Slovakia and Portugal put their unbeaten records in the European Championship qualifiers on the line as they face each other in a top of the table Group J clash on Friday. The Slovakians can make things difficult for Portugal, but the former European champions have so much quality and should have the upper hand.
Slovakia have made an impressive start to the qualifying campaign and appear to be keeping pace with Portugal at the top of Group J. They are currently unbeaten in the qualifiers having claimed three wins and a draw from their opening four matches.
The draw for Slovakia came in their opening fixture and they have gone on to win all three of their matches since. They claimed a 1-0 victory in Liechtenstein in their previous outing with Denis Vavro’s effort just before the break proving the difference.
Slovakia have not been particularly prolific in these qualifiers as their campaign appears to be driven by a solid defence. Francesco Calzona’s men have conceded just once in four qualifying matches and will be counting on their backline to stop the might of the Portuguese attack.
While Slovakia are merely unbeaten in the qualifiers, Portugal have done one better and are maintaining a 100% record. They are living up to their billing as overwhelming favourites in Group J and have won all four of their matches so far, leaving them two points clear at the top of the standings.
Following Portugal’s poor showing at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, manager Roberto Martinez appear to have breathed new life into the team. They began their campaign with a 4-0 victory over Liechtenstein and have just kicked on from there, picking up a 1-0 win in Iceland in their previous fixture.
Led by a rejuvenated Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal have been impressive going forward, scoring 14 goals in just four matches. However, it is the defence that has caught the eye as they are yet to concede in the qualifiers, with the win in Iceland showing the former European champions can also grind out results.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have installed Portugal as overwhelming favourites with a win priced at 4/9 by William Hill. A victory for Slovakia is valued at 7/1 by bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 6/2 by BoyleSports.
Head to head
Portugal have never lost to Slovakia, claiming three wins and a draw from four previous matches. The last meeting between both teams was a 2006 World Cup qualifier which ended 2-0 in favour of the Portuguese.
Players to watch
Cristiano Ronaldo may have left Europe for the Saudi Pro League, but remains as influential as ever for Portugal. The legendary forward already has five goals in just four qualifying matches and is priced at 4/5 by Betfred to find the net on Friday.
Portugal have really been driven by a solid defence and will be confident of shutting out the Slovakian attack. Ruben Dias is expected to continue at the heart of the defence and can lead the Portuguese to a fifth straight clean sheet at 5/6 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Portugal have won to nil in all four of their qualifying matches and could be set for a similar outcome at 5/4 with BetVictor. Given their plethora of attacking options, the visitors can also be backed in the -1 handicap market at 5/4 with 888Sport.
The quality in Portugal's attack means they can also be tipped to score in both halves at 13/10 with BoyleSports.
This Euro 2024 match between Slovakia and Portugal will be played on Sep 8, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Slovakia vs Portugal prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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