Two sides that will both be outsiders to qualify for EURO 2024 will clash on the opening day of Group J. Slovakia will likely be among the leading contenders to take second, and they will be hoping to get off to the perfect start in Trnava when they take on Luxembourg.
EURO 2024 Qualifier Preview
Slovakia has been one of the leading lights when it comes to qualifying for the European Championships in recent years, as they will be looking to reach the tournament finals for the third straight edition. That is a feat that they have never previously achieved since competing as a single nation. Slovakia managed to finish third in their qualifying group for the previous edition of the EUROs, as they won half of the ten games that they played.
However, they certainly come into this opening fixture with a point to prove, as their recent form hasn’t been solid. They have failed to win their previous five matches, while they have been held to three straight draws. The most recent of those was a 0-0 stalemate against Chile at the end of November.
Luxembourg will be one of the big outsiders to reach the major tournament at the end of qualification, as they have never previously managed to make it through to a World Cup or a European Championship. They managed to win just once in eight qualifiers for the previous EUROs, but they did impress in the Nations League last year.
Luxembourg won three of their six matches in the previous round of matches in the Nations League, scoring nine goals and allowing seven. In the six matches that they played in Division C, they lost on just one occasion, which was their best overall record in the history of the competition.
Slovakia vs Luxembourg Head to Head
This will be the sixth meeting between these nations since 2004. Four of the five previous meetings have been won by Slovakia, which includes both of their victory in the qualification for EURO 2016. Luxembourg’s only win against Slovakia was in the only non-competitive meeting between the nations in 2011.
Slovakia vs Luxembourg Prediction
There is certainly an impression that the Slovakian golden age of football is coming to an end. Luxembourg was impressive in the Nations League last year, and it could be worth siding with the away team on the (+2) handicap market on Thursday.
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