Match Preview: Slovakia vs Germany

The 5th round qualifying match for the 2026 FIFA World Cup between the national teams of Slovakia and Germany is scheduled to take place on September 4th at Tehelné pole stadium in Bratislava. This comprehensive preview offers a prediction, betting insights, odds, and key statistics for the Slovakia – Germany encounter.

Slovakia Team Overview

In the previous World Cup qualifying cycle, the Slovaks finished in third place within Group H. The national team managed to avoid defeat in 8 out of 10 matches (securing 3 wins and 5 draws), yet they ultimately lagged 4 points behind Russia, who claimed second position. It’s worth noting that the team only managed to keep clean sheets in three of those fixtures, with two of these shutouts occurring against Cyprus. More recently, Francesco Calzona’s squad competed in the Nations League. After finishing second in their quartet, Slovakia were eliminated in their very first playoff game by Slovenia.

Slovakia Qualifying Performance Insights

• Slovakia found the net in 7 of their last 9 World Cup qualifying matches.
• On home turf, the national team has remained undefeated in 8 of their last 9 World Cup qualification encounters.
• In 8 of their last 10 home fixtures in this tournament, the team conceded no more than one goal.

Expected Slovakia Lineup (4-5-1)

Martin Dúbravka – Milan Škriniar, Dávid Hancko, Norbert Gyömbér, Adam Obert – Ondrej Duda, Stanislav Lobotka, Lukáš Haraslín, Patrik Hrošovský, David Strelec – Róbert Boženík.

Germany Team Overview

In their previous qualifying campaign, the Germans confidently topped Group J. The team secured 9 victories, with their only defeat coming against North Macedonia. The national side displayed an excellent attacking prowess, with their 36 goals being the second-highest tally among all qualifying participants, only behind England (39). However, Germany’s performance at the 2022 World Cup was widely regarded as a failure, as they finished third in Group E. Notably, the team boasts an impressive scoring streak in World Cup qualifiers, having scored in 31 consecutive matches.

Germany Qualifying Performance Insights

• The German team kept clean sheets in 5 of their last 7 World Cup qualifying matches.
• Away from home in this tournament, the Germans hold a remarkable streak of 18 consecutive victories.
• In 11 of their last 14 away matches in World Cup qualifiers, Germany scored at least three goals.

Expected Germany Lineup (4-5-1)

Oliver Baumann – Jonathan Tah, Maximilian Mittelstädt, Antonio Rüdiger, David Raum – Serge Gnabry, Florian Wirtz, Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Pascal Groß – Nick Woltemade.

Referee Profile

Serdar Gözübüyük (Turkey)

Referee Statistics (2024/25–2025/26 International Matches)

Matches Officiated: 13;

Yellow Cards Shown (including second yellow): 69;

Average Yellow Cards per Match: 5.3;

Red Cards Shown: 3;

Average Fouls per Match: 26;

Penalties Awarded: 46%.

Match Prediction: Slovakia vs Germany

Slovakia’s Defensive Challenges

In the upcoming match, Slovakia will face the challenging task of containing the attacks from Group A’s favored team. This will likely prove difficult for the home side, as their defensive vulnerabilities were evident in the previous qualifying cycle, even against less formidable opponents than Germany. Slovakia conceded in 7 of their last 10 World Cup qualifiers, notably allowing even Malta to score twice against them.

Germany’s Attacking Dominance

Germany typically steamrolls opponents in World Cup qualifiers with their potent attack. In the last qualification round, the national team secured 6 significant victories, and they managed to score at least two goals in 8 matches during that period. Furthermore, when playing away from home, the German team has only failed to score at least two goals in one of their last 15 World Cup qualifying encounters.

Final Betting Tip

I anticipate that Germany will assert their status as strong favorites right from the beginning of this qualifying campaign, maintaining their characteristic attacking style of play. My prediction is: “Germany Total Goals Over 1.5” with odds of 1.53

Алексей Тарабрин