Slovakia vs England Predictions & Betting Tips, Match Previews

Slovakia had a relatively pleasing Euro 2016 in France in the summer. They finished 3rd in a group including England, Wales, and Russia and made it through to the knockout stages before Germany outclassed them.

They generally looked like a decent side though. They defended sternly against a toothless England in the group stages and showed their quality in a 2-1 win over Russia, with Marek Hamsik proving to be the driving force behind their success with a fantastic assist and an even better goal.

They qualified ahead of Ukraine in the Euro 2016 qualification phase, but in World Cup qualifying there is only one automatic qualifying spot available and one potential playoff spot. They will have to battle it out with England and Scotland, so a result on Sunday would be a huge boost for them.

England, after once again qualifying easily, showed none of their talent in France. They drew against Russia and Slovakia in the group stages either side of a late victory over Wales. This drew them against minnows Iceland in the first knockout round, and one dreadful performance later and they were out of the competition.

This led to a parting of ways with Roy Hodgson, with Sam Allardyce being approached as his replacement. This will be Big Sam’s first game in charge, and he’s taken no prisoners in squad selection with the exclusion of Ross Barkley and Marcus Rashford.  Generally it’s a pretty predictable squad, but with this being his first game in charge his playing style is yet to be determined.

England generally perform very well in qualification when the pressure is off. They have won their last 12 qualifying matches for the European Championship and the World Cup and are unbeaten in their last 29 qualifying matches. Their last defeat was to Ukraine in October 2009.

Their motivation to perform will be increased as they look to impress their new manager as well, and considering the talent they have available to them they look good value to win at 1/1. I’m going for that along with a 2-1 correct score prediction at 8/1.