Familiar Slovakia trip for Ireland

Pooled together for the second set of UEFA European Championship qualifiers in succession, Slovakia and the Republic of Ireland will be meeting for a third time when they lock horns in Group B.

Match background
• Slovakia's record in two games against the Republic of Ireland reads W0 D1 L1 (W0 D1 L0 at home).

• The Republic of Ireland also contested 12 matches against Czechoslovakia before its dissolution, with their record reading W4 D1 L7 (W1 D1 L4 away from home). One of those encounters was staged in Bratislava, the Slovakian capital, and produced a 4-0 UEFA European Championship qualifying win for the hosts on 10 May 1959.

• Slovakia first met Ireland as an independent nation in Dublin on 28 March 2007, when Kevin Doyle's early goal handed them a 1-0 UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying defeat.

• The return fixture ended 2-2, Marek Čech firing the equaliser in added time after Doyle had restored the visitors' lead following a Maroš Klimpl strike that cancelled out Stephen Ireland's opener.

• Club sides from the two nations met in the 1996/97 UEFA Cup preliminary round, with ŠK Slovan Bratislava beating Dublin's Saint Patrick's Athletic FC 4-3 away and 1-0 at home.