Euro 2020 enters its last round of group stage matches as Spain lock horns with Slovakia at the Estadio de La Cartuja Stadium on Wednesday.
Spain have been disappointing so far and will aim to pick up their first win at the tournament. Meanwhile, Slovakia will look to upset the three-time winners and secure a place in the knockout stages.
After a blistering start to the Euros, Slovakia came crashing down to earth as they suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Sweden.
After a goalless first half, Emil Forsberg grabbed the breakthrough strike from the penalty spot in the 77th minute to hand Sweden a slender victory.
Slovakia have managed just two wins from their last eight games across all competitions, picking up four draws and losing on two occasions.
With three points from two games, they currently occupy second place in Group E, one point ahead of their Spanish counterparts and one point behind group leaders Sweden.
Meanwhile, Spain have struggled to impress in their opening two games at the tournament. The opening goalless draw with Sweden was followed by a 1-1 draw against Poland last time out.
Spain were forced to rue their wasteful display in front of goal as Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski canceled out Alvaro Morata’s first-half strike.
While La Roja are unbeaten in their last nine games across all competitions, they have failed to taste victory in their last three outings.
Slovakia vs Spain Head-To-Head
Spain have been the dominant side in this fixture, claiming four wins from their six meetings against Slovakia. Meanwhile, Slovakia have picked up one win, while the spoils have been shared once.
Their last encounter came back in October 2015, when Spain claimed a 2-0 win in their European Championship qualification tie.
Slovakia Form Guide (all competitions): W-D-D-W-L
Spain Form Guide (all competitions): W-W-D-D-D
Also Read: David James column – Top 5 favorites to win Euro 2020
Slovakia vs Spain Teams News
Slovakia
Slovakia will be without the services of forward Ivan Schranz, who is sidelined through injury. Denis Vavro will also miss the game after testing positive for COVID-19.
Injured: Ivan Schranz
Suspended: None
COVID-19: Denis Vavro
Spain
Barring any late fitness issues, Spain head into the game with a full-strength squad and no injury concerns. They have also been boosted by the return of Sergio Busquets, who has been in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 ahead of the tournament.
Injured: None
Suspended: None
COVID-19: None
Slovakia vs Spain Predicted XI
Slovakia Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Martin Dúbravka; Peter Pekarík, Ľubomír Šatka, Milan Škriniar, Tomáš Hubočan; Juraj Kucka, Jakub Hromada; Lukáš Haraslín, Marek Hamšík, Róbert Mak; Ondrej Duda
Spain Predicted XI (4-3-3): Unai Simon; Jordi Alba, Pau Torres, Aymeric Laporte, Marcos Llorente; Rodri, Sergio Busquets, Koke; Daniel Olmo, Ferran Torres, Gerard Moreno
Also Read: Paul Merson’s column – 5 surprise packages of the tournament so far
Slovakia vs Spain Prediction
Spain have struggled for results in recent weeks and will be aiming to end their winless run to book a place in the knockout stages. They head into the game with an ample amount of world-class talent in their team and this will give them an edge over the Slovakians.
Looking at the gulf in quality between the two sides, we predict Spain will claim all three points.
Prediction: Slovakia 0-2 Spain