Slovakia vs Romania live updates: Euro 2024 match team news ...

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Europe’s best in terms of players, so Europe’s best in terms of kits too right?

Well, the good news is our kit aficionado – akitionado? — Nick Miller has ranked every home effort for this Euros with his usual wit.

The bad news? Too many templates, dull shirts and probably not much to get you excited about. And then there’s the kit that will make the players look like they’re wearing a diaper.

So read on, and judge for yourselves…

GO FURTHER

Ranking the best and worst Euro 2024 home kits: a diaper, a wrestling outfit and a beautiful QR code

This is Romania’s sixth appearance at the tournament.

In only one of their previous five appearances have they made it out of their group; reaching the quarter-final where they were beaten 2-0 by eventual finalists Italy in 2000.

Did not qualify for: 1960 (France), 1964 (Spain), 1968 (Italy), 1972 (Belgium), 1976 (Yugoslavia), 1980 (Italy), 1988 (Germany), 1992 (Sweden), 2004 (Portugal), 2012 (Poland/Ukraine), 2020 (Various)

Slovakia’s history at the European Championship is a little confusing as, until 1992, they competed as Czechoslovakia. Since competing as Slovakia, their first two European Championship qualifications came at the last two tournament where a Round of 16 exit against Germany was their best finish.

As Czechoslovakia:

Did not qualify for: 1964 (Spain), 1968 (Italy), 1972 (Belgium), 1984 (France), 1988 (Germany), 1992 (Sweden)

As Slovakia:

Did not qualify for: 2012 (Poland/Ukraine), 2008 (Austria/Switzerland), 2004 (Portugal), 2000 (Belgium/Netherlands) 1996 (England)

Their shape and system are much the same as the other teams in the group: attack in a 4-3-3, defend in a 4-1-4-1. For a team in blue and with Stanislav Lobotka as the defensive midfielder, there are, ironically, tactical shades of 2022-23 Napoli about Slovakia.

A lot of their build-up looks pattern-based. Even under pressure, they play short passes into central midfielders, trying to bait a central press to release a full-back or winger. Alternatively, when teams lock them out wide they look to release a central midfielder, or go direct to the No 9 to try to access the midfielders that way.

Slovakia had the most offsides and fouls won of any side to qualify, underlining their comfort in playing in behind, and how their midfielders often take contact as a result of playing into pressure.

Slovakia showed important tournament traits in qualifying, only losing twice and those were home and away to Portugal, both times by a marginal goal. Only three teams kept more than their total of five clean sheets.

GO FURTHER

Euro 2024 Group E guide: Revitalised Belgium, Ukraine’s comebacks and Romania’s direct free kicks

Manager Edward Iordănescu’s 26 matches as Romania boss have seen only seven defeats, only two of them by more than one goal, as Romania conceded fewer than a goal per game. Only Portugal (nine) kept more clean sheets than them in qualifying (six). Much of that owes to their structure, at their best in a compact 4-1-4-1 mid-block.

They quickly retreat into that shape from a high press — which they commit to more against inferior opposition — but keep a relatively high defensive line.

Romania ranked second of qualified nations for interceptions and third for tackles. The centre-backs jump aggressively on passes through midfield, while the full-backs and wide midfielders lock teams out wide.

In possession, Romania play for territory more than control. Expect to see wide combinations, especially between full-back, winger and a central midfielder, looking for third-man runs.

It’s funny how football works. Eric Dier has unexpectedly gone deep in the Champions League this season playing for Bayern Munich. That could have been Radu Dragusin. The Romanian turned down Bayern to join Tottenham Hotspur for £26million ($33m) over the winter, creating the opportunity for Dier to reunite with Harry Kane in Germany.

Opportunities for Dragusin at Tottenham, on the other hand, have been few and far between. He left a team that played a back three (Genoa) for one deploying a back four and joined as first-choice defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven returned from injury.

Dragusin has needed to learn patience, having clocked up just 429 Premier League minutes since moving to north London.

Still 22, Dragusin is raw and has a lot of room to improve, but he is a big personality and sets standards on the training ground. Giorgio Chiellini took him under his wing when he moved to Juventus as a teenager. The legendary Italian defender, who captained the Azzurri side that won the last Euros, saw his younger self in Dragusin and liked his mentality.

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The Radar – The Athletic’s Euro 2024 scouting guide

Despite being handed a favourable qualifying group, Romania were not considered favourites to progress.

But progress they did, and in some style. Romania did not lose any of their 10 games in Group I, which was made up of Switzerland, Israel, Belarus, Kosovo and Andorra.

Six wins and four draws against those opponents — including a flawless record of five home wins — saw them ease into Euro 2024 with matches to spare. 16 goals was not a particularly fruitful return in front of goal but it was at the other end where they were very impressive.

Romania conceded just five goals across their 10 games, only Portugal (0.2) and France (0.38) conceded fewer goals per game in qualifying.

To watch Feyenoord is to watch David Hancko. Arne Slot earned the Liverpool job after transforming the Rotterdam club into one of the most stylish teams in Europe and the Slovakian centre-back was key to their build-up play.

