The Red Devils play their first match in Group E of Euro 2024 against Slovakia, this Monday at 6 p.m. at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt am Main.
This will be only the fourth time that the two countries have faced each other and the last confrontation dates back to February 6, 2013. Eleven years ago, the Devils won 2-1 at the Jan Breydel stadium in Bruges during a preparation match . Jan Vertonghen, Axel Witsel, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku were part of the selection. It was also the first Belgian victory. Before that, the two friendly confrontations, in 2002 and 2006, ended in a draw each time.
This Monday’s match will therefore be the first high-stakes match between the two countries. This is not surprising, since Slovakia has only been independent from the Czech Republic since January 1, 1993.
The draw carried out at the end of last year at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg reserved for the Devils a group within their reach. Romania is 46th in the FIFA rankings and is participating in a major tournament for the first time since 2016. Slovakia, who are ranked two places lower, are relatively little known in Belgium. She qualified for the third consecutive time for the final phase of the Euro, but she never progressed beyond the round of 16. It is also his best result during his only participation in a World Cup, thirteen years ago in South Africa. The Slovaks qualified directly for the Euro thanks to their second place in Group J, behind the untouchable Portugal of Roberto Martinez.
During their two preparation meetings in March, the Slovaks lost 0-2 against Austria and shared the issue 1-1 against Norway. The diptych at the start of June ended with two victories by the same score: 4-0 against modest San Marino and Wales, in free fall since the departure of Gareth Bale and others.
If he often opts for an offensive 4-3-3, coach Francesco Calzona could make some adjustments against the Belgians. The team’s strength is in defense, with captain Milan Skriniar (PSG) and David Hancko (Feyenoord). Stanislav Lobotka (Naples) is an excellent defender in front of the defense. In addition, we are looking forward to the duel between Skriniar and Romelu Lukaku. A few years ago, they were teammates at Inter.
Red Devils Belgium Slovakia Euro 2024
