Under-21 Group B: Slovenia vs Czechia facts

The DAC Aréna in Dunajská Streda stages Slovenia's meeting with Czechia in the final round of games in UEFA European Under-21 Championship Group B.

Slovenia have one point having ended holders' England's eight-match finals winning streak with a goalless draw on Matchday 2. They had been beaten 3-0 by Germany in their first game, the side who overcame Czechia 4-2 last time out; the Czechs had gone down 1-3 against England on Matchday 1.

Previous European U21 Championship meetings

Matches 3
Slovenia wins 0
Czechia wins 1
Draws 2
Slovenia goals 2
Czechia goals 3

The teams' three previous competitive meetings all came in 2021.

Czechia needed an 86th-minute own goal from Nik Prelec to rescue a 1-1 draw against co-hosts Slovenia on Matchday 2 of Group B on 27 March 2021; Aljoša Matko's first-half goal at the Stadion Celje was therefore only enough to give Slovenia their first-ever finals point.

The sides were also paired in the 2023 qualifying competition, an 89th-minute goal by Czechia's Martin Vitík giving the home team a 1-0 win on 2 September 2021 before Tomáš Čvančara's equaliser earned a 1-1 draw in Slovenia on16 November, David Zec having put the home team in front.

Czechia have won the teams' last three friendlies – 3-1 in August 2000, 2-0 in February 2007 and 1-0 in June 2013 – with Slovenia claiming their only victory in the first, a 1-0 success in April 1998.

Form guide

Slovenia

This is the first time Slovenia have got through qualifying having played in the 2021 finals as co-hosts.

Four years ago a team coached by Milenko Ačimovič finished bottom of Group B behind Spain, Italy and Czechia, collecting one point from their three games (D1 L2), scoring one goal and conceding eight.

Third in their 2023 qualifying section behind England and Czechia, this time round Slovenia reached the finals as Group H winners, recording five victories in eight games (D2 L1) to finish a point ahead of France.

Tio Cipot was Slovenia's top scorer in qualifying with six goals.

In charge since 2020, Aćimović became Slovenia's director of national teams after qualifying had been completed; Andrej Razdrh, one of his assistants, was named as his replacement with the U21 side on 11 February.

Czechia

This is Czechia's tenth final tournament appearance, and a fifth in six editions of the competition. Semi-finalists in 2011 and runners-up in 2000, they were champions in 2002, beating France on penalties in the final with a team including Petr Čech, Zdeněk Grygera, Tomáš Hübschman and Milan Baroš.

In addition, Czechoslovakia were losing quarter-finalists on six occasions.

Czechia's last four finals appearances have all ended in the group stage, Jan Suchopárek's side finishing third in Group C at the 2023 tournament behind eventual champions England and Israel but ahead of Germany, who they had beaten 2-1 on Matchday 2.

That is Czechia's only victory in nine finals matches (D2 L6).

Suchopárek's team were second in Group I behind Denmark in qualifying for these finals, picking up 14 points from their eight games (W4 D2 L2) before being Belgium 3-1 in a two-legged play-off (2-0 a, 1-1 h).

Václav Sejk was Czechia's top scorer in qualifying on four goals.

Links and trivia

Cipot scored the only goal as Grazer AK beat Kryštof Daněk's LASK 1-0 at home in the Austrian Bundesliga on 17 May.

Daněk and Erik Kojzek had scored for LASK and Wolfsberg respectively in the shoot-out in the Austrian Cup semi-finals on 2 April; Wolfsberg went through 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.