Hancko’s biggest strength is his variety. No player completed more passes in the Dutch Eredivisie last season (2,671), nearly 10 per cent more than the second-most. He also made the most progressive carries among centre-backs in the entire division, frequently the beneficiary of a rapid interchange to advance to halfway before he was trusted to play the line-breaking pass.

That is reflected in his smarterscout profile — which gives players a series of ratings from zero to 99 — where his carry and dribble volume (92 out of 99) is crucial to advancing his team up the field and getting the ball into dangerous areas (xG from ball progression, 91 out of 99).

Some of this is due to Feyenoord’s status as one of the Netherlands’ most ball-dominant sides, but it also speaks to his natural attacking instincts, developed as a wing-back in the youth academy of MSK Zilina. His hometown, Prievidza, was a centre for the Czechoslovakian resistance in the Second World War and also the home of former Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel, the team he grew up supporting.

GO FURTHER

The Radar – The Athletic’s Euro 2024 scouting guide

Goalkeepers: Florin Nita (Gaziantep), Horatiu Moldovan (Atletico Madrid), Stefan Tarnovanu (FCSB).

Defenders: Nicusor Bancu (Universitatea Craiova), Andrei Burca (Al Okhdood), Ionut Nedelcearu (Palermo), Adrian Rus (Pafos), Andrei Ratiu (Rayo Vallecano), Radu Dragusin (Tottenham), Vasile Mogos (CFR Cluj), Bogdan Racovitan (Rakow Czestochowa).

Midfielders: Nicolae Stanciu (Damac), Razvan Marin (Empoli), Alexandru Cicaldau (Konyaspor), Ianis Hagi (Alaves), Dennis Man (Parma), Valentin Mihaila (Parma), Marius Marin (Pisa), Darius Olaru (FCSB), Deian Sorescu (Gaziantep), Florinel Coman (FCSB), Adrian Sut (FCSB).

Forwards: George Puscas (Bari), Denis Alibec (Muaither), Denis Dragus (Gaziantep), Daniel Birligea (CFR Cluj).

Goalkeepers: Martin Dubravka (Newcastle United), Marek Rodak (Fulham), Henrik Ravas (New England).

Defenders: Peter Pekarik (Hertha Berlin), Norbert Gyomber (Salernitana), Denis Vavro (Copenhagen), Milan Skriniar (PSG), Adam Obert (Cagliari), David Hancko (Feyenoord), Vernon De Marco (Hatta), Sebastian Kosa (Spartak Trnava).

Midfielders: Matus Bero (Bochum), Juraj Kucka (Slovan Bratislava), Tomas Rigo (Banik), Patrik Hrosovsky (Genk), Stanislav Lobotka (Napoli), Ondrej Duda (Verona), Laszlo Benes (Hamburg).

Forwards: David Duris (Ascoli), Tomas Suslov (Verona), Ivan Schranz (Slavia Prague), Robert Bozenik (Boavista), David Strelec (Slovan Bratislava), Lubomir Tupta (Liberec), Leo Sauer (Feyenoord), Lukas Haraslin (Sparta Prague).

There will be two rest days between the end of the group stage and the start of the knockout stage. The Round of 16 begins on Saturday, June 29 with two matches.

Here is a full breakdown of the knockout-stage dates:

Unfortunately, we have had to say goodbye to five teams already.

Those teams are:

Hungary could still finish as one of the four best third-place teams; that will depend on today's results.

As a result of four third-place teams making it through, qualification is not as clear as at other tournaments, such as the World Cup or Copa America.

Although, we do already know 11 of the 16 teams that will play in the knockouts.

The top two teams in each of the six groups qualify automatically for the knockout stage.

Teams finishing first will face one of the group-stage runners up or a third-place team in the last 16. Those finishing second will face one of the group winners or another of the runners up in the last 16.

As there will be six each of group winners and runners up, it leaves four spots to be filled. And those will be taken by four of the six teams that finish third.

Of the six third-place teams, the four with the most points will advance to the last 16. In the event of a tie on points, the following factors will be used to determine which team advances:

For the first time in the history of the European Championship, four teams in the same group will begin the final round of fixtures all on the same number of points.

Belgium, Romania and Slovakia will all qualify if they avoid defeat and any side that wins their match will top the group if the other game is drawn or if they have already beaten the victor of that other match.

If both matches are drawn, then goal difference in all group matches will be used to separate the teams due to their head-to-head points totals being identical — that would send Romania and Belgium through as the top two (with top spot decided by goals scored), and Slovakia would also advance as one of the best third-placed sides. Ukraine would be eliminated in this situation.

In the United Kingdom, Slovakia vs Romania will be available to watch live on BBC 2 and BBC iPlayer.

In the United States you can catch the action on FS1.

The match starts at 6pm in Germany.

That’s 5pm BST, midday EDT and 9am PDT.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of today’s European Championship match between Slovakia and Romania.

Today’s game will take place at the Waldstadion in Frankfurt, getting underway at 6pm local time. Stick with us before then for all the latest news ahead of minute-by-minute reporting.