Slovakia square off against Cyprus on Wednesday evening as they look to take the first step to securing World Cup qualification for the second time in their history.
While they have been drawn in a favourable group, Stefan Tarkovic's men will be wary of a Cyprus side who have performed well on home territory in the past.
Match preview
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Ahead of their appearance at Euro 2020, Slovakia will be using the next three matches to assess the development of this squad.
However, Tarkovic is also aware of the importance of claiming a top-two spot in Group H as the nation bids to reach its fourth major tournament since 2010.
Having finished bottom of their UEFA Nations League group, Slovakia cannot claim to be in the best of form, but they posted wins over Northern Ireland and Scotland in November.
That would have been enough to show Tarkovic that his team can make an impact during their fixtures against Poland, Sweden and Spain in the summer.
While the absence of star man Marek Hamsik is a blow, it could prove to be a blessing in disguise with alternatives eventually being required for the 33-year-old in the future.
Like the visitors, Cyprus endured a dismal time in the UEFA Nations League, claiming just one win from games against Montenegro, Luxembourg and Azerbaijan.
Although a 2-1 triumph over Luxembourg in November was a step in the right direction, nine defeats have been recorded in 11 outings.
Nikos Kostenoglou was appointed as the national team's new boss last month, but an opening triple-header against Slovakia, Croatia and Slovenia is less than ideal for the former AEK Athens man.
Cyprus prevailed in the last meeting between the two sides, edging to a 3-2 victory in a friendly back in 2009.
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Team News
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Martin Dubravka is expected to start for Slovakia with Marek Rodak absent through injury, while Jan Gregus could take the place of Hamsik.
As a result of Norbert Gyomber not being named in the squad, David Hancko is an option in the middle of the backline.
On the back of a 4-0 reverse in Montenegro, Kostenoglou could opt to make several changes to the Cyprus starting lineup.
Paris Psaltis may be handed a debut at right-back, while the experienced Pieros Sotiriou should be recalled in attack.
Cyprus possible starting lineup:
Demetriou; Psaltis, Shelis, Laifis, T.Ioannou; Pittas, Artymatas, Kousoulos, N.Ioannou; Kastanos; Sotiriou
Slovakia possible starting lineup:
Dubravka; Pekarik, Hancko, Skriniar, Hubocan; Kucka, Lobotka, Gregus; Rusnak, Duris, Mak
We say: Cyprus 0-2 Slovakia
Despite having little chance of qualification, Cyprus will fancy their chances of earning at least a share of the spoils on Wednesday evening. However, we are backing the visitors to produce an efficient performance, one which should secure all three points.
Darren Plant
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Cyprus win with a probability of 37.56%. A win for Slovakia had a probability of 35.63% and a draw had a probability of 26.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Cyprus win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.24%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.19%) and 2-0 (6.58%). The likeliest Slovakia win was 0-1 (9.92%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.74%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with a 8% likelihood.
