Slovakia vs Wales

City Arena Trnava is the venue as Slovakia and Wales go head-to-head in a handsomely-looking friendly.

After racking up seven qualifying wins en route to their third successive European Championship appearance, Slovakia’s form curve has taken a downward trajectory. They’ve gone winless in two of their three internationals since booking their tickets to Germany (W1, D1, L1), with the lone exception of a 4-0 thrashing of the lowest-ranked nation, San Marino. Back to Trnava, Francesco Calzona’s men are looking to defy their dreadful form in international friendlies, having won just two of their last ten such fixtures (D6, L2) and set themselves up nicely for a heavily competitive Euro 2024 group, which features Belgium, Romania, and Ukraine. Wales might not be an ideal rival, considering they’ve won none of the last four meetings between the sides (D1, L3).

In the meantime, Wales narrowly missed out on a third straight European Championship qualification after being beaten on penalties by Poland in the March playoffs final. Seemingly in shock, the Dragons could only draw 0-0 against continental minnows Gibraltar earlier this week, marking a fourth match in their last five to see Rob Page’s side score under 1.5 goals (W1, D3, L1). Another below-par performance against #203-ranked Gibraltar upheld Wales’ tendency to share the spoils in friendlies, with five of their last six exhibition matches ending level. All five draws featured under 2.5 goals, highlighting the potential for a low-scoring game. But as four of the five encounters between Slovakia and Wales saw both teams score, this could be a back-and-forth contest.