Next in our Euro 2024 Fantasy team previews, we take a look at Slovakia in Group E.
Francesco Calzona’s starting XI will be one of the oldest but, having reached a third successive European Championship, they’re in an even-looking pool alongside Ukraine and Romania.
In these country-by-country guides, we’ll be looking at the best players from each nation, taking a stab at predicted line-ups, reviewing the road to Germany and more.
To do this, we’ll be calling on the help of correspondents from each nation.
Here, we enlist the assistance of Adam Kucharík (aka @iamkuxo).
All prices given are from the official Fantasy Euro 2024 game.
THE ROAD TO QUALIFICATION
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portugal | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 2 | +34 | 30 |
| 2 | Slovakia | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 8 | +9 | 22 |
| 3 | Luxembourg | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 19 | -6 | 17 |
| 4 | Iceland | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 17 | 16 | +1 | 10 |
| 5 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 20 | -11 | 9 |
| 6 | Liechtenstein | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 28 | -27 | 0 |
2022 was a low moment for Slovakia’s national team. After missing out on making the winter World Cup, all-time top appearance maker and goal scorer Marek Hamsik decided to retire. Then, defeats to Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan (twice) meant the Sokoli finished behind the pair in Nations League C Group 3.
So they recruited Calzona, an assistant at Napoli during Hamsik’s time there, for his first-ever job as head coach. In fact, he’s been job-sharing since February, having been appointed as the Italian side’s manager for the final 2023/24 months.
Now that Antonio Conte has taken over the reins in Naples, Calzona can fully concentrate on maintaining the momentum of being the only nation from ‘pot five’ to qualify for these Euros.
Despite beginning with a 0-0 at home to Luxembourg, successful doubles over Iceland and Bosnia and Herzegovina meant Slovakia ended with the joint-most points of all group runners-up. Hamsik briefly came back to play during an injury crisis.
Curiously, their five clean sheets ranked amongst the highest but Giorgi Mamardashvili (€4.5m) is the only upcoming participant who made more saves than Martin Dubravka (€4.5m).
Whoever gets second in Group E won’t have to face a group winner in the round of 16. It’d be one of just two ties involving nobody from first place, adding appeal to Slovak Fantasy assets.
QUALIFICATION IN NUMBERS
- Most starts: David Hancko (10), Martin Dubravka, Stanislav Lobotka (9)
- Most goals: Lukas Haraslin (3)
- Most assists: David Hancko (3)
- Clean sheets: 5 from 10
UNDERLYING STATS
RECORD SINCE QUALIFYING
| Date | Competition | Opposition | Result | Score | Goalscorers | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 March | Friendly | Austria (h) | L | 0-2 | ||
| 26 March | Friendly | Norway (a) | D | 1-1 | Duda | Duris |
| 5 June | Friendly | San Marino (n) | W | 4-0 | Rigo, Suslov, Haraslin, Strelec | Gyomber, Strelec, De Marco |
| 9 June | Friendly | Wales (h) | W | 4-0 | Kucka, Bozenik, Ampadu (OG), Benes | Haraslin x2, Hancko |
Consecutive 4-0 wins have fixed the negativity from March’s outings versus Austria and Norway. Instead of going 2-0 down to an Erling Haaland penalty, the spot kick was saved and Ondrej Duda (€6.0m) went on to grab a late equaliser.
Fresh from a 16-goal season at Sparta Prague, Haraslin did well over the past week but is his nation’s most expensive Fantasy option.
Feyenoord full-back Hancko netted seven times in all 2023/24 club competitions and assisted the second goal against Wales.
Converting the cross was centre-forward Robert Bozenik (€6.0m), whose previous 31 caps brought a mere two strikes. It’s similar at club level, totalling 16 goals from 90 league appearances since 2020/21.
MOST RECENT INTERNATIONAL LINE-UPS
05/06/2024 – San Marino (n)
[4-3-3] Rodak; Pekarik (Obert 46), Gyomber (Duris 76), Skriniar, De Marco; Rigo (Holly 68), Hrosovsky, Benes; Suslov (Tupta 60), Strelec (Polievka 60), Haraslin (Sauer 46)
09/06/2024 – Wales (h)
[4-3-3] Dubravka; Pekarik, Vavro (De Marco 77), Skriniar, Hancko (Obert 71); Lobotka, Kucka (Bero 82), Duda (Benes 71); Schranz (Suslov 71), Bozenik (Tupta 77), Haraslin
GROUP FIXTURES
- 17 June: Belgium
- 21 June: Ukraine
- 26 June: Romania
HOW FAR WILL THEY GET?
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