morata had come in for some stick before the game but his goal will have taken some pressure off; however Spain have drawn 8 of their last 15 games. They can’t afford to do so here.
Injuries
All Slovakian attention will be focused on skipper, record cap holder and goalscorer Marek Hamsik. The veteran IFK Goteborg attacking midfielder is the talisman of the Slovak national side and there have been injury worries surrounding him coming into the tournament. However, he has held up well and is in line to make his third start on Wednesday.
All Spanish minds will be concentrated on who starts up front. Morata might have scored against Poland but he missed an open goal after Moreno hit the post with his penalty, and that lack of cutting edge has really cost Spain. Man City forward Ferran Torres came on for Dani Olmo in that game while Real Sociedad forward Mikel Oyarzabal came on for Morata. It’s unlikely either will start this game however, with Luis Enrique being loyal to the players he has chosen; whether that loyalty will be rewarded remains to be seen.
Match Predictions
Spain are huge favourites for this game, with bookies not offering more than 1.20 against them beating Slovakia here. On paper that is not surprising due to the relative strengths of the teams and the fact Spain will be playing in front of home fans. However, the pressure Spain are under and the way that they have underperformed might mean the handicap markets are the betting tips to look at; Slovakia +2 at 2.00 looks a standout bet for those brave enough to believe that Slovakia can frustrate Spain further. For those expecting a Spanish rout, over 2.5 goals at 1.67 would probably be the bet to go for.
