Slovakia v Belarus background
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Article summary
With Ukraine the only threat to their place at UEFA EURO 2016, Slovakia can rubber-stamp qualification regardless with a Group C win against Belarus on 9 October.
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Slovakia are within sight of their first-ever UEFA European Championship final tournament as they welcome Belarus for their penultimate Group C match.
• The second-placed Slovaks have a superior head-to-head record in games against Ukraine in third. Already guaranteed at least a play-off berth, Ján Kozák's men will qualify automatically provided they can maintain or extend their three-point lead over Ukraine in this match.
• Belarus can finish no higher than their current position of fourth in the section.
Previous meetings
• Marek Hamšík struck twice as Slovakia netted three second-half goals to triumph 3-1 over Belarus in Borisov in the sides' Group C encounter last October.
• In the only previous game between the two nations, Slovakia dismissed Belarus 4-0 in a home friendly in Nitra on 27 March 1996. Július Šimon (24), Jaroslav Timko (32), Marek Ujlaky (60) and Jozef Juriga (83) all found the target.
Form guide
• Slovakia failed to score in their two September qualifiers, against Spain and Ukraine; they had won their first six Group C fixtures prior to those matches. They remain unbeaten in four home qualifiers: W3 D1.
• Belarus have won just one of their last 12 competitive away games (W1 D3 L8), that lone victory a 2-1 success in FYR Macedonia earlier this campaign.
Disciplinary
• Norbert Gyömber serves a one-game ban against Belarus.
• Belarus have Aleksandr Martynovich available after a one-game ban; Timofei Kalachev and Igor Shitov will incur a suspension with their next bookings.
Trivia and links
• Slovakia have yet to qualify for a UEFA European Championship final tournament, though they did play at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
• Slovakia had won all three of the countries' meetings in UEFA age-group competitions until September this year, when Belarus's Under-21s edged their Slovak counterparts 1-0 in Slutsk.
• In ten encounters between the nations' clubs in UEFA competition, the Slovakian sides have posted six wins and three draws, with their sole defeat coming last term as BATE Borisov eliminated Slovan Bratislava in the UEFA Champions League play-offs.