Slovenia vs Russia: Another trip to Maribor will bring the Russians only frustration

The Russian national team returns to Maribor 12 years after their big loss in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification. Will the Slovenians be able to upset the Russians again? Our prediction: Matjaž Kek's team will be closer to success!

The Slovenia national team last played in a major international tournament in 2010 when they managed to beat the Russian team in the World Cup qualifier, but in the final part of the world championship, they took only 3rd place in the group and did not reach the knock-out round. Since then, the Balkans experienced a serious crisis, but gradually they have become a serious force again. In the last UEFA Nations League, they won the group stage in the C division, and in the 2022 World Cup qualification they are the only team capable of moving the Russians from 2nd place in the standings. In the last round, Matjaž Kek's team defeated Malta 4-0, reducing the gap to six points.

The Russian national team experienced a change of head coach after the unsuccessful performance at Euro 2020. Valeri Karpin, who has already played four matches in his new position, was appointed as the new head coach. After the September games his work seemed ambiguous, as his team managed to share points with Croatia (0-0), and then defeated Cyprus and Malta with the same score of 2-0, the first match in October sparked real criticism. The Russians scored three points against Slovakia in a 1-0 win, but Slovakia's defender Milan Skriniar cut the only own goal, after which Valeri’s squad went on the defensive and looked very weak, despite retaining 2ns place in the Group H table.

The teams have played each other 6 times, the minimum advantage on the side of the Russians with 3 wins, while the Slovenians celebrated victory twice, and one more game ended in a draw. The goal difference also favors the visitors (9-7). The last time the rivals met was in the current qualification when the players of the Russian teams won 2-1.

The Russian national team has already met with Slovenia in the World Cup qualification. It happened 12 years ago when after a 2-1 win at home Guus Hiddink's team lost 0-1 in Maribor, missing out on the trip to South Africa. Now the first game ended in favor of the Russians (2-1) when Artem Dzyuba did the double, but this time he politely waved goodbye to the national team, leaving Valeri Karpin with a catastrophically problematic squad. The Slovenians’ game suddenly began to improve, they defeated Malta and are in good form now. That’s why we should bet on the Slovenian national team’s victory with the odds of about 2.50.

The Russian national team under the leadership of Valeri Karpin looks very weak upfront. Stanislav Cherchesov was heavily criticized for the monotonous and primitive attack of his team, but at least they attacked. Now the Russians managed to get two goals against Cyprus and Malta, and in games against stronger opponents they could not offer any good offense: with Croatia, it was a 0-0 draw, with Slovak Milan Skriniar, who scored an own goal, and without that event, Marek Rodak faced only one (!) shot on target. With such a modest record it is difficult to count on a goal against Jan Oblak, so the best option seems to be "Russia Not To Score" at odds close to 2.60.

Josip Ilicic is one of the most amazing characters in European soccer. He ranks very high in terms of talent and skill level, but his mental state has prevented him from building a career of grand proportions. For example, he missed part of last season due to depression, and in the current championship debut he did not look the best, not scoring a single goal in seven rounds for Atalanta. And now he had to find himself just before the game with Russia, making a double against Malta. It is obvious that he’s cheerful enough to prove himself again, as he did in the last game with the Russians, so it is worth looking at a bet on Josip Ilicic to score for 4.67.