Slovenia will face San Marino on Sunday, trying to close the gap with Finland and Denmark after thrashing Northern Ireland in their last game.
Key Takeaways
- In group stage, San Marino has lost all its games so far
- Denmark and Slovenia are tied for second place with points
- In the past four games against San Marino, Slovenia has won all four
The gap between Slovenia and Denmark has closed down to just goal difference. Slovenia will look forward to slipping past Denmark in the points table when San Marino comes up next. With Kazakhstan and toppers separated by just three points, the points tally is very tight at the moment.
San Marino Form
San Marino began qualifying as the lowest ranked team in the group, and their performance has proved it. They have lost all games and are unable to cope up with the quality of teams from the group. In this campaign, they have conceded 17 goals and failed to score one, which is enough to show their struggles.
Slovenia already defeated them 2-0 in March. However, things have changed and Slovenia will be looking to win by a big margin to narrow the gap between themselves and Denmark.
Slovenia Form
With a 4-2 victory over Northern Ireland in the last match, Slovenia has kept their hopes alive. With a big win against San Marino, they stand a chance of surpassing Denmark in the standings.
This clash is a favourite for Slovenia but they need to keep their heads down. Slovenia has been guilty of getting carried away and they cannot afford that at this point. They are tied with Denmark with 10 points on the points table. With the crunch situation on the points table, every single result will affect their position.
Head-to-Head
San Marino and Slovenia have met four times in recent years, and all games have gone Slovenia's way.
Team News
The Slovenians are likely to make no changes to the winning side and will go all out for a win. However, Jan Mlakar is questionable for this match after suffering an injury in the last match.
The San Marino camp does not have any injury concerns.
Key Players
In the last game, Andraz Gnezda stood out as Slovenia's star player. He scored two goals and contributed to the buildup. He's also Slovenia's top scorer in the qualifiers and is an integral part of the Slovenian team. As a striker, he is very hardworking and always has a big impact regardless of whether he scores or not.
It has been a disappointment for San Marino so far this season as they haven't scored any goals. While there hasn't been much spark in the attack, the defence has shown some promise. One of them is Michele Cevoli. He is tall and very good on his feet. Cevoli will be a player to watch out for in this game.
Final Thoughts
For Slovenia to fall past Denmark in the points table, they need to win by a big margin, adding a bit of spice to this match. Despite not scoring a goal in the campaign, San Marino will look to put on a spirited performance and at least score a goal at home.
European Championship Qualification