Slovakia faces Spain

We expect another terrific game at the Euro 2020 when Slovakia faces Spain at the Estadio La Cartuja in Sevilla on Wednesday. This is a match from Group E of the competition and it looks really important for both teams. Let’s preview it in these soccer betting tips daily.

Let’s start with Slovakia here. The Falcons are still in the race for qualification for the 1/8-finals of the European Championship. At this moment they have 3 points won and they are second in the group – one point ahead of their next opponent Spain. This means that theoretically Slovakia could reach the knockout phase even if they draw with La Roja on Wednesday.

Slovakia won their first game against Poland, but after that they suffered a 0-1 defeat against Sweden in Saint-Petersburg. The Slovaks were close to winning a valuable point from this match, but the Scandinavians won a penalty in the 77th minute and Emil Forsberg beat Martin Dubravka from the spot. At any case it was not a bad game from the Falcons, but at the end they didn’t have a reason to smile.

Now Stefan Tarkovic’ team is getting ready for a big challenge on Wednesday. This is one of Slovakia’s most important matches in the last years as it is a real chance for them to reach the 1/8-finals of the European Championship for a second consecutive time. Right now Spain are not looking at their best, so for Slovakia this is an opportunity to use this in their own favour.

Stefan Tarkovic used a 4-2-3-1 formation in his first two games in Group E. Against Sweden he put Ondrej Duda at the top of the attack while the icon Marek Hamsik operated behind his back. Martin Koscelnik and Robert Mak helped the attack from the two flanks while Juraj Kucka and Patrik Hrosovsky acted as a central midfield duo.

We don’t expect any significant changes in Slovakia’s line-up for this third game. The truth is Tarkovic is using his best XI despite the loss suffered in the previous game. In case he looks at his bench though he could use players like Vladimir Weis, Luka Haraslin and Laszlo Benes. They are all ready to start and show that they deserve to be in the line-up.

For three times European champions Spain the situation is getting more and more complex in this group. Unexpected by all of us, La Roja didn’t win neither one of their first two matches at the Euro 2020. Spain made two draws against Sweden and Poland. Now a third one could kick them out of the competition.

Few days ago La Roja faced Poland at the La Cartuja and for a second consecutive time the Spanish side disappointed its fans. Luis Enrique’s team made a poor and uninspiring performance, and also missed a penalty kick in the second half. It seems that whatever Enrique is trying right now is just not working. The Spanish press already started to speculate that he’s going to get sacked immediately if Spain doesn’t reach the 1/8-finals.

Alvaro Morata scored his first goal at the Euro 2020 against Poland, but once again he made some misses in the penalty area as well. Meanwhile Gerard Moreno missed a penalty kick in the second half and made Spain’s performance even more miserable. One goal for more than 180 minutes of playing – this is certainly not the same Spain we all know we are used to watching.

Luis Enrique made just one change in the line-up for the previous game. He took Ferran Torres out of the starting eleven and replaced him Gerard Moreno. After the game Enrique was criticised for his decision to put Moreno at the wing when he’s clearly a striker. At the same time the coach once again put Dani Olmo in the starting eleven, but for a second consecutive game the RB Leipzig winger got replaced in the second half.

Where’s Sergio Ramos? That’s a question which many La Roja fans are asking right now. Luis Enrique decided not to call the legendary defender, and now his leadership on the pitch is really missed. Players like Iago Aspas or Marco Asensio could have been useful in this situation as well

The good news for Spain is the return of the captain Sergio Busquets who missed the first two matches because of his COVID-19 diagnosis. It’s expected that Busquets will replace Rodri in the starting eleven, but maybe some more changes are going to be made, too. Thiago Alcantara could replace Pedri or Koke while Wolverhampton Wanderers’ atomic winger Adama Traore could get his first minutes at the Euro. Ferran Torres and Pablo Sarabia are also options for the starting eleven, although their involvement in the first two games didn’t lead to much.

A smart move Luis Enrique could make is bring Marcos Llorente back to his natural position in midfield. So far Enrique is using the Atletico Madrid’s star as a right back, but in this way he’s wasting his attacking potential. If he decides to put him in midfield or attack again then Cesar Azpilicueta should take his position in defense. At this moment many Spanish fans want to see Llorente more upfront on the pitch.

The whole Spanish team is aware that a draw on Wednesday would kick them out of the Euro 2020. This would be a huge failure for the whole nation, so this is a “must-win” situation for La Roja.

That’s the soccer betting tips daily for the Euro 2020 clash between Slovakia and Spain at the La Cartuja in Sevilla. The Falcons could use even a draw here, but they also know it’s dangerous to play for such a result. At the same time Spain are desperate to win here because their progression in the tournament depends on this. It’s now or never for Luis Enrique and his players. But can they show what they are capable of?