Euro 2024: Slovakia and Romania is on a Knife-Edge

Slovakia vs Romania

In the tightest group of the Euros, Wednesday is the day of reckoning in Group E, and surely Euro 2024: Slovakia vs Romania is a game which has to be the hardest to pick this week.

Along with Belgium and Ukraine, these two teams have won one and lost one so far and so, with all four teams locked on three points, the winners take it all in their final game. The Frankfurt Arena will be a sea of the Blue of Slovakia and the Yellow of Romania, on a night few will forget.

Francesco Calzona’s Slovakia pulled off the result of the tournament when they stunned Belgium in their opener, while Eduard Iordanescu’s Romania started with a bang, hammering Ukraine 3-0. Both lost their follow-up games and now it’s a case of ‘do our die’, and the pre-match Slovakia vs Romania betting odds can hardly split the two nations.

 

Talking Points

More of the same for Slovakia

Calzona named an unchanged side for Slovakia’s game against Ukraine and it nearly came off for him as his team led at the break, before succumbing to an 80^th minute Ukranian winner. With more possession and five shots on target, the same as Ukraine, the Slovaks can rightly feel they deserved a point and the head coach is likely to stick with the same starting eleven for the third match in succession.

Captained by Paris Saint-Germain centre back Milan Skriniar and with Napoli’s Stanislav Lobotka in midfield this is a solid team, while attacking midfielder Ondrej Duda provides the creative muscle. Newcastle United keeper Martin Dubravka will be between the sticks again and Slovakia will certainly hope they can defend as well as they did against Belgium. If they can, then Slavia Prague striker Ivan Schranz, scorer of the both Slovakia’s goals so far, will hope to keep his golden run going.          

After stunning the Red Devils, Slovakia hoped to double down against Ukraine and they came very close, and with a number of top quality and experienced campaigners in their ranks they can be hard to beat.   

 

Romania on the Cusp

After beating Ukraine at a canter, Romania’s meeting with Belgium was always going to be more difficult and they left the RheinEnergyStadion empty handed as Youri Tielemens and Kevin De Bruyne ignited the Red Devils’ campaign. At 1-0 Romania had chances to level, with 14 shots and five on target, but they missed in the big moments and were left to lick their wounds.

Iordanescu might recall veteran striker Denis Albec, who made an appearance off the bench against Belgium but, other than that, I expect a settled side.     

Tottenham Hotspur’s 22-year-old centre back Radu Dragusin is a world class defender, very comfortable on the ball and, at 6ft 3in he’s a powerful unit, while Empoli’s defensive midfielder Razvan Marin is another key player. He was on target in the win over Ukraine and has the ability to dictate the pace of play if Romania get on top.    

 

History

Romania have made the European finals six times and their best performance came in 2000 when they reached the quarterfinals; and they were also World Cup quarter-finalists in 1994. As relative newcomers to the international stage Slovakia have made the last three Euro finals but only navigated the group stage on their debut appearance in 2016.    

The Slovaks have never beaten Romania in seven attempts, losing four and drawing three, though these two teams have not met in over a decade.

At 45^th and 47^th in the latest FIFA World Rankings Slovakia and Romania are supremely well matched, but Slovakia’s recent form is a little stronger, with three wins, one draw and two defeats compared to Romania’s one win, three draws and two defeats. 

 

Betting Tip

With Slovakia priced at 2.97 and Romania at 3.16, the draw is the most likely option at SBOTOP odds of 2.02; and that would suit Romania nicely. Goal difference, goals scored, head-to-head record and possibly fair play could figure in the equation; and Iordanescu’s men have a slight advantage, as the top ranked side coming into the final round.

But playing for a draw is a highly risky option and I expect both teams to go for it.

It is going to be a nail-biting evening and fans of Belgium and Ukraine will have one eye on the Slovakia vs Romania updates as their two nations meet in Stuttgart. This game could easily end in a stalemate but Romania have looked the more positive so far and, for an alternative bet, 2-1 to the Yellows is priced at 10.60.

   

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