England vs Slovenia predictions: Under-fire Three Lions can advance
- England’s last six group stage matches at the Euros have all featured less than three goals
- Slovenia have played five matches at Euros finals and are still looking for their first win
- Recommended bet: England to win 2-0
England were heavily criticised after their 1-1 draw with Denmark but they remain top of Group C and will advance in first place if they can defeat Slovenia in Cologne.
Gareth Southgate’s side arrived in Germany with high expectations but they laboured to a 1-0 success over Serbia and were second best for large parts of their draw with the Danes.
Slovenia have two less points than England after picking up 1-1 draws against Denmark and Serbia.
They have competed well in both matches but were gutted to concede a 95th minute equaliser against the Serbs last Thursday.
Matjaz Kek’s side require a victory over England to be sure of advancement to the knockout rounds.
Team news
Luke Shaw has returned to full training but may have to wait a little longer for his first start of the tournament.
Southgate is pondering changes after the 1-1 draw against Denmark and could make an adjustment in midfield with Trent Alexander-Arnold expected to lose his place.
Slovenian trio Jan Oblak, Timi Elsnik and Adam Gnezda Cerin have been carrying minor injuries and will need to be assessed.
Benjamin Sesko (muscle cramps) has trained normally and should feature in attack alongside Andraz Sporar.
The stats
England’s last six group stage matches at the European Championship have all featured less than three goals.
The Three Lions are unbeaten in 10 competitive games since losing 2-1 to France at the 2022 World Cup.
Slovenia have drawn 1-1 in each of their last three matches.
They have played five matches at European Championship finals and not won any of them.
Prediction
England have struggled to live up to expectations in the early stages of Euro 2024 but they can breeze through to the round of 16 by defeating Slovenia in Cologne.
Pressure has been mounting on Southgate due to the lack of fluency and intensity in England’s performances.
But four points from two games is a reasonable return and it means England need just one more victory to finish top of the section and ensure they move into the softer bottom half of the draw.
The Three Lions have been defending reasonably well and a clean sheet looks achievable against the Slovenians, who may already have played their best football.
Slovenia players looked devastated after the concession of an injury-time equaliser against Serbia and they may struggle to find the right response in their toughest game of the group.
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