Slovakia vs Belarus prediction: EUROPE: UEFA Nations League – League C betting tips on match 2022-09-24 16:00.
Slovakia can neither earn promotion from UEFA Nations League (UNL) Group C3 nor suffer relegation so their final group game against a Belarus side heading for the relegation play-outs has little riding on it. A win, coupled with Kazakhstan beating Azerbaijan would see Slovakia finish a UNL group stage in second place though, which is something theyâve never done before.
New manager Francesco Calzona took charge against Azerbaijan (L 2-1) in what was his first ever game as a head coach having previously worked as an assistant to Maurizio Sarri and Luciano Spalletti. As he chases his first win, this game being played in neutral Serbia might not inconvenience them too much as theyâve won three of their last four games on foreign soil âto nilâ (L1), including against Belarus in nearby Novi Sad in June.
While they canât do anything about their league position after going down 2-1 to Kazakhstan, Belarus will have a long time to plan for the relegation play-outs, scheduled for March 2024, when theyâll try to avoid dropping into Group D. After winning at least three matches in both previous editions, they could finish this group stage without a victory (D2, L3).
Having to play all their games on foreign soil following Russiaâs invasion of Ukraine has contributed to that decline – although itâs also the reason this game is being played in Serbia as Belarus arenât allowed to enter Slovakia – and they last won a competitive away fixture in September 2020 (D1, L8 since). That was also their last UNL win as the designated away side too, so victory here would be breaking another poor run (D1, L3)
Players to watch: Both of Erik Jirkaâs goals for Slovakia came after the 70th minute following his injury-time penalty against Azerbaijan, while Belarusâ Pavel Savitskiy has scored three times between the 25th and 50th minute across his last five outings for club and country
Hot streak: None of Belarusâ last seven UNL away games witnessed a goalless second half.