Wales v Slovakia
Sunday 24th March 1400hrs
Football – International – European Championship Qualifying
Pick Wales
Bookmaker Marathon Bet
Odds: 53/50 (odds taken 20.55 GMT, Saturday 23rd March)
Wales will be one of the last nations to get their qualification campaign to get underway due to being in a five-team section. Their opponents, Slovakia, travel to Cardiff having seen off Hungary at home in their first game and looking to follow up that win.
European Championship Qualifying Betting at Marathon Bet
Wales Preview
The start of another European Championship qualification campaign brings back some great memories for Wales. Euro 2016 seen them record their best ever showing at a major international tournament when reaching the semi-finals under Chris Coleman and as they embark on their first qualifier tomorrow, they will be eager to reach next summer’s finals and create more history. Ryan Giggs has taken over the reins of the Welsh national team and his first taste of competitive football in charge resulted in a second-place finish in the UEFA Nations League having beaten the Republic of Ireland twice and loss home and away to group winners Denmark. It would appear to be a realistic indication of where Wales are at the moment and illustrating that they will have to be at their best to finish in the top two of Group E and make it through to Euro 2020. It also marks something of a new dawn for the national team with a number of their younger stars about to starting a major tournament qualifying campaign for the first time and their success will be down to how the likes of Harry Wilson and Daniel James contribute and support their star trio of Gareth Bale, Joe Allen and Aaron Ramsey – all of whom were pivotal in that run to, and at, Euro 2016.
Key-Facts – Wales v Slovakia
- This is a repeat of the Euro 2016 group clash which Wales won 2-1 before progressing to the semi-final of that competition
- Slovakia got their campaign off to a winning start on Thursday at home to Hungary whilst this is Wales first match in the group
- Slovakia have been in dreadful form away from home of late, losing six of their last seven
Slovakia Preview
It was a fairly routine win for Slovakia at home to Hungary on Thursday evening, with goals from Ondrej Duda and Albert Rusnak getting the goals, both of which coming at the end of each half. Considering head coach Paval Hapal only took charge of the international team in October, it’s still very much a work in progress this Slovakian squad so to get the campaign off to a winning start took on some extra significance. Hapal overseen the final couple of games in Slovakia’s wretched UNL campaign that seen them lose three of their four matches and finish bottom of their section. It means they’ll now be relegated to League C (essentially the third division), making it harder in future tournaments. What will help mend that is a strong Euros qualifying campaign, with their ultimate aim being qualification. The Slovaks have only played at one European Championships since their first participation (qualifiers for Euro 1996) but will feel this group presents another realistic opportunity for them to make it a consecutive appearance. A positive result on Sunday would certainly go a long way to helping them achieve that against a team expected to be their main rival.
Wales v Slovakia Betting Advice
These two nations clashed in the group stage at Euro 2016 and it was Wales who came out on top with Wales winning 2-1. Both they and Slovakia still progressed to the knockout phase but we all know it was the Welsh who went further. The two squads still contain a lot of those same players but are now under the direction of two different managers, both of whom are under pressure to get their teams through to the finals next summer. With Croatia favourites to finish top of this section, the head-to-head matches involving Wales and Slovakia are expected to be pivotal in who grabs that other automatic qualification spot.
Wales have managed only two wins in their last seven home games, and one of those with a friendly win over Trinidad and Tobago last week. Slovakia’s away record is even worse, though, with six defeats in their last seven and no win since June 2017. Giggs knows how important home games will be in their quest for qualification and having had a full week to work with his players he’ll have them ready for this one and their extra bit of quality can see them get their campaign off to a winning start.
