Slovakia vs Portugal

Portugal’s outrageous Euro 2024 qualifying Group J campaign faces a potentially sternest test to date as they head to the Tehelné pole to meet Slovakia.

After missing out on the 2022 World Cup, Slovakia’s bid to reach the European Championship finals for the third time in a row has been off to a near-perfect start. Since a dismal 0-0 home draw against Luxembourg in their curtain-raising Group J fixture, the ‘Falcons’ have won three consecutive qualifying matches, including a narrow 1-0 triumph at Liechtenstein last time out. Yet to concede at home in the ongoing qualifying cycle (W1, D1), Francesco Calzona’s men are in a decent position to cope with Portugal’s all-star team, although a dreadful four-game H2H record tells an entirely different story (D1, L3). It’s worth noting the Slovaks have failed to score in all three H2H defeats, though their last duel dates back to 2005.

In the meantime, Portugal’s gut-wrenching quarter-final exit at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar triggered a managerial change, with long-serving boss Fernando Santos leaving the helm to accommodate Roberto Martinez’s arrival. The ex-Belgium tactician has galvanized the ‘Selecao,’ overseeing four Euro qualifying wins from as many matches, not to mention an emphatic 14-0 scoreline that came along. After a 6-0 romping of Luxembourg, Martinez’s men needed late heroics from Cristiano Ronaldo to topple a stubborn Iceland side 1-0 on their most recent travel, making it 16 wins in their last 19 Euro qualifying fixtures (D2, L1)! What’s more, they’ve kept six consecutive clean sheets in the build-up to this encounter.