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

Germany begin their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign with a trip to Tehelne Pole in Bratislava to face Slovakia on Thursday evening.

Julian Nagelsmann’s side and Francesco Calzona’s men are joined in Group A by Northern Ireland and Luxembourg.

Match preview

Germany are preparing for their first international fixture since falling short in the UEFA Nations League held on home soil in June, with a 2-1 semi-final defeat to eventual champions Portugal followed by a 2-0 loss to France in the third-place playoff.

Ranked ninth in world by FIFA, Die Mannschaft have won just 12 games out of 23 games (D6 L5) in all competitions (including friendlies) since the arrival of head coach Nagelsmann in September 2023, and improvements in defence will be one of the 38-year-old’s top priorities.

Indeed, Germany have kept only five clean sheets across their last 16 internationals and have conceded at least two goals in all four of their matches in 2025, a record that the four-time world champions will need to change if they wish to make waves on the global stage in the near future.

Germany will be regarded as firm favourites to progress from Group A in World Cup qualifying; they are already assured of at least a playoff spot based on their Nations League ranking, but finishing top of their group would secure automatic qualification for the 2026 tournament held in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Die Mannschaft head into Thursday’s opening contest having won each of their last seven World Cup qualifiers, as well as three of their last five meetings with Slovakia, including their last visit to Bratislava back in October 2006 when they won a European Championship qualifier by a 4-1 scoreline.

Slovakia head coach Francesco Calzona is tasked with turning the nation’s fortunes around and ending their four-game winless run in 2025, which began with a painful extra-time defeat in the UEFA Nations League playoffs.

After accumulating 13 points across six matches in League C Group 3 in 2024, Slovakia missed the opportunity to secure promotion in March of this year, as they were beaten 1-0 on aggregate by Slovenia, with a 95th-minute strike enough to settle the contest.

The Falcons have since slipped to 52nd in the FIFA World Rankings after losing back-to-back friendlies against Greece and Israel in June, with a 4-1 away defeat to the former followed three days later by a narrow 1-0 loss to the latter in Hungary.

Slovakia have only ever qualified for one World Cup as an independent nation - the 2010 tournament in South Africa - but they will back themselves to qualify for next year’s 48-team tournament as they are the second-highest ranked nation in Group A, ahead of Northern Ireland and Luxembourg.

Calzona’s side - who recorded three wins, five draws and two defeats across 10 qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup - will enter Thursday’s fixture against Germany as underdogs, but an upset cannot be entirely written off, considering that they have prevailed in two of their last five meetings - a 2-0 home win in September 2005 and a 3-1 away triumph in May 2016 (both friendlies).

Slovakia form (all competitions):

L W D W L L

Germany form (all competitions):

W D W D L L

Team News

Slovakia’s Lukas Haraslin has been forced to withdraw from the national team squad due to a groin injury, while Wolfsburg defender Denis Vavro is also sidelined after undergoing adductor surgery last month.

Samuel Kozlovsky and Dominik Javorcek are two more players ruled out through injury, while Ivan Schranz and Laszlo Benes are both doubtful with stomach problems and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.

After experimenting with a back three in the friendly loss to Israel, Calzona is expected to revert to a familiar 4-3-3 system on Thursday, with 38-year-old free agent Peter Pekarik hoping to earn his 136th cap at right-back, while Napoli’s Stanislav Lobotka, VfL Bochum’s Matus Bero and Stoke City’s Robert Bozenik could also feature in the first XI.

As for Germany, Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Nico Schlotterbeck, Niklas Sule, Benjamin Henrichs, Tim Kleindienst and Tom Bischof are all unavailable due to injury, while Nathaniel Brown, Max Rosenfelder and Nicolas Kuhn, who were all considered for a first senior call-up, are also sidelined through injury.

Eintracht Frankfurt defender Nnamdi Collins and Mainz 05 midfielder Paul Nebel are both in contention to make their debuts after receiving their first call-ups, while Antonio Rudiger is one of four players - along with Angelo Stiller, Jamie Leweling and Nadiem Amiri - who has returned to the senior setup, and the Real Madrid centre-back could be handed a start alongside Jonathan Tah.

Liverpool’s big-money signing Florian Wirtz is yet to contribute to a goal at his new club, but the playmaker is in contention to start in the number 10 role against Slovakia, while Newcastle United’s club-record signing Nick Woltemade - who scored six goals in five games at the European Under-21 Championship this summer - is in line to earn his third senior cap up front ahead of Niclas Fullkrug.

Slovakia possible starting lineup:

Dubravka; Pekarik, Skriniar, Gyomber, Hancko; Duda, Lobotka, Bero; Schranz, Bozenik, Duris

Germany possible starting lineup:

Baumann; Kimmich, Tah, Rudiger, Raum; Goretzka, Stiller; Adeyemi, Wirtz, Gnabry; Woltemade

We say: Slovakia 1-3 Germany

Considering that both nations have looked vulnerable in defence for some time, it would not come as too much of a surprise to see the back of the net ripple at both ends of the pitch in Thursday’s contest. However, firm favourites Germany should ultimately have enough quality in their side to outscore their opponents en route to claiming maximum points.

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