Slovakia vs Portugal Preview

2016 European Championship winners Portugal will resume their quest for a place in Germany next year when they travel to Bratislava to face Slovakia in Round Five of the 2024 European Championship.

The hosts have made a dream start to their European Championship qualifying campaign by remaining unbeaten in their first four matches (W3, D1).

They dominated almost every stat in their last game– a narrow 1-0 win over Liechtenstein earlier this year. That win placed them inside the top two of Group J and left qualification for a third consecutive European Championship finals firmly in their own hands.

They will fancy their chances of getting a result here, given that they are also unbeaten in each of their last five home ECQ matches (W3, D2), a run that includes four consecutive clean sheets.

But that record faces its toughest challenge yet with a visit from Portugal, who are placed number nine in the FIFA rankings. Also, Slovakia’s record against Portugal is poor, as the Falcons have never beaten Roberto Martinez’s side across four previous head-to-head meetings (D1, L3).

The one instance they avoided defeat came on home soil, while it was also the only time they have scored against Portugal so Francesco Calzona’s men will likely need their shooting boots on and the crowd behind their backs if they are to come out victorious.

Meanwhile, Portugal travel to Tehelné Pole as the favourites, given their head-to-head record against Slovakia.

The visitors also come into this tie in solid form, as since Roberto Martinez replaced Fernando Santos as Portugal’s manager, the team has not conceded a single goal.

The Seleção have enjoyed four consecutive wins ‘to nil’ to sit at the summit of Group J. Victory over their closest challengers here would move them one enormous step closer to reaching the 2024 finals in Germany.

They have a strong chance of winning here, given that they have lost just one of their last 19 ECQ matches (W16, D2) – a sequence that includes six consecutive clean sheets.