World European Preliminaries - Northern Ireland VS Slovakia: In the same group as Germany, Slovakia is not a green leaf

In the Czechoslovak era, they were once the top powerhouse in world football. They were runners-up in the World Cup in 1934 and 1962, and won the European Cup in 1976. They were close to the "uncrowned king" Netherlands.

After the Czech Republic and Slovakia separated, the Czech Republic's runner-up in the 1996 European Cup was considered its final glory. Slovakia is much worse, with its best results in the World Cup and European Cup being in the top 16. After qualifying from the 2010 World Cup group, Slovakia failed to qualify for the World Cup main event again.

In the European group stage of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Slovakia was in the same group as Germany, but who would have thought that after the first two rounds, Slovakia, which had won 2 games and accumulated 6 points, was leading the standings. Germany ranked third with 1 win, 1 loss and 3 points. Northern Ireland also had 1 win, 1 loss and 3 points, beating Germany by one goal to rank second.

Northern Ireland VS Slovakia, if Slovakia wins this battle, it will consolidate its top position. If Northern Ireland wins, it will also have the opportunity to compete for the first place in the group and directly advance.

Northern Ireland VS Slovakia

Nature of the match: Round 3 of Group A of the European Group Stage of the World Cup

Match time: 2:45 on October 11

Northern Ireland sits at the Windsor Park Stadium in Belfast to face the group leader Slovakia. Slovakia currently ranks first in the group with six points after winning two games, while Northern Ireland is temporarily second in the group with a record of one win and one loss and three points. The outcome of this direct dialogue is likely to have a decisive impact on the final qualifying situation of this group.

This game is a battle for the top spot in Group A. The two sides are locked in points, and the outcome will directly affect the group's qualifying situation. For Slovakia, winning will consolidate its leading position; while for Northern Ireland, if it can take advantage of the home court to get three points, it will be able to tie its opponents in points, and the qualifying situation will be great.

Both teams have shown their own characteristics before. Slovakia performed solidly in the first two rounds, not only winning all but not conceding a single goal. Northern Ireland, on the other hand, presents a situation of strong home team and weak guest team, especially its home fighting strength cannot be underestimated.

This matchup is also the first official match between the two coaches - the tactical game between Northern Ireland's Michael O'Neill and Slovakia's Francesco Calzona will be a highlight.

The Slovak team showed amazing stability in this World Cup preliminaries. They not only defeated the powerful German team 2:0 at home in the first round, but then defeated Luxembourg 1:0 away from home. They currently lead the group with a perfect record of winning two games and not conceding a goal.

Even more impressive is Slovakia's performance on the defensive end - they have kept four clean sheets in the past five games. Such a strong defense will provide them with sufficient confidence in the away game.

The recent state of the Northern Ireland team has been slightly ups and downs, showing the characteristics of "a dragon at home and a worm on the road". The team lost to Germany 1:3 away from home in the last round, but in the previous game they defeated Luxembourg 3:1 away from home.

However, Northern Ireland's performance at home is completely different - they have maintained unbeatable victories in the past four home games and have not conceded a single goal in these four games. On the offensive end, they have scored 11 goals, averaging as high as 2.75 goals per game. Such a strong home momentum will provide them with huge psychological support against the group leader.

Historical confrontation data is more favorable to Slovakia. The two sides have met in all competitions in the past 5 times, and Slovakia has a record of 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss. Slovakia remains undefeated in the last 4 meetings.

The most impressive thing is the 2020 European Cup qualifying play-off final, when Slovakia defeated Northern Ireland 2:1 in overtime. This defeat still leaves Northern Ireland fans with lingering fears.

However, the most recent confrontation between the two teams at Northern Ireland's home court ended in a 1:1 draw, which shows that Northern Ireland is capable of dealing with Slovakia at home.

Northern Ireland is expected to draw with its opponent with its solid home defense, but Slovakia's overall strength is better, and it is also possible to win with a goal.