Following a month of domestic action across the continent to kickstart the new season, it’s time for the first international break of the campaign. It’s full steam ahead to UEFA Euro 2024 next summer but until then, we have to figure out who will be there. Today, we’ll be taking a look at this week’s qualifier between San Marino and Slovenia.
San Marino Form GuideSan Marino are often looked upon as the ‘second team’ for a lot of international football fans - largely because they aren’t very big, and they aren’t very good. They are taken to the cleaners pretty frequently and yet, despite that, they still maintain a strong spirit. They’re unlikely to qualify in the near future, but who knows, perhaps a surprise could be on the horizon.
You may not be entirely surprised to learn that San Marino have lost all five of their qualifying games up to this point, and there’s nothing to suggest that record will change. They’ve been beaten by Northern Ireland, Slovenia, Kazakhstan, Finland and Denmark, conceding 17 goals.
Slovenia Form GuideWhile they may have qualified twice for the World Cup as an independent nation, Slovenia have only appeared at the Euros once - all the way back in 2000, and they didn’t even win a game. The strange part is that they always seem to come agonisingly close to getting over the finish line and this time around, they’ll have as much motivation as ever to go the extra mile.
After a solid 2-1 win over Kazakhstan, Slovenia beat San Marino 2-0 to put themselves in a really nice spot. They proceeded to slip up in a 2-0 loss to Finland but since then, they’ve rebounded nicely win a draw against Denmark and a 4-2 win over Northern Ireland.
Match PredictionWill San Marino get a goal? Nobody really knows, but we certainly hope they can. Slovenia are the ones who will dictate the pace and come forward every chance they get, but you never know when it could be your night. In terms of a prediction, we’re going to go for over 2.5 goals scored.