England now know their potential path to the final of Euro 2024 after the conclusion of the group stages, and the first team that stands in their way is a plucky, well-organised Slovakia side.
The two teams will face off in a round-of-16 tie in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday 30 June, with kick-off at 5pm BST.
Gareth Southgate’s men qualified at the top of Group C despite plenty of criticism of their performances, with a tepid draw against Slovenia giving them the point they needed to ensure first place.
And though much has been made about the ‘easier’ side of the draw and avoiding teams like Spain and hosts Germany, the Three Lions know that no side left in the competition is a guaranteed win.
Slovakia, who are ranked 45th in the world, got off to the perfect start when they beat Belgium 1-0 in their opening game, so they’ve shown they can get results against the big sides. But who are their key men and how are they likely to approach the game?
Head coach
Slovakia’s coach is Francesco Calzona, one of several Italian managers at Euro 2024. He became the national team coach in 2022, following stints as an assistant at Italian sides such as Napoli and Empoli.
After a very brief playing career, Calzona worked as a coffee sales rep. He formed a personal and professional relationship with Maurizio Sarri, as the latter had been his ‘financial advisor’ and eventually took his first job under Sarri as an assistant at Perugia in the 2008/09 season. The duo’s big break came when Sarri was named Napoli manager in 2015.
The Slovakia job is his first role as a head coach. Earlier this year, he took over as interim coach at Napoli after Walter Mazzarri left, but he could only guide the defending Serie A champions to a 10th-placed finish.
Key players
Slovakia’s captain is veteran PSG centre-back Milan Skriniar. The 29-year-old recently won Ligue 1 and has played in a Champions League final, so his experience is key as he marshals his defence and looks to keep England at bay. Alongside him, Feyenoord’s David Hancko has been a standout performer in the Eredivisie.
Their goalkeeper is Newcastle backup Martin Dubravka, though the Magpies man has seen plenty of action this season due to an injury to Nick Pope.
The Falcons’ top scorer at the tournament is Ivan Schranz, whose first goal helped them to a 1-0 victory over Belgium. The Slavia Prague winger made his mark during the loss against Ukraine too and his side will need him to have his shooting boots on if they’re to get a result against England.
On the other wing, Lukas Haraslin has impressed so far with his work-rate and creative ability, having been at the centre of much of the best attacking play against Belgium.
In midfield, the key man is Napoli’s Stanislav Lobotka – he’s played every minute of the tournament so far and tends to sit deep to allow the other two midfielders to get forward.
How will Slovakia set up?
Slovakia played the same 4-3-3 formation in all of their group games, with Calzona choosing 10 of the same players on all three occasions.
The only change the Italian made was bringing in David Strelec at centre-forward in place of Robert Bozenik after the victory over Belgium.
The Slovakians have been fairly expansive in their attacking efforts so far in the tournament but you’d expect them to sit back against England, especially after seeing how the Three Lionss struggled against Slovenia last week. They tend not to try and keep possession for sustained periods, with attacking build-up coming through Lobotka, Kucka and Duda as more offensive midfielders.
How did Slovakia qualify for Euro 2024?
Slovakia qualified for the competition in a fairly straightforward manner, finishing second in Group J, eight points behind Portugal.
Calzona’s side won seven, drew one and lost two of their qualifying matches, with both defeats coming to Portugal. They went through with 22 points, having scored 17 goals and conceded just eight.
Results so far
Slovakia began Euro 2024 in the perfect way with a surprise 1-0 win against Belgium. The Falcons put in a spirited display and limited Belgium’s defence at times, though they were lucky to see two potential equalisers from Romelu Lukaku ruled out for offside.
Calzona’s side took the lead in their second game, once again through Ivan Schranz, but Ukraine turned it around with goals from Shaparenko and Yaremchuk handing Slovakia a 2-1 loss in Dusseldorf.
Slovakia headed into their final game knowing that a draw against Romania would take them through, and they struck first with a 24th-minute effort from Ondrej Duda. They dominated possession but couldn’t find a second, and conceded an equaliser through a penalty, but managed to close out the game for a 1-1 draw and a place in the last 16.
