League C of the UEFA Nations League (UNL) gets underway as Slovakia look to extend their unbeaten run when they host a Moldova side on a long winless run.
Match News and Current Form
Slovakia enter their third successive League C campaign on the back of their longest unbeaten run for almost two years. The Falcons drew 2-2 with Montenegro in June to make it three games without defeat (W2, D1), with the latter two of those encounters coming under returning head coach Vladimír Weiss. He now takes charge of his first competitive fixture during his current spell and will be hoping to extend his country’s impressive sequence of just one loss in 11 home internationals since UEFA Euro 2024 (W7, D3), although their record in this competition is only two wins from their last seven as hosts (D3, L2).
Moldova are back in League C for the first time in six years, but they have struggled badly since their promotion in 2024, currently enduring a 15-game winless run (D4, L11). They have conceded at least two goals in each of those defeats, highlighting the defensive frailties which continue to plague a country whose only competitive away victories since September 2022 came against the Faroe Islands and Andorra. This should prove to be a tough test too, as the Tricolours haven't beaten a nation in the top 100 of the FIFA rankings for more than three years.
Head-to-Head History
Slovakia have won two of the previous three H2Hs (L1), albeit the most recent of those was back in 2001 (4-2).
Hot Stats and Streaks
Slovakia scored at least twice in six of their last seven home matches.
Slovakia didn't concede a second-half goal in their last five UNL home games.
Seven of Moldova’s last nine matches saw both teams score.
Moldova netted just one first-half goal across their last seven internationals.
Key Players to Watch and Missing Players
Dávid Hancko has registered seven goal involvements in his last 16 caps for Slovakia, with his three strikes during that period all coming before half-time. Moldova will hope that Vladyslav Baboglo can add to his three international goals, each of which have served as the last of the game and have helped his country go unbeaten in those matches (W1, D2).
Slovakia don't seem to have any obvious injury issues, but Moldova are without Vitalie Damașcan due to a groin problem sustained earlier this month.
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Betting Analysis
The hosts’ strong home form, coupled with Moldova’s dismal run, points towards Slovakia to win -1 being the obvious choice here.
Author: Matt Jones