Slovakia-Austria is a friendly and is played Saturday at 6 p.m.: news, likely lineups, TV, streaming and predictions.
Slovakia is fresh off a brilliant Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, at the end of which it secured a direct pass to Germany thanks to second place in Group J behind unreachable Portugal, the only team to finish with full points.
Twenty-two points in ten games for the Sokolis, who after drawing with Luxembourg in the opener have won them all, except of course for the two challenges with the Lusitanians, both of which they lost narrowly (0-1 and 3-2). The architect of this glorious ride is the current coach of Napoli, Francesco Calzona, enlisted in 2022 at the suggestion of former Azzurri captain Hamsik. A technical commissioner who will have to “double up” between now and June, as he has been taking Walter Mazzarri’s place on the Azzurri club’s bench for a month now, while still retaining the post of selector of the Slovak selection. The draw was also benign: Lobotka and his teammates in the group stage will face Belgium and Romania and are waiting to know the name of the third team that will arrive from the play-offs.
A good test for both
So it will be important to arrive prepared for the event, and for this Calzona is counting on oiling the mechanisms in the two international friendlies against Austria and Norway, tests that will most likely serve the Calabrian-born coach to make the final choices.
Ralf Rangnick’s men will also be at the European Championships, drawn instead in a tough group with France and the Netherlands. Austria gets there, however, after a very good run in the qualifiers: in Group F they collected only one point less than Belgium, but as many as nine more than Sweden, which was ahead in the pecking order at the beginning. Das Team arrives in Bratislava on the back of three consecutive victories, most recently in the friendly against Germany, beaten 2-0 at the Vienna Prater last November.
The prediction
Slovakia should be able to at least avoid defeat against an Austria that will have to do without two very important players Arnautovic and Alaba, both of whom are injured. Both are likely to score.
The probable lineups of Slovakia-Austria
SLOVAKIA (4-3-3): Rodak; Pekarik, Satka, Hancko, Jirka; Duda, Hrosovsky, Benes; Suslov, Mak, Bozenik.
AUSTRIA (4-3-3): A. Schlager; Posch, Lienhart, Danso, Mwene; Baumgartner, Seiwald, X. Schlager; Laimer, Sabitzer, Gregoritsch.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1
