UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifying: Group H – Slovenia vs Northern Ireland

Slovenia meet Northern Ireland at Stozice Stadium, Ljubljana, in Qualifying Group H for UEFA Euro 2024. 

With Finland and Kazakhstan both playing each other elsewhere, victory could see Slovenia climb to second if Denmark slip up at home to San Marino.

Northern Ireland meanwhile will stay fifth no matter what but can move to within a point of their hosts with a win.

 

Team News

Miha Zajc is Slovenia’s only absentee with an unspecified injury.

Northern Ireland could be without defender, Daniel Ballard after he arrived to camp with an ankle injury.

Gavin Whyte, Shayne Lavery (both hamstring) and Dale Taylor (calf) are ruled out.

 

When is Kick-Off?

Slovenia meet Northern Ireland in Qualifying Group H at Stozice Stadium, Ljubljana, on Thursday 7 September at 8:45pm CET (7:45pm UK Time).

 

Stat Attack

• Slovenia are winless in two previous UEFA Euro qualifiers against Northern Ireland (D1, L1).
• Northern Ireland won their only previous UEFA Euro qualifier away against Slovenia (W1), as they prevailed 1-0 in Maribor in September 2010.
• Slovenia are yet to score against Northern Ireland in an UEFA Euro qualifier.
• Slovenia have kept just one clean sheet in this UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, which came in a 2-0 win against San Marino in March.
• Northern Ireland have lost their last three matches by 1-0 results.

 

Prediction

Having endured a shaky pair of qualifiers in June against Finland and Denmark respectively, Slovenia certainly will look to return to winning ways here if can continue to find their scoring boots – which has served them well in three of their four qualifiers so far.

Northern Ireland meanwhile know that this match is realistically must-win if they want to put themselves back into the qualification mix, although they have been unlucky to not at least snatched one point from their last three games.

Players like Jamal Lewis, Shane Ferguson and Lavery however are huge misses in this Northern Ireland squad, but they’ve played well nevertheless although tighter defending and a sharper end product is needed here.

I however just don’t see that happening given Slovenia’s form and Northern Ireland’s firepower issues, but it should be close no matter the outcome.

Prediction: Slovenia 1-0 Northern Ireland

Result: Slovenia 4-2 Northern Ireland