Our prediction for this Euro 2024 match:
Liechtenstein will try to grab their first point in the EURO 2024 qualifiers when they take on Slovakia on Tuesday evening. The rock-bottom side have yet to find the net in the process and given their shaky defence, home win should not be considered. To make things even worse for the home side, Nicolas Hasler suffered an injury in a 2-0 loss to Luxembourg. Sandro Wolfinger is widely expected to replace him in the starting XI.
The Slovaks, on the other hand, aim to build on back-to-back wins over Bosnia and Iceland. A man to keep an eye on in the away team will be Stanislav Lobotka, who won Scudetto with Napoli last month, while fellow midfielder Marek Hamsik should keep his place in the starting XI. Anyhow, away win should be considered as David faces Goliath at Rheinpark Stadion in Vaduz.
Highlighted Player (Stanislav Lobotka):
Born in Trencin on November 25, 1994, Stanislav Lobotka is a Slovakia international who plays for Celta Vigo in La Liga. Lobotka began his youth career at his hometown club AAC Sparta Trencin and he made his senior debut for fellow local club Trencin. In 2013 he signed a loan deal with Dutch side Ajax, but he played for Jong Ajax during the 2013/2014 season.
In the summer of 2014, the Slovakian midfielder returned to Trencin, where he made 74 appearances in the league in total. In 2015 Stanislav Lobotka joined Danish side Nordsjaelland shortly before the transfer window closed. Lobotka made his debut in the Danish top flight against Brondby on August 30, 2015.
Two years later he decided to make a step forward in his career, signing a five-year contract with La Liga side Celta Vigo. Speaking of his international career, the Celta Vigo midfielder made his Slovakia debut against Austria in November2016. It has to be noted that Lobotka became the first Slovak to score at Wembley, finding the net in a 2018 World Cup qualifier against England.
Highlighted Team (Liechtenstein):
Liechtenstein national football team are well known at the Blues-Reds. They wear blue shirts and red shorts when playing in front of home fans, whilst their second colours are red (shirts) and blue (shorts). Rheinpark Stadion in Vaduz is considered the team’s home ground and the capacity of the venue is 7.584.
In 1981 Liechtenstein faced Malta in their first ever unofficial match and they shared the spoils (1-1) with the Falcons in Seoul. Speaking of their first official game, Liechtenstein suffered a 1-0 loss to Switzerland two years later and it has to be noted that the Swiss played with a severely-weakened squad. The Blues-Reds recorded their first ever win in the World Cup qualifiers on October 13, 2004, with the team rolling over Luxembourg on the road.
At the same time, that was the team’s first ever away win and, no doubt, the triumph gave the minnows a confidence boost. Liechtenstein have yet to qualify for the finals of a major tournament and they suffered their biggest loss on November 9, 1996. The minnows were beaten by Macedonia 11-1 in front of home fans in Eschen.