Following a phenomenal performance which resulted in the biggest surprise of Round 1, Slovakia now travel to Luxembourg with ambitions to extend the gap between them and Germany.
The World Cup qualifications in Group A began with a bang, as Slovakia became the fourth team in history to beat Germany in WCQs. The Falcons displayed a tactical masterclass and secured three points, which could prove crucial later on. Slovakia are chasing their first appearance in a World Cup since 2010, and second overall in the nation's history.
But beating Germany was on nobody's bingo cards, as the Falcons were winless in 2025 after four matches. This could be the beginning of something great, especially given their next opponents – the 92-ranked Luxembourg, who are going through a major transition after the recent managerial change.
The Red Lions spent the last 15 years under the same management, which made new boss Jeff Strasser's task much more complicated. While Luxembourg are 100% the weakest national team in Group A, their performance against Northern Ireland was worse than expected. They can't afford the same slow start against Slovakia, who will be extra confident after their phenomenal start.
How the bookies view it: Slovakia to maintain a perfect record
Luxembourg have progressed a lot over the past decade, but not nearly enough for bookmakers to give them a chance. You can pick the Red Lions at 4/1, while Slovakia have a considerable betting advantage at 3/4. Meanwhile, the draw has been priced at 27/10.
Recent head to head: The Falcons are unbeaten in six official H2Hs
Surprisingly, Luxembourg and Slovakia have a rich history from qualification cycles over the past 20 years. The teams got placed in the same group three times for a total of six H2Hs. As expected, Slovakia came out as winners in five out of six, while one match ended level (0-0). Luxembourg have beaten the Falcons only once, but it was a friendly match in 2011 (2-1). Overall, the Red Lions should be worried, as the goal difference in seven H2Hs is 16:5.
Players to watch: Strelec can punish Luxembourg too
Slovakia's squad is overfilled with talent, with numerous young players playing for top clubs in Western Europe, including Atletico Madrid and Napoli. We'd like to direct your attention to David Strelec, the man of the match against Germany, who contributed a goal and an assist for the 2-0 win.
While it is a risk betting on the same player in back-to-back games, he deserves our attention. The 24-year-old was the main reason behind Slovan Bratislava's title-winning season (20 goals and 5 assists) and he just signed with Middlesbrough on Deadline Day. He will be the main threat for Luxembourg's defence.
Probable line-ups
Luxembourg: Moris, Carlson, Mahmutovic, Selimovic, Jans, Barreiro, Olesen, Bohnert, Sinani, Sanches, Dardari
Slovakia: Dubravka, Hancko, Skriniar, Satka, Gyomber, Benes, Lobotka, Duda, Strelec, Sauer, Duris
Anything else catch the eye?
As much as we enjoy underdog stories, Luxembourg shouldn't be capable of one, at least not against Slovakia. The Falcons will come out with extreme levels of motivation after beating Germany, and we anticipate a similar scenario – Slovakia should win and potentially keep a clean sheet in back-to-back games.
Luxembourg scored against Northern Ireland, but the 0.52 xG shows that they generally had limited opportunities. And Slovakia will leave them even less space. Back the visitors and feel free to add some goals to the mix.
GambleAware