Slovakia vs England Betting Tips & Predictions

Slovakia weren’t touted as one of the group favourites coming into Euro 2016, but so far they have shown what having a world class player can do for a team. Marek Hamsik is their talisman and their creative force, and he hasn’t failed to deliver.

That was what many pundits doubted about Slovakia: Their over reliance on Marek Hamsik could prove to be a stumbling block if he failed to hit the heights he is capable of. Fortunately for Slovakia he well and truly hit the heights against Russia.

Russia enjoyed a lot of possession against Slovakia but couldn’t break through their defence despite the physical presence of Dzyuba up top. Slovakia were threatening on the break though, and a magical pass from Hamsik set Vladimir Weiss free down the left wing. The winger controlled it and cut back inside, leaving two Russian defenders for dead before slotting home the opener in the 32nd minute. Provider then turned goalscorer when Hamsik received a short corner, beat a defender, and curled a sublime shot into the far corner to make it 2-0. Russia continued to struggle creating openings until Denis Glushakov pulled one back for them, but they couldn’t find an equaliser and they are now left with just one point from their opening two games.

Slovakia now sit on three points after conceding that late winner against Wales, but they are in with a good chance of making it through the groups. A draw against England should do it with the new 3rd place qualifiers rule, and they have shown that they can prove difficult to defeat. The 2-1 loss to Wales is their only defeat in their last ten matches.

England showed their mettle on Thursday though as they battled from a goal down to beat Wales with almost the last kick of the game. England enjoyed almost total dominance over the ball against Wales, but a silly free kick, given away by Wayne Rooney, provided the opener. Gareth Bale, fresh from scoring a free kick against Slovakia, stepped up 35 yard from goal and hammered a shot towards Joe Hart, who let the ball slip through his fingertips. The Manchester City man should have done better. Jamie Vardy was brought on for the ineffectual Harry Kane at half time, and that proved to be a wise decision as he found space in the box to prod home the equaliser. England continued to dominate, and it turned out to be heartbreak for Wales as Daniel Sturridge, also brought on at half-time for the equally ineffectual Raheem Sterling, weaved his way through the Wales defence and scored with almost the last kick of the game to win it for England.

This leaves them at the top of Euro 2016 Group B with four points from their opening two games. A draw would definitely see them through to the knockout stages, but they will want to top the group ahead of Wales and Slovakia.

This win made it four wins and one draw from their last five games, and they have won an impressive 11 of their last 14 matches, only losing to Spain and Netherlands in friendlies.

England’s defence is a lot more mobile than Russia’s, and as such I think they’ll be able to deal with the threat that Weiss poses from the wing. Hamsik will still be a threat, but I think the Slovakia defence leaves a lot to be desired. They are less organised than both Wales and Russia and this should afford England more chances to break through them. England undoubtedly have the greater overall quality, and I think that will shine through on Monday. Odds of 3/4 for an England Win seem to offer a decent amount of value too, so I’m backing that along with a 2-1 correct score prediction at 17/2. Why not check out our Wales vs Russia predictions!