The round-of-16 knockout stage continues at the Euro 2016 tournament in France on Sunday, June 26th with reigning world champion Germany taking on Slovakia in Lille. The winning country will carry on to the quarterfinals while the loser will be packing their bags and heading home. If the game is even after 90 minutes it will go to 30 minutes of extra time. If it’s still tied, it will then be decided by a penalty shootout. Slovakia is seeking its first European Championship while West Germany was crowned winners in 1972 in Belgium and 1980 in Rome. They also won the tournament as Germany in England in 1996.
Germany vs Slovakia – Pinnacle Soccer Betting Line:
- Pinnacle currently lists Germany as the favorite to win in 90 minutes at -223 with Slovakia +939 and a draw at +328
Germany vs Slovakia – Head to Head:
- Germany and Slovakia last met in a pre-tournament match back on may 29 with Slovakia pulling off a 3-1 upset in Germany. The two sides have met just 10 times in the past with Germany winning seven and losing the other three. Each team has won two and lost two in the last four meetings. However, those are Slovakia’s only two wins in the last nine encounters.
Germany – A Closer Look:
Germany is the reigning world champions after winning the 2014 World Cup 1-0 over Argentina in Brazil. The team is currently ranked number four in the world by FIFA. Germany played in Group C with 27th-ranked Poland, 19th-ranked Ukraine and 25th-ranked Northern Ireland. They won two games and drew the other for seven points and tied for group winner with Poland. However, Germany took the group by way of goal differential as they scored three and allowed none while Poland scored two and conceded none.
Germany kicked off their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Ukraine and then dropped a couple of points with a 0-0 draw against Poland. They managed to win the group by edging Northern Ireland 1-0 in their final outing. Poland placed second with Northern Ireland third and Ukraine in fourth and last place. Germany hasn’t been the most exciting team in the Euro 2016 event, but they haven’t allowed a goal against as of yet. This is a bit of a turnaround as they’ve conceded quite a few since winning the World Cup.
Slovakia – A Closer Look:
Slovakia is currently ranked number 24 in the world by FIFA. They played in Group B in the first stage of the event against 11th-ranked England, 26th-ranked Wales and 29th-ranked Russia. They were beaten 2-1 in their opening match by Wales on a second-half goal. The Slovakians then rebounded with an impressive 2-1 victory over Russia before playing to a 0-0 stalemate with England. They finished with four points and advanced to the round of 16 as one of the four best third-place teams in the tournament.
Slovakia should have some confidence after drawing England and beating Spain and Germany in the past year. The Slovakian can be a tough team to play against, but they’re often too defensive and rarely take chances by attacking. This is the first time Slovakia has qualified for a European Championship as an independent nation. The country was formerly a part of Czechoslovakia.
Germany vs Slovakia – Takeaway:
The winner of this match will take on the winner of the Italy vs Spain contest which is being held the next day. The winners will meet on Saturday, July 2nd in Bordeaux.
By Ian Palmer