Preview: Slovakia vs Montenegro - prediction, team news, lineups

Building towards a new UEFA Nations League campaign, Slovakia and Montenegro are set to meet for an international friendly on Friday evening.

Both nations won their first June fixture earlier this week, and they will now sign off for the season with a clash in Kosice.

Match preview

After finishing second behind Germany in Group A, Slovakia fell short of reaching the upcoming World Cup, losing to Kosovo in the UEFA playoff semi-finals.

Francesco Calzona's four-year stint as head coach soon came to an end, with Vladimir Weiss subsequently returning for his second spell in charge.

So, Weiss must now prepare to contest a Nations League group also featuring Moldova, Kazakhstan and the Faroe Islands, from which Slovakia will expect to earn promotion.

In the first of two summer friendlies, the Falcons hosted Malta on Monday, only winning 2-1 thanks to Roland Galcik's stoppage-time strike on his senior debut.

More fresh blood could be given a chance as Slovakia play their final fixture of the 2025-26 season, welcoming visitors ranked 33 places below them by FIFA.

Montenegro have yet to beat Friday's opponents since gaining independence back in 2006, drawing and losing two previous friendlies.

Like their hosts, the Balkan nation are using this month's camp to build momentum ahead of a Nations League campaign that will kick off at the end of September.

Pitted against Armenia, Latvia and Cyprus, they will hope to challenge for promotion to League B over the coming months.

Montenegro's World Cup qualifying campaign also ended in disappointment - with a fourth-placed finish in Group L - despite the late arrival of new coach Mirko Vucinic.

The former Lecce, Roma, and Juventus striker - who made over 300 appearances in Serie A - had never previously managed at senior level, but he has posted four wins from seven games so far.

On Monday night, his side beat Bulgaria 1-0 in Plovdiv, thanks to a Balsa Sekulic goal midway through the second half.

Slovakia form (all competitions):

W W L L W W

Montenegro form (all competitions):

W W L W L W

Team News

Slovakia named a relatively strong starting lineup on Monday, when Middlesbrough striker David Strelec led the line, but several senior players are currently unavailable.

Captain Milan Skriniar and playmaker Stanislav Lobotka were both ruled out by injury, joining Leo Sauer and David Duris on the sidelines, while goalkeepers Martin Dubravka and Dominik Greif also missed out.

So, several newcomers could feature in Friday's friendly, when Montenegro are also likely to experiment.

Atalanta forward Nikola Krstovic and veteran defender Stefan Savic both withdrew from the visitors' initial 28-man squad due to fitness issues.

Now seeking a new club, long-serving captain Stevan Jovetic was also omitted, as Vucinic looks towards the future.

With that in mind, teenage Lens midfielder Andrija Bulatovic and 19-year-old striker Andrej Kostic are two rising stars vying to start in Kosice.

Slovakia possible starting lineup:

Takac; Pavek, Valjent, Satka, Obert; Duda, Bero, Benes; Suslov, Bozenik, Haraslin

Montenegro possible starting lineup:

Petkovic; Roganovic, Vujacic, Rubezic, Raznatovic; Brnovic, Vukotic, Bulatovic, Camaj; Kostic, Osmajic

We say: Slovakia 3-1 Montenegro

The home side may be missing key men, but they can still field a talented attack - the Falcons memorably downed mighty Germany in a World Cup qualifier last September.

While they kept a rare clean sheet on Monday, Montenegro tend to concede goals too easily and can be caught out at the back.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.