Our prediction for this Euro 2024 match:
Slovakia
Match Time & Date:
08/09/2023
20:45
Prediction: 0-1
Portugal
Sparkles will be flying when Slovakia and Portugal square off against each other at Tehelne pole in a highly-anticipated Group J game. The Slovaks are eyeing their fourth consecutive group win, but Portugal will pose a much bigger threat for the hosts than their previous rivals. A man to keep an eye on in the home team will be Napoli sensation Stanislav Lobotka, who has 47 caps for the Slovakia national team, while veteran Marek Hamsik has been omitted.
A Selecao, on the other hand, aim to cement top position in the standings and seeing that Roberto Martinez can count on key players for Friday’s qualifier, away win should be considered. All Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Dias, Joao Felix, Bernardo Silva, and Ruben Neves made the cut. In their last meeting in a competitive match, back in 2005, Portugal recorded a 2-0 win over Slovakia.
Highlighted Player (Cristiano Ronaldo):
Cristiano Ronaldo is considered one of the world’s best football players. The Portuguese ace was born on 5 February, 1985 in Funchal, Madeira and he played for the likes of Andorinha, Nacional and Sporting during his youth career. CR7 made his Sporting debut in Primeira Liga on 7 October, 2002, scoring two goals in a 3-0 win over Moreirense.
Manchester United scouts spotted him and one year later he joined the Old Trafford outfit. Ronaldo became the most expensive teenager in the history of the Premier League and he received the number 7 shirt. He quickly established himself as the team’s key player and it has to be noted that he won three consecutive Premier League trophies with the Red Devils (2006/2007, 2007/2008, 2008/2009). In 2008 he helped the Old Trafford outfit beat Chelsea in the Champions League final, scoring for Alex Ferguson’s troops in the regular time.
Ronaldo joined Real Madrid in 2009 and he helped the Spanish giants with two Champions League trophies. In 2016 he won the European Championship trophy with Portugal. The Real Madrid ace has two Golden Ball awards (2013, 2014).
Highlighted Team (Slovakia):
Slovakia only appeared on the international stage in 1993 as Czechoslovakia fell apart, and the new national team have yet to record a result worth mention. Repre have only qualified for two major tournaments so far, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2016, but the current generation definitely seem capable of improving the team’s profile in years to come.
Slovakia currently have quite a few players plying their trade in some of Europe’s top sides, with Marek Hamsik, Martin Skrtel and Juraj Kucka clearly the leaders of the national team at the moment, but they do struggle in some areas and are not exactly world beaters just yet. Under Vladimir Weiss and Jan Kozak, Slovakia have become a tough not to crack, relying on rock-solid back line and swift counter-attacks, and they even gave Spain a tough time during the Euro 2016 qualifiers.
Miroslav Karhan and Robert Vittek are the most capped player and top goalscorer respectively, with Robert Vittek another player worth the mention.
Everton
Chelsea
Leicester 
Wolves
Manchester United 
Bournemouth
Real Madrid 
Sevilla
Tottenham
Liverpool
Wolfsburg 
Borussia Dortmund
