Slovenia and Sweden begin their UEFA Nations League campaign with a Group B4 clash on Thursday. The Swedes are poor travellers and are likely to find things difficult in Slovenia, who tend to do some of their best work at home.
It has been a long time since Slovenia featured in any major international competition but their football has been on the rise. They were promoted to League B after finishing top of Group C3 following an unbeaten campaign in the previous edition of the Nations League.
The last international outing for Slovenia was a 0-0 draw with 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar back in March. That result means Matjaz Kek’s men have only suffered one defeat in their last six matches across all competitions.
Home form is often pivotal for Slovenia, who have lost just once in their last nine matches in front of their fans. They have claimed six wins in that run, including victories over top sides like Croatia.
While Slovenia have been on the rise, Sweden appear to be on the decline. They failed to qualify for this year’s World Cup in Qatar and were relegated from League A in the UEFA Nations League after finishing bottom of their group.
Sweden’s only win in their last four matches was a 1-0 extra-time victory over Czech Republic in a World Cup qualifying fixture back in March. They were beaten in the other three fixtures, including a 2-0 defeat to Poland in the FIFA World Cup playoffs.
Sweden have been poor on the road and have lost their last four away matches. Janne Andersson’s men have also struggled for goals on the road lately, finding the net just once in that run.
How the bookies view it
Sweden have the edge among the bookies and are priced at 15/11 by SBK to claim the win. A victory for Slovenia is valued at 12/5 by SBK while a draw is set at odds of 11/5 with Unibet.
Head to head
Sweden are unbeaten in the two previous matches against Slovenia, claiming a win and a draw. The most recent meeting between both teams was a 0-0 scoreline in a friendly back in 2016.
Players to watch
Jan Oblak is considered one of the best goalkeepers in Europe at the moment and often plays a vital role for Slovenia. Given Sweden's attacking problems on the road, the Atletico Madrid stopper can lead the hosts to a clean sheet at 9/4 with BoyleSports.
Given their attacking problems away from home, Sweden are likely to prioritise defensive solidity on Thursday. Viktor Lindelof is expected to start at the heart of the defence and will be keen to help the Swedes to a clean sheet at 13/8 with Paddy Power.
Anything else catch the eye?
There were no goals in the last meeting between Slovenia and Sweden and with neither team particularly prolific lately, BTTS NO could be considered at 4/5 with BetVictor. Under 2.5 goals could also be on the cards 4/7 with BoyleSports.
Given Sweden’s poor record on the road, Slovenia are likely to come out on top on Thursday and could be backed to earn a win to nil at 9/2 with bet365.
This UEFA Nations League match between Slovenia and Sweden will be played on Jun 2, 2022 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Slovenia vs Sweden prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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My money on sloven clean sheat