Slovakia v Germany Match Result
Germany were somewhat underwhelming in the Nations League last summer, with Die Mannschaft losing 2-1 to Portugal in front of their own fans at the Allianz Arena. There was then a 2-0 reverse to France in Stuttgart, although they might prove to have too much class against a Slovakia side who are now in the same league.
Julian Nagelsmann’s side are full of goals as they demonstrated when bagging five times over two games against Italy. There was a 2-1 victory in Milan before a 3-3 draw against the Azzurri. There is a roughly 70% chance that they will record victory in Bratislava according to the latest odds and we should also look back at the 7-0 success over Bosnia in November.
New Newcastle signing Nick Woltemade is included in the line-up and looks set to earn his third cap, with West Ham forward Niclas Fullkrug having a strong strike rate for his country which includes fourteen goals in the space of twenty-four games. There’s a strong look to the midfield which features the Bayern trio of Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka and Serge Gnabry.
Slovakia will be led into battle by Francesco Calzona and they haven’t tasted a victory in 2025 this season. Since a 1-0 victory over Estonia back in November, there was a defeat in a two-legged Nations League play-off against Slovenia before a heavy 4-1 defeat away to Greece. There was then a 1-0 reverse at the hands of Israel in Hungary.
It's hard to make too much of a case for the Slovakians based on these results, with goalkeeper Martin Dubravka one of the few players that operate at a high level. There’s every chance that Slovakia will struggle to create chances and there’s not a huge amount of goals within the squad. We’re likely to see a defensive approach and a Germany win to nil can be backed at a bigger price.
Goals Under/Over
There’s a feeling among the World Cup betting sites that there will be at least three goals scored. There’s a roughly 60% chance of Over 2.5 Goals being recorded, with Germany having the ability to go over that goal line by themselves. They have plenty of attacking might within the ranks and that explains why the bookies are anticipating a high-scoring affair.
However, the Slovakian side are likely to be organised. Aside from that 4-1 defeat away to Greece, the other four most recent matches have seen Under 2.5 Goals happen. Slovakia will certainly not adopt an attacking game plan against dangerous opposition and we can expect the players to be behind the ball for the most part.
Nevertheless, Dubravka will be a busy man between the sticks and the Slovakians will hope to keep Germany at bay in the opening exchanges. Much will depend on how the home team start the game and whether they can compete.
BTTS
Goals have been low on the ground for Slovakia in recent games. They failed to create many chances when drawing a blank last time out against Israel. They did manage a consolation against Greece although it was back-to-back failures to score in that two-legged Nations League play-off against Slovenia.
On the flip side, the Slovakians scored in each of their six 2024 matches, including two goals against a Sweden side who couldn’t stop David Strelec bagging a brace. Interestingly, Germany have not kept a clean sheet in the past five matches and Julian Nagelsmann does like his teams to be attacking rather than defensive.
They shipped two goals against France after conceding a brace of goals against Portugal. There were also four goals conceded against Italy over two legs. It’s generally the case that Germany concede at least one goal and we anticipate that this will be an away win which features both teams to find the net.
This is a better option than backing Germany simply to win. We anticipate that there will be a winning scoreline along the lines of a 3-1 or 4-1 victory. It won’t matter to the visitors if the odd goal is conceded providing that they can overwhelm their opponents.
First Goalscorer
Niclas Fullkrug might be struggling to find the net for West Ham this season but the German has an enviable fourteen in twenty-four international games. He is likely to get the nod in attack and will look to continue an excellent strike rate. There are a couple of attacking midfielders who should also make an impression in front of goal.
Serge Gnabry isn’t too far from scoring a goal every two matches and the former Arsenal winger will be looking to add to his tally of twenty-two goals in a Germany shirt. Leon Goretzka has fifteen on the board for Die Mannschaft and is likely to play in a prominent position although maybe we’ll see a first international goal for Nick Woltemade.
The new Newcastle United player is a talented 23-year-old who looked sharp for VfB Stuttgart last season, with Nagelsmann hoping that a star will be born at the World Cup. It could be that he’s able to have plenty of success with the ball at his feet from the midfield area.
David Strelec has seven goals in a Slovakia shirt and the Slovan Bratislava forward could continue to improve at the age of 24. The experienced Ondrej Duda is also capable of making an impact.