Slovakia, Russia and Ireland all sit on six points in Group B, with Slovakia on top due to their win in Moscow. After that surprise loss, and a lackluster win against Andorra, many started to wonder if Russia, who had been tipped to finish top, would play themselves out of the competition. But the win against Ireland in Dublin brought them back into the fold, and their fluid attacking style showed that Russia are still the team to beat in this group. Meanwhile, Armenia’s 3-1 victory over Slovakia and Macedonia’s 0-2 win away at Andorra gave them both four points and hope, albeit slim, to move on to the tournament proper.
Euro 2012 Qualifying Preview, Group B: Slovakia Seek Win Against Ireland While Russia Want An Easy Victory Over Macedonia
Matches:
Armenia v Andorra, 11 a.m. ET: Andorra, still without a point and with just one goal scored in three matches, hope to find a win against a home side missing four players: Karlen Mkrtchyan is suspended while Davit Manoyan, Edgar Malakyan and Agvan Mkrtchyan are all injured. However, Yura Movsisyan, who opened the goal scoring, will be healthy and available, and Armenia should have a fairly easy time finding three more points.
Slovakia v Republic of Ireland, 2:30 p.m. ET: The repre will attempt to keep their dominance against an Ireland team that also struggled in the past round. This match will be marked not by presence but by absence. Slovakia defender Martin Škrtel earned himself a yellow card that rules him out of Tuesday’s match, while Miroslav Stoch, the goal scorer on Friday, picked up an injury that could see him on the sidelines. The team is still missing forward Robert Vittek, and hoping Stanislav Sestak will be healthy enough to start. Ireland picked up just one injury, but it’s significant: a knee injury sent Kevin Doyle, in good form for both Wolves and his country, hobbling to the sidelines toward the end of the Russia match.
FYR Macedonia v Russia, 2:30 p.m. ET: This match looks to be an easy one for the country that believes it should be at the top of Group B. Macedonia’s points come from a win over Andorra and a draw with Armenia—nothing much to boast about. The home side are suffering injuries to captain Goran Pandev, midfielder Darko Tasevski and defender Goran Popov, although Aleksandar Lazevski will return for this match. Russia, on the other hand, are fully fit and ready for another win. Dick Advocaat’s side will likely use the same clever attacking style demonstrated against Ireland to easily cut through Macedonia’s defense.
Predictions:
Armenia v Andorra: 3-0
Slovakia v Ireland: 2-3
FYROM v Russia: 1-3
I see poetry in three threes.
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