Slovakia vs Moldova - prediction, team news, lineups

6 hours ago 9

Slovakia and Moldova kick-start their UEFA Nations League run with a fixture astatine Futbol Tatran Arena successful Presov connected Saturday night.

Both teams are joined successful League C Group 3 by Kazakhstan and Faroe Islands, with apical spot required to unafraid automatic promotion and a runners-up decorativeness capable to scope the promotion playoffs.

Match preview

Slovakia narrowly missed retired connected 2026 World Cup qualification aft suffering a achy 4-3 location decision to Kosovo successful the playoff finals successful March, having antecedently won 4 of their six radical games to assertion 2nd spot down Germany.

Francesco Calzona was past relieved of his duties the pursuing period and Vladimir Weiss has since been re-appointed arsenic Slovakia’s caller caput coach, 14 years aft his archetypal spell successful complaint came to an end.

With Slovakia competing successful League C of the Nations League for the 3rd run successful a row, Weiss has insisted that his squad “have to triumph the group” this clip around, and helium believes that his squad volition go “hungry” for occurrence during the planetary break.

Ranked 45th successful the satellite by FIFA, Slovakia person been beaten successful conscionable 1 of their past 11 location matches since Euro 2024 (W7 D3), but conscionable 2 victories person been posted crossed 7 Nations League games connected their ain turf (D3 L2).

Their astir caller brushwood with Moldova came connected location ungraded backmost successful September 2001 erstwhile they came from a extremity down astatine fractional clip to triumph 4-2 successful a World Cup qualifier.

Slovakia besides won 1-0 successful the reverse fixture 11 months earlier, but Moldova won their first-ever clash with the Falcons successful February 2000 erstwhile they celebrated a 2-0 affable triumph astatine home.

Regarded arsenic 1 of the European minnows who are ranked 159th successful the satellite by FIFA, Moldova person ne'er qualified for a World Cup oregon European Championship, but they did unafraid promotion from League D successful the 2024-25 Nations League campaign.

Three wins without reply from 4 matches (L1) against Malta and Andorra helped them unafraid apical spot and ascent backmost into League C for the archetypal clip since 2020-21.

Lilian Popescu’s broadside were not arsenic palmy successful 2026 World Cup qualifying, though, arsenic they picked up conscionable 1 constituent from 8 matches (D1 L7) and conceded 32 goals successful the process.

Moldova person since drawn their past 2 affable matches against Bulgaria (2-2) and Armenia (1-1) successful June, but they question to Slovakia this play seeking to extremity a 15-game winless tally crossed each competitions dating backmost to November 2024.

Slovakia signifier (all competitions):

Moldova signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Slovakia midfielder Matus Bero has withdrawn from the squad aft examinations confirmed that helium has sustained a accent fracture successful his foot.

Thirty-nine-year-old Peter Pekarik has retired from planetary shot aft making his joint-record 138th quality successful June. Hugo Pavek is the astir apt campaigner to instrumentality his spot astatine right-back.

Fenerbahce’s Milan Skriniar and Atletico Madrid’s David Hancko are some expected to commencement successful defence, with Napoli’s Stanislav Lobotka successful midfield and Middlesbrough’s David Strelec successful attack.

Erik Prekop, who earned his archetypal headdress successful June and has impressed astatine nine level for Polish outfit Gornik Zabrze, “will get a chance” to play nether Weiss, but it remains to beryllium seen whether the striker volition commencement connected Saturday.

As for Moldova, Brisbane Roar guardant Virgiliu Postolachi has pulled retired of the squad owed to wounded and has been replaced by 20-year-old Nicolae Rotaru from Hungarian champions Gyori ETO.

Captain Vladislav Baboglo could enactment up alongside Mihail Gherasimencov and Catalin Cucos astatine centre-back, portion Ioan-Calin Revenco and Oleg Reabciuk operating arsenic either full-backs oregon wing-backs.

Vadim Rata has earned much caps (63) than immoderate different subordinate successful Popescu’s existent squad and is apt to commencement successful midfield, portion Rotaru, Dmitri Mandricenco and Petru Popescu are acceptable to conflict for places up front.

Slovakia imaginable starting lineup:

Dubravka; Pavek, Skriniar, Hancko, Obert; Duda, Lobotka, Rigo; Suslov, Strelec, Haraslin

Moldova imaginable starting lineup:

Celeadnic; Gherasimencov, Baboglo, Cucos; Revenco, Rata, David, Bodisteanu, Reabciuk; Mandricenco, Popescu

We say: Slovakia 2-0 Moldova

Both nations volition beryllium keen to marque a affirmative commencement to their Nations League campaign, but Slovakia volition beryllium regarded arsenic steadfast favourites connected location ungraded against a federation ranked 114 places beneath them.

Although the Falcons person a somewhat inexperienced frontline, they should inactive person capable prime astatine their disposal to unlock the visitors' defence and assertion a regular win.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.

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