Francesco Calzona before the match Montenegro – Slovakia
yesterday at 20:00
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of the Slovak football team, Francesco Calzona warned against the strength of Montenegro at home, and I consider the fact that the Balkans know each other well and have been playing under the same coach for some time to be a positive result in their match on Thursday.
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“The Montenegrins have a very good team and can be dangerous on the field. They are older and have been playing together for a long time, and they have been under the same coach for two years.” said the Italian helmsman at Thursday’s press conference in Podgorica.
The best gunner of the highest Slovak competition, Nikola Krstovič (DAC Dunajská Streda), will also play against his charges. However, the coach does not consider this player to be the driver of domestic law: “Honestly speaking, I don’t normally follow many Montenegrin players. Now we have followed them, but I don’t register Krstovic very much. I would rather mention Adam Marušić, for example.”
ONDREJ DUDA: There is not much time
He came to the national team bench in September, as the team played two matches of the League of Nations against Azerbaijan (1:2) and Belarus (1:1). The November clash is a chance for players to try out the new game system and slowly prepare for the spring qualification for EURO 2024.
“I think we are well prepared. We take every match equally seriously. Preparatory as well as competitive. We didn’t meet until the spring and that was probably difficult. There isn’t much time,” said midfielder Ondrej Duda. According to the Bundesliga player Kolín, Slovakia’s prospects are favorable, but at the same time he realizes that it is possible to surprise: “Maybe we achieved a good result already tomorrow. The youngsters also caught on well. But this is Balkan football, it’s different and we have to be really well prepared in every aspect.”
The lineup for Thursday’s meeting should be similar to September. Calzona also announced the deployment of new recruits, of whom there are currently five. “More or less the same players will play and they will be supplemented by newcomers. The selection is difficult, everyone is trying, and I still have my doubts.” Calzona added.
The Slovaks will play their first meeting in the November match against Montenegro on Thursday at 18:00 in Podgorica. The match against Chile, which will be a farewell for long-time captain Marek Hamšík, is scheduled for Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at Tehelno polí in Bratislava.