England v Slovakia: What to expect from the visitors

England can take another big step towards World Cup qualification when they face Slovakia in Monday’s qualifier at Wembley.

A victory would send Gareth Southgate’s side five points clear at the top of Group F, but what can they expect from second-placed Slovakia? And who are the danger men?

We get the lowdown from Slovakian football journalist Lukas Vrablik…
Are people in Slovakia happy with the team?

Of course, they are doing a good job at the moment. After two losses at the start of the qualifying campaign, they fought back and won all five following games, including a great performance against Slovenia on Friday.

I think there is a feeling that players work hard for the team and try to give their best, and that has not always been the case in Slovakia. That shown by the big crowds at their home games. The stadium was nearly sold out for the 1-0 win over Slovenia.
How about the coach? Is he doing a good job?

Jan Kozak is popular here. He is a great motivator, who manages to bring the best out from his players. He has had some scandals in the past, but it looks like he changed and is valued a lot.

Under his management, the national team have been undergoing a generation change. He has taken several players from their successful U21 team and given them a chance in the senior team. For example, Milan Skriniar, Ondrej Duda and Stanislav Lobotka.

Kozak usually chooses a good strategy, and has definitely been the most successful Slovakia coach since the country gained independence in 1993.

Who are the danger men for England to worry about?

Of course there is Marek Hamsik, the only world class player in the squad, and the guy who is a focal point for the team. Most of the action goes through him. He brings ideas and creativity into the team. It would be very hard for the team to function without him.
Left winger Vladimir Weiss is very quick and technical, and can really outwit defenders, even if it is not certain that he will be playing, as he is not fit enough to play full 90 minutes at his best at the moment. Right winger Robert Mak is also very quick, useful in counter-attacks and can score goals. Both of them came through Manchester City’s academy so they certainly have the pedigree.

What will be Slovakia’s tactics for the game at Wembley?

It’s very hard to say, but I think Kozak’s intention will be to go at least for a draw, and to make everything he can to ensure that he will get at least that one point.

I would expect them to focus on their defence instead of attacking England with the aim to win and jump above them in the table. However, they have also been saying they are able to win at Wembley.

It will be interesting to see if Kozak uses the 4-6-0 system without a typical centre-forward, because he has used it almost every time Slovakia have played against one of the biggest teams. They have had a problem in the striker department since 2010 World Cup and Robert Vittek’s retirement, so I would expect Kozak to put as Hamsik the most advanced player with wingers supporting him.

What would it mean for Slovakia to reach the World Cup?

It would be their second consecutive major tournament participation, and their second-ever appearance at the World Cup. Football has fought with ice hockey in terms of popularity in the country, but hockey players have disappointed a few times in the recent years and the footballers have improved a lot, so it could make football the most popular sport.
I think that it might be the last time the old generation of the players play together, as there are young players coming in from the youth teams. In the 2000s, Slovak fans only dreamed of a big tournament, but in this decade, they have already participated in two.

Reaching another World Cup could prove that Slovak football has finally improved, and that it is heading in the right direction, with the U21s great performance at the European Championship in June still in mind.Euro Soccer Bonus

Our fantastic Euro Soccer accumulator offer gives you the chance to earn a bonus of up to 100% on accumulators on the top domestic leagues in Europe along with the group and knockout stages of the Champions League.

This offer applies to returns on pre-match accumulators of 3 or more selections on Full Time Result or Result/Both Teams To Score markets for the English Premier League, Italian Serie A, Spanish Primera Liga, German Bundesliga 1 or UEFA Champions League.

The maximum bonus that you can receive is €100,000 or currency equivalent. The bonus will not apply where a stake has been fully Cashed Out. Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, the bonus will be calculated based .on the remaining active stake. If a qualifying bet is edited .using our Edit Bet feature. The bonus will be calculated based on the new stake. Where a bet has been edited to include or amend a selection for an event that is In-Play, the bonus will no longer apply. Double Chance bets or combination bets with bonuses. Such as Lucky 15’s or Lucky .31’s do not apply for this offer.

If your bet is successful, we will add the following bonuses to your returns:

Bet Type Bonus

14-folds and upwards 100% bonus
Terms and Conditions
Applies to straight pre-match accumulator bets on the Full Time Result or Result/Both Teams To Score markets for UEFA Champions League, English Premier League, Italian Serie A, Spanish Primera Liga, German Bundesliga .1 or Australian A-League matches. Maximum bonus €100,000 or currency equivalent. Euro Soccer Bonus does not apply to Double Chance bets or combination. bets with bonuses such as Lucky 15’s, Lucky 31’s etc.

If any selections are postponed/void then the bonus will still apply, but the percentage bonus added will reflect the actual number of winning selections. For example, an 8-fold accumulator with 7. winners and 1 postponed match will receive a 30% .bonus to returns.
The bonus part of your returns will be added to your account within 24 hours of your final selection having played.
This bonus will not apply where a stake has been fully Cashed Out. Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, the bonus will be calculated based on the remaining active stake.

If a qualifying bet is edited using our Edit Bet feature, the bonus will be calculated based on the new stake. Where a bet has been edited to include or amend a selection for an event that is In-Play, the bonus will no longer apply.

Where any term of the offer or promotion is breached or there is any evidence of a series of bets placed by a customer or group of customers, which due to a deposit bonus, enhanced payments, free bets, risk free bets or any other promotional offer results in guaranteed customer profits irrespective of the outcome, whether individually or as part of a group, bet365 reserves the right to reclaim the bonus element of such offers and in their absolute discretion either settle bets at the correct odds, void the free and risk free. bets or void any bet funded by the deposit bonus.

In addition bet365 .reserve the right to levy an administration charge on the customer up to the value of the deposit bonus, free bet, risk free bet or additional payment to cover administrative costs. We further reserve the right to ask any customer to provide sufficient documentation for us to be satisfied in our absolute discretion as to the customer’s identity prior to us crediting any bonus, free bet, risk free bet or offer to their account.

All bet365 offers are intended for recreational players and bet365 may in its sole discretion limit the eligibility of customers to participate in all or part of any promotion.

bet365 reserves the right to amend, cancel, reclaim or refuse any promotion at its own discretion.