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The international friendlies return with a fresh set of fixtures as Slovenia welcome Gibraltar to the Bonifika Stadium on Friday.
Slovenia head into this tie fresh off Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with North Macedonia, while Gibraltar will be aiming to end their three-game losing streak.
Slovenia opened their 2022 World Cup qualifiers with an impressive 1-0 victory over Croatia. However, this was followed by two straight losses as they were beaten by Russia and Cyprus in subsequent group games.
The drop-off in form saw Matjaz Kek's men fall to fifth place in Group H, two points above rock-bottom Malta.
Slovenia failed to end their winless run when they played out a 1-1 friendly draw with North Macedonia on Tuesday.
Eljif Elmas gave the hosts the lead in the 55th minute, but Domen Crnigoj grabbed a last-gasp equalizer for Slovenia in the 97th minute to force a share of the spoils.
Friday's hosts will now aim to find their feet and return to winning ways when they welcome a struggling Gibraltar side.
Gibraltar have maintained their status as one of the whipping boys in Europe.
The nation remains rooted to the bottom of Group G in their World Cup qualifiers after three straight defeats to Norway, Montenegro and the Netherlands. In those three games, they conceded 14 goals and scored just one.
Julio Ribas’ men have failed to taste victory in their last six outings across all competitions. They will now resume their international friendlies hoping to end this poor run of results
The visitors' last win came back in October 2020, when they beat Liechtenstein 1-0 in the 2020 UEFA Nations League.
Slovenia vs Gibraltar Head-To-Head
This is the first-ever meeting between the two nations and they will both be aiming to begin their rivalry with a win.
Slovenia Form Guide (all competitions): D-W-L-L-D
Gibraltar Form Guide (all competitions): D-D-L-L-L
Slovenia vs Gibraltar Team News
Slovenia
Matjaz Kek has called up a 26-man squad for their international friendlies, including the likes of Atletico Madrid shot-stopper Jan Oblak and Atalanta forward Josip Ilicic.
Injuries: None
Suspension: None
Gibraltar
Head Coach Julio Ribas has named a 24-man squad for upcoming international friendlies. The likes of Roy Chipolina, Alain Pons, Reece Styche and Tjay De Barr have all been included in the squad.
Injured: None
Suspended: None
Slovenia vs Gibraltar Predicted XI
Slovenia Predicted XI (4-3-1-2): Jan Oblak; Miha Mevlja, Petar Stojanovic, Jure Balkovec, Mario Jurcevic; Jasmin Kurtic, Domen Crnigoj, Miha Zajc; Josip Ilicic; Andras Sporar, Damjam Bohar
Gibraltar Predicted XI (4-4-2): Kyle Godwin; Roy Chipolina, Jack Sergeant, Ayman Santos, Aymen Mouelhi; Liam Walker, Julian Valarino, Alain Pons, Mohamed Badr; Reece Styche, Tjay De Barr
Slovenia vs Gibraltar Prediction
While both sides will be aiming to end their respective poor runs, Slovenia head into this game with a stronger squad.
They possess some of the best players across Europe in their arsenal and we expect them to make a difference in this game. We predict Slovenia will claim the win.
Prediction: Slovenia 3-0 Gibraltar
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