Slovakia will move ahead with preparations for the European Championships this summer by facing the world champions, Germany, on Sunday.
Fresh off a comfortable 3-1 win over Georgia in the week, Slovakia will have their hands full against one of the favourites to win the Euros, but the strength of the opponent should help prepare them for the tournament.
Team News
Slovakia: In their first friendly win, Slovakia were without their captain, Martin Skrtel, and vice-captain Marek Hamsik. Both are expected to be key players this summer if their country is to progress and should be involved against Germany on Sunday.
There are no injury concerns for Jan Kozak's side but the starting lineup should be considerably stronger than the team that were victorious on Friday. Adam Nemec scored a brace against Georgia and will need to pitch in with the goals for Slovakia on Sunday and this summer.
Projected XI: Mucha; Tesak, Skrtel, Salata, Gyomber; Kucka, Hamsik, Zrelak; Stoch, Nemec, Weiss.
Germany: The world champions will face their first test in preparing for Euro 2016 but are expected to experiment with youth on Sunday. There have been murmurs that young stars Joshua Kimmich, Julian Weigl and Leroy Sane are all in line for making their international debut.
Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mats Hummels are recovering from injuries, with the former still a doubt for the tournament. Sami Khedira and Mario Götze may be given a start as they lack match fitness. World Cup winners Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller and Mesut Özil are all expected to be rested for Sunday's match, with their coach knowing what he can expect from them. Toni Kroos is unavailable as he is with Real Madrid for the Champions League Final.
Projected XI: Leno; Hector, Rüdiger, Boateng, Mustafi; Weigl, Can, Kimmich; Sane, Brandt, Draxler.
Key Points
- The youth for Germany are some of the best in the world and with Joachim Löw expected to experiment with his side, the young players should impress against Slovakia.
- Marek Hamsik is expected to return to the side and as Slovakia's best player and talisman, he'll be the biggest threat to Germany's back four.
- Germany have beaten Slovakia in their previous two meetings, winning 2-1 in 2007 and 4-1 in 2006.
- Slovakia have not beaten Germany since 2005 and have beaten them just twice in seven meetings.
Players to Watch
Slovakia - Marek Hamsik: The Napoli man is far and away his country's best player and can cause problems for any defence, which makes him a key player in Sunday's friendly. Hamsik was his team's top scorer in European Qualifying with five goals.
Germany - Leroy Sane: The highly-rated winger is being pursued by clubs all over Europe and with good reason. If given his debut on Sunday, expect Sane's pace and movement to cause trouble for a weak Slovakia backline.