Slovakia vs Ukraine prediction 21.06.2024 | EURO 2024

• Competition: EURO 2024
• Date: Friday, 21st June, 2024
• Kickoff: 14:00 UTC +1 / 15:00 CEST
• Venue: Merkur Spiel-Arena (Düsseldorf)

After the first round in Group E, we have a unexpected situation. The two underdogs, Romania and Slovakia, won their games and hold the first two spots. In the second round, Slovakia will face Ukraine at Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf in a match that could guarantee them the second round for the second time ever as a sovereign state.

Slovakia entered the competition as one of the teams with the lowest chance of winning the EURO title, with the odds between 375 and even up to 600 at some bookmakers. Still, those odds heavily dropped after a win in the first round. Even though Slovakians are considered one of the weakest teams in the tournament, they did have a pretty good qualifying cycle after finishing 2nd in the Group with Portugal, Luxembourg, Iceland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Liechtenstein. Yes, the group wasn't that tough, but it was still a good display. Now, in EURO, they couldn't dream of a better start to the competitions after beating the best team in the Group (Belgium), and a positive result here would be a big step in securing the knockout phase.

Ukraine, on the other hand, had a fantastic EURO Qualifiers, finishing 3rd in a super-tough group with England, Italy, North Macedonia, and Malta. They were on a level with points with 2nd-placed Italy, but worse h2h stats pushed them to 3rd place. Eventually, they secured it through the Playoffs, and considering they played all their home matches on a neutral pitch, we must look at those Qualifiers as a big success. Many football pundits expected they could be one of the teams that could surprise in EURO, but the start was a disaster as they lost 3:0 against Romania and are under pressure to win points against Slovakia.

Slovakia vs Ukraine pick: Slovakia to win or draw

Slovakia definitely lacks offensive talent, but they are a well-organized, experienced team that is dangerous from the counterattacks. After that initial win against Belgium, the team's morale will undoubtedly be high. Yes, a win against Belgium was super-impressive, but if we look further back, we can see more good results. In the last 18 games in all competitions, they lost just three games - twice against Portugal and once against Austria.

Meanwhile, Ukraine are under big pressure to do well in this game. In the first game, against Romania, they lost 3:0 but did not deserve to lose by that much. They dominated possession but really struggled to create chances. In some parts of the game, they looked lost and without a real idea of what to do.

Considering what we have seen from these teams in the first games, we believe that Slovakia will manage to win at least one point and move closer to the knockout phase.