Today will be the first match of the play-off round of Euro 2023 qualification Slovakia U-21 – Ukraine U-21
On September 23, in Zilina, Slovakia, the Ukrainian youth team will play the first match of the playoff round of the qualification for the European Championship 2023. At the stadium Pod Dubno, Ruslan Rotan’s wards will play with the youth team of Slovakia.
How did the youth teams of Slovakia and Ukraine play earlier
Over the past seven years, this will be the third meeting of youth teams from Slovakia and Ukraine. So far, the Blue-Yellows have never managed to beat their current opponent: a 2-3 defeat in 2021 and a 0-0 draw in 2015.
True, both matches were friendly. Last May, Ukraine and Slovakia met in Turkey. Then, until the 63rd minute, the blue-yellows were leading – 2:0, but then conceded three times. Then Mudryk and Vyunnik scored goals for the Ukrainians, and Bernat, Trusa and Kadak for the Slovaks. Of this five, Mudrik and Bernat will definitely not play today. The Ukrainian remained at the disposal of the national team, which is preparing for the matches of the League of Nations, the Slovak was injured.
How the “youth team” of Slovakia and Ukraine held a group round of selection
23 points scored, 20 goals scored and 11 goals conceded – with such indicators, the Ukrainian youth team completed the group qualification round. But even these results were not enough for the blue-yellows to directly qualify for the European Championship. In the group, Ukraine was ahead of France, in the ranking of teams that took second place, “lost” to Switzerland because of the worst difference between goals scored and conceded.
Slovakia was also second, behind Spain and ahead of Northern Ireland, Lithuania and Malta. The youth team of Russia was suspended from the tournament, and the results of matches with its participation were canceled. The Slovaks have three losses and five wins in eight matches.
How Slovakia previously played in the European Championships
Slovakia reached the final part of the championship of the continent twice. For the first time – at Euro 2000, which is still the most successful for the Slovak team. Then, in the group stage of qualification, Slovakia took first place, ahead of, in particular, the teams of Portugal and Romania. In the playoffs of qualification, the Slovaks beat Russia twice.
At Euro 2000, Slovakia performed very well: second place in the group (following Italy and ahead of England and Turkey) and losing the third place match to Spain. The fourth line was enough for the Slovaks to qualify for the World Championships and the Olympic Games.
Slovakia played for the second time at the Euro in 2017. Then the Slovak team took second place in its quartet, leaving England ahead, but could not reach the semi-finals, as it lost to Germany in the ranking of the second teams of three groups.
Who to look out for in the Slovakian national team
According to the specialized portal Transfermarkt, the composition of the youth team of Slovakia is almost the same as that of the Ukrainian youth team: 13.4 million against 15.4 million. True, with one caveat – there is no Mudrik in Ukraine (with his presence, the difference would be significant).
If we talk about the Slovakian national team, then the team consists mainly of players from Slovak clubs, but there are several foreign players. Among the latter, it is worth noting La Spezia striker David Strelets, who has already scored goals in Serie A. By the way, Strelets is the most expensive player in the Slovak youth team. Midfielder Peter Pokorny has Salzburg in his career, a stage in the Rally Sociedad, and now defends the colors of the Hungarian Fehérvár. And defender Adam Oberth has been in the Sampdoria system since the age of 17, and now he plays in Cagliari.
Where to watch the broadcast of the match Slovakia U-21 – Ukraine U-21
Both matches of the qualifying playoff round will be played by Suspіlne. Live broadcast of the match Slovakia U-21 – Ukraine U-21 will be available on the regional channels of “Suspіlne Movlennya”, the website “Suspіlne Sport” and the YouTube channel “Suspіlne Sport”.
Source: Sportarena
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
