Our prediction for this Nations League match:
Sunday’s football game at TSC Arena (Backa Topola, Serbia) pits together Slovakia and Belarus, the two teams who have been anything but impressive in the Nations League. Slovakia have been struggling on the international stage ever since Marek Hamsik retired, and they head into the match following back-to-back defeats to Kazakhstan (1-2) and Azerbaijan (1-2). The nominal hosts are eager to give fans some cheer, and we are positive that they will adopt an attack-minded approach in their last group game.
All Herc, Zrelak, Mraz, and Duris are pushing for a start. Belarus, on the other hand, failed to secure the League C survival, and seeing that they are low on spirits following a 2-1 loss to Kazakhstan, we believe that punters from all four corners of the world can find value in betting on the Slovaks. There are no fresh injury worries in the away team ahead of the trip to Serbia.
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 (Belarus):
Belarus national football team have been competing on the international stage since 1992. The Belarusians played their first match against Lithuania on July 20, 1992, but the game was not FIFA-recognized. The White Wings faced Ukraine in their first official match, with the team sharing the spoils with the fellow former Soviet republic.
Belarus have yet to qualify for a major tournament and they have slim chances of booking their place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The Belarusians recorded their biggest win on September 4, 2014, with the team rolling over Tajikistan 6-1 in Borisov and speaking of their biggest loss, they were hammered by Austria (0-5) on June 11, 2003.
Alexander Hleb is the most famous footballer who played for the Belarus national team and it is well known that he spent four seasons at Barcelona. Belarus play their home games at Borisov Arena and they wear white shirts and white shorts when welcoming their rivals. The colour of their away kits is black.