Slovakia faces Ukraine on Friday in Duesseldorf in their second Group E match at the European Championship. Slovakia is second to Romania on goal difference, and Ukraine is last. Romania and Belgium play on Saturday. Kickoff is at 3 p.m. local time (1300 GMT). Here’s what to know about the match:
Slovakia is riding high after surprising Belgium 1-0 but needed two video reviews to overturn goals by Belgium. One was deemed offside and a sensor in the ball detected a handball on the second.
Ukraine, on the other hand, had a shock 0-3 loss to Romania which included costly errors from Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin. Another loss could mean elimination for Ukraine, which was a quarterfinalist in 2021.
It came to Euro 2024 hoping to inspire people at home in its first tournament since Russia invaded in 2022. The players apologised to their fans for the Romania loss.
What the coaches say
Francesco Calzona, Slovakia coach: “Our greatest strength is humility. We have to give 110% because we’re a small nation and we want to put a smile on the faces of our fans. The euphoria [after beating Belgium] lasted a few hours, but three points will definitely not be enough to go through. There is no reason to celebrate yet. We are fully focused on this match.”
Serhiy Rebrov, Ukraine coach: “I’ve always considered Slovakia a strong team. They have players who play for good clubs. When I analysed them, I saw they were very disciplined. They won against Belgium in great style. We have lots of respect for them. After our loss [against Romania], we analysed the match. Everyone understands their mistakes. They know they must go on the pitch with more spirit and desire. I really expect a good game because the last one was a cold shower.”
Predicted line-ups
Slovakia: Dúbravka; Pekarík, Vavro, Škriniar, Hancko; Kucka, Lobotka, Duda; Schranz/Suslov), Boženík, Haraslín
Ukraine: Trubin; Konoplia, Zabarnyi, Matviyenko, Zinchenko; Shaparenko, Brazhko, Sudakov; Tsygankov, Dovbyk, Mudryk
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