The second round of fixtures kick off today with Russian Football team returning to action on the pitch days after acts of hooliganism from their fans after the game against England, and at one time even faced the threat of being kicked out of the tournament. That didn’t happen and now they have a crucial game ahead of them against Slovakia, a must win for both the sides.
With the new format allowing 4 best 3rd placed teams, 4 points would ensure qualification in all likelihood and Russians will be aiming to put the past week behind them and focus on getting those valuable 3 points. A loss will be disastrous and could potentially knock them out of the tournament after Wales and England’s game, therefore in reality Russia desperately need those 3 points today.
Slovakia on the other had would still be wounded from their defeat against Wales, a game in which they had put good performances on the pitch but ultimately ended up losing. Their performance against Wales showed that they have the attacking flair in them and a similar performances today may come good for them. It is a must win game for Slovakia as well if they wish to qualify for the knockout stages.
Russian coach Leonid Slutsky will have to change his side’s tactics drastically as they struggled for the most parts against England and were really luck to come out with a point. They were rather toothless and lacked imagination in the final third.
A must win game for both these sides , and the fact that both of them desperately need points will surely up the ante.
Head to Head
This will be the ninth meeting between these sides with Russia leading with three wins to Slovakia’s two. There have been only three goals scored in the last 4 meetings between them , a stat which makes today’s game even more interesting to watch
Prediction
This will be a tight one and Slovakia may edge out, 1-0 to Slovakia
