VIDEO Hats off: Calzona has shown great hospitality by taking this step! – Športky.sk

Slovakian under-21 national football team coach Jaroslav Kentoš Source: TASR/Pavol Zachar BRATISLAVA – Slovakia’s under-21 national team faces a challenging opponent in the play-off for promotion to the European Championships. At the end of September, Jaroslav Kentoš’s men will meet in a double match with their peers from Ukraine, who are undefeated after the previous seven duels. “We are facing a very good opponent, but he also has weaknesses that we want to exploit. We will concentrate mainly on our game. I believe that we will fight for advancement even though Ukraine is one of the better ones in the playoff eight,” Kentoš said at Tuesday’s press conference conference in Bratislava. One newcomer will also be added to the lineup – Dominik Veselovský from Dunajská Streda. “He particularly impressed with his performances. Young players do not have a consistent form, he was given priority over, for example, Seb Nebyl, who is not playing at the moment,” said Kentoš, referring to the midfielder. Progress with Suslov and Strelac New coach “A” Francesco Calzona released Tomáš Suslov and David Strelac for meetings in Žilina and the Polish city of Bielsko-Biala. The Italian coach took this step despite his team’s schedule, which includes the final two matches of the Nations League against Azerbaijan and Belarus. The previous national team captain Štefan Tarkovič was not very inclined to release the Dutch Groningen midfielder. “I was pleased, after yesterday’s Calzona press conference I was also in contact with Tomáš. He is in a good mood,” said Kentoš. After a less successful last season, the striker is starting to catch on in the Italian Spezia – in the meeting against Sassuolo (2:2), coach Luca Gotti put him in the starting line-up. However, the young attacker was recently slowed down by the coronavirus. It is only under pressure that the quality of the “Twenty-One” team is on the verge of a third promotion to the European Championship in the era of independence and can repeat the summer success of the under-19 national team. She secured a place for next year’s world championship “twenties” at the domestic EC. Ukraine showed that it can face such opponents as France, with which it drew 3:3 in the qualifying group H. Kentoš takes it as a test: “Only under pressure does quality show. We have a path that must lead us to that result. This is the most important.” His team will face Ukraine in the first match on September 23 in Žilina. The rematch will be played four days later in Poland, where the Ukrainians have found a temporary home. The coach sees a small disadvantage of his opponent, who will miss a real home ground, but adds that this factor has a minimal impact on the Eastern European team. “I think it will play a minimal role. They have been operating outside of Ukraine for a long time, and even if it is difficult there, it will minimally harm them from a sporting point of view,” Kentoš added. Photo gallery for the article Number of photos: 5 Author: © Video list: TASR/Pavol Zachar; Facebook/Slovak Football Association Source: TASR