Slovakia vs Austria

Tehelne pole sets the stage for an exciting friendly between familiar foes Slovakia and Austria.

Slovakia secured a berth at Euro 2024, their third consecutive appearance at the continental’s most prestigious tournament, after finishing second in qualifying Group J behind Portugal. Slovakia’s two defeats during an otherwise outstanding qualifying campaign came against the Selecao (W7, D1), testifying to manager Francesco Calzona’s sterling work. Despite being granted unique permission to take charge of Napoli while under contract with Slovakia until 2025, Calzona’s foremost assignment remains to prepare the Falcons for the upcoming tournament. Austria, against whom the Slovaks hold an evenly-balanced record across five previous H2Hs (W1, D3, L1), will be the first nation to test their continental credentials. Another stalemate could be on the cards this weekend, considering five of Slovakia’s last seven internationals have ended level (W1, L1).

Meanwhile, Austria’s third straight appearance at the European Championships stems from a runner-up finish in Group F, narrowly below Belgium, after winning six of their eight qualifiers (D1, L1). Defensive solidity was the secret ingredient behind Austria’s Euro 2024 qualification, considering they only conceded seven goals during the cycle. Topically, they’ve won their last three internationals ‘to nil,’ including a 2-0 friendly victory against Germany in their most recent outing. Ralf Rangnick’s men have proved top travelers, going unbeaten on all four trips during their qualifying campaign (W3, D1), winning the last three on the trot by a combined score of 6-1. But a low-scoring theme could be in store, considering Austria’s two most recent meetings with Slovakia have ended 0-0.