Sunday will see two European Championship debutants look horns, as Wales and Slovakia gear up for the Group B opening game on Sunday, June 11 in UEFA Euro 2016. The two countries, taking part in the Euros for the very first time in their history, will lock horns at Stade Matmut Atlantique in Bordeaux.
Both sides will have established European stars in their starting eleven, with the Dragons and The Falcons likely to play the likes of Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, Marek Hamsik, and Martin Skrtel in their lineup. However, only one side can emerge victorious.
Wales
Chris Coleman’s crew made history after qualifying for the Euro 2016 finals for the first time ever, securing a ticket to France after finishing second in Group B in the qualifiers. The Dragon booked their place in the 2016 edition after finishing behind only Belgium, beating out Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Israel and Andorra.
Their hopes of going far in the competition were rocked by injuries to three players, as Joe Allen (knee), Joe Ledley (leg), and Hal Robson-Kanu (Achilles problem) are all short of fitness. Nonetheless, the Welsh trio could still feature in the opening game, albeit only from the bench, with the Liverpool midfielder boasting the best chance of making it into the starting eleven.
Gareth Bale and Co. head into the fixture on the back of an impressive run, as they are undefeated in 11 of their last 12 games. Furthermore, they’ve kept six clean sheets in their last seven games. However, their last game saw them suffer a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Sweden.
Slovakia
Slovakia, similar to Wales, are also the new kids on the block, as they’ll make their first ever appearance in the European Championship. Ján Kozák were paired against the likes of reigning champions Spain, Belarus, Ukraine, Luxembourg, and Macedonia. Nonetheless, they finished in second and thus booked their spot in France.
The Falcons, similarly to Wales, were handed a huge injury blow, as they lost veteran striker Robert Vittek – the country’s all-time leading goalscorer – to injury. The 34-year-old was one of the scorers from the previous Wales and Slovakia match-up. Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel, though, made the squad despite several injuries this season.
Hamsik and Co. are also in good form, as they head into the clash on an 8-match unbeaten run, one which saw them thrash World Cup champions Germany 3-1 in an international friendly.
Wales vs Slovakia – Did you know?
- Wales and Slovakia have only met in the 2008 Euro qualifiers, clashing in a two-legged encounter.
- A whopping 13 goals were scored over both games, with The Falcons winning the 1st leg 5-1 in Cardiff, and The Dragons triumphing 5-2 inTrnava in the return leg.
- Gareth Bale, Dušan Švento, and Jan Durica were three of the goalscorers from the 2006 fixtures, though the latter made the score sheet courtesy of an own-goal.
- The Real Madrid attacker’s strike made him his country’s and the Euro qualifiers’ youngest scorer at 17 years and 83 days.
- This will be the first time since Austria 1-1 Poland in 2008 that two debutants meet in the Euros. This is also the first time that two debutants meet in their 1st ever match since Croatia 1-0 Turkey in 1996.
- Coincidentally, that match also was scheduled for June 11.
Which channel is broadcasting Wales vs Slovakia on TV or Online?
- In the USA at 12:00 EST on ESPN3 USA, ESPN Deportes TV, ESPN, WATCH ESPN
- In the UK at 17:00 BST on BBC Radio 5 Live, S4C, BBC One UK, BBC Wales
- In Slovakia at 18:00 CEST on HRT 2, RTVS Live Streaming, STV1 Jednotka
- In Canada at 12:00 ET on TSN1, RDS 2, TSN3, TSN Radio 1040 | 1410 Vancouver, TSN4
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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