Slovakia vs Northern Ireland Tips & Preview - Sturdy defence to guide the hosts again

By Tolu Shotade

28 seconds ago

Tolu Shotade 28 seconds ago

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Slovakia aiming to pressure group leaders with strong home form.
Northern Ireland need a win to keep qualification hopes alive.
Head-to-head favors Slovakia, with solid defense being key.

Slovakia vs Northern Ireland

Slovakia are aiming to maintain the pressure on the leaders when they host Northern Ireland in Group A of the UEFA World Cup qualifiers.

The Slovaks are enjoying a fine campaign while also maintaining a solid home form lately. Driven by a sturdy defence, they will be confident of seeing off the visitors, who are unconvincing at the moment.

Slovakia News

Slovakia are second in the table only on goal difference after picking up three wins from their four Group A matches. A win on Friday not only maintains the pressure on leaders Germany but also guarantees a playoff place for Francesco Calzona's team.

The Slovaks will head into this clash off the back of a 2-0 victory over Luxembourg in their previous fixture. That result is also part of a solid record in front of their fans, having gone unbeaten in their last six home matches across all competitions.

Slovakia have quality going forward, scoring first in three of their last four home matches across all competitions. However, a solid defence has been at the heart of their recent form, having kept clean sheets in five of their last six home matches.

Northern Ireland News

Northern Ireland are third in the table, three points behind the hosts after earning two wins and suffering as many defeats in their four matches in Group A. Friday's clash is a vital one as a defeat puts an end to their qualification hopes.

Things have not been smooth for Northern Ireland lately, having lost two of their last three matches. They suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Germany in their previous fixture.

Among the issues for Northern Ireland lately is a poor record on their travels as they are winless in seven of their last eight away matches across all competitions. Michael O'Neill's team have been beaten five times on this run.

Head to Head

Slovakia have two wins and as many draws, while Northern Ireland have picked up one victory from five previous matches. The visitors' only triumph came in the reverse fixture as they won 2-0 at home back in October.

Verdict

Slovakia v Northern Ireland

Slovakia may have lost the reverse fixture, but are back at home where they are unbeaten in the last six matches. They have also opened the scoring in three of their last four home matches and should play out a similar pattern against an out-of-sorts Northern Ireland side.

The Slovaks have been driven by a sturdy defence that has kept clean sheets in five of their last six home matches. Having won to nil in four of those fixtures, a similar outcome could be considered here.

Slovakia

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