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Malta will host Slovenia at the Centenary Stadium in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Friday.
The home side come into the game on the back of a 2-0 defeat away to Russia last month. Fedor Smolov and Zelimkhan Bakaev scored in either half to give the Russians all three points.
Slovenia were on the receiving end of a 3-0 bashing away to Croatia in September. Nikola Vlasic and Mario Pasalic were among the goals for the Croats.
Despite the defeat, Slovenia still have an outside chance of finishing in the top two in Group H, but a victory on Friday is imperative. The Central Europeans currently sit in fourth place, having garnered seven points from six matches. Malta are directly below them on four points.
Malta vs Slovenia Head-to-Head
This will be the eighth meeting between the two sides and Malta are yet to register a victory against Slovenia. The visitors have six wins to their name while one previous match ended in a share of the spoils.
Their most recent clash came in September when Sandi Lovric's first-half penalty gave Slovenia a 1-0 home win in the first leg of their qualifiers.
Slovenia form guide: L-L-W-L-L
Malta form guide: L-W-D-W-D
Malta vs Slovenia Team News
Malta
Coach Devis Mangia called up 29 players to dispute the qualifiers against Slovenia and Cyprus. Four players ply their trade outside the Maltese Premier League.
Injuries: None
Suspension: None
Slovenia
Team captain Jan Oblak, as well as Atalanta forward Josip Ilicic, headline the 24-man Slovenian squad to dispute the qualifiers against Malta and Russia.
Injuries: None
Suspension: None
Malta vs Slovenia Predicted XI
Malta Predicted XI (4-3-3): Henry Bonello (GK); James Brown, Kurt Shaw, Steve Borg, Zach Muscat; Joseph Mbong, Stephen Pisani, Jake Grech; Luke Gambin, Luke Montebello, Alexander Satariano
Slovenia Predicted XI (4-3-3): Jan Oblak (GK); Jure Balkovec, Miha Mevlja, Jaka Bijol, Petar Stojanovic; Jasmin Kurtic, Domen Crnigoj, Jon Gorenc Stankovic; Josip Ilicic, Benjamin Verbic, Andraz Sporar
Malta vs Slovenia Prediction
Slovenia are slight favorites in this game and on paper, the visitors have superior quality to guarantee all three points. However, they have failed to match the standards expected and this will give Malta extra confidence that they can get the job done on home turf.
The Falcons are heavy underdogs and this could work in their favor. However, we are backing Slovenia to triumph with a narrow victory.
Prediction: Malta 0-1 Slovenia
