Slovenia - Serbia predictions and free betting tips [20/06/2024]

On Thursday, 20 June, as part of the 2nd round of the group stage of Euro 2024, Slovenia will face the national team of Serbia. Both teams failed to win their opening matches, so a victory here will significantly boost their chances of progressing to the playoffs.

Predicted Line-ups

Slovenia: Oblak; Karnicnik, Blazic, Bijol, Janza; Stojanovic, Gnezda Cerin, Elsnik, Mlakar; Sporar, Sesko.

The Slovenian coaching staff decided not to call up playmaker Zajc (Fenerbahce, 8 goals in 39 matches) for the tournament. All key players are included, and new injuries were avoided in the first round. Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid), considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world, captains his national team, with experienced defender Bijol (Udinese) providing defensive support.

In attack, Sesko (Leipzig, 11 goals in 30 matches) is the standout player, with Sporar (Panathinaikos, 12 goals in 54 matches) and Vipotnik assisting. Coach Matjaž Kek is likely to field a similar starting XI to the last match, meaning Janza, who scored, will start at left-back with responsibility for central defence falling to Vane Drkusic and Zan Karnicnik. Adam Gnezda Cerin and Timi Max Elsnik will again start in midfield, with Jasmin Kurtic vying for a spot.

Serbia: V. Milinkovic-Savic; Velkovic, Milenkovic, Pavlovic; Zivkovic, S. Milinkovic-Savic, Gudelj, Mladenovic; Tadic; Vlahovic, Mitrovic.

Key left winger Kostic (Juventus) sustained an injury in the first round and will definitely miss the match this Thursday. Additionally, we won't see goalkeeper Svilar (Roma), Radonjic (Mallorca, 5 goals), and defenders Erakovic (Zenit) and Nastasic (Mallorca) who were not called up for the tournament. Playmaker Dusan Tadic (Fenerbahce, 23 goals in 109 matches), who came off the bench against England, has expressed his frustration in the press and will be eager to start.

The coaching staff might be tempted once again to start with forwards Mitrovic (Al-Hilal, 58 goals in 92 matches) and Vlahovic (Juventus, 13 goals in 28 matches). Elsewhere, no changes are expected: Rajkovic (Mallorca), defenders Milenkovic (Fiorentina) and Pavlovic (Salzburg), as well as midfielder Milinkovic-Savic (Al-Hilal, 9 goals in 52 matches) and Gudelj (Sevilla) will aim to ensure defensive solidity. Forward Luka Jovic (Milan, 10 goals in 36 matches) is expected to come off the bench to make an impact in the second half.

Slovenia

Last weekend, Slovenia began their Euro campaign with a tough test against a seemingly stronger opponent – Denmark. After conceding early to a Christian Eriksen goal (who scored exactly 1,110 days after his cardiac arrest at Euro 2020), Slovenia fought back and equalised in the final fifteen minutes (1-1). Erik Janza's deflected strike flew past Kasper Schmeichel, making it a great result for a team that has never progressed to the knockout stages of a major international tournament (they only earned two points in the group stage of Euro 2000).

To qualify for Euro 2024, Matjaž Kek's men finished 2nd in their qualifying group, tied on points with Denmark. Slovenia has since played four friendlies, including a prestigious win over Portugal in March (2-0). In early June, they beat Armenia (2-1) and drew with Bulgaria (1-1), meaning they are unbeaten in seven matches across all competitions.

Serbia

Serbia, meanwhile, played their first-ever Euro match on Sunday against England, who are considered one of the favourites to win the tournament. Although they put up a good fight against the English, they ultimately lost, conceding a goal early on from Jude Bellingham (0-1). Serbia struggled with finishing, managing just one shot on target out of six attempts. Head coach Dragan Stojkovic praised his team's "courage" and expressed his belief that they "did not deserve to lose."

As a result, Serbia must secure three points in the second round to keep their playoff hopes alive. They have participated in several World Cups, the latest being in Qatar, where they were eliminated in the group stage. In Euro 2024 qualification, the "Eagles" finished second in their group, behind Hungary. This spring, they played four friendlies, winning against Cyprus (0-1) and Sweden (0-3) but losing to Russia (4-0) and Austria (2-1).

Head-to-Head

This will be the fourth meeting between these two teams, with two previous encounters ending in draws. In the 2022 Nations League, they were in the same group: Serbia won the home fixture (4-1), while the reverse match ended in a draw (2-2).

Prediction for Slovenia vs Serbia

Both teams will be eager to secure three points on Thursday as a loss will almost certainly rule them out of the playoffs. Serbia undoubtedly has a more experienced and skilful squad, but Slovenia demonstrated in the first round that they are no pushovers. I won’t risk picking a favourite and will go for a draw.

Total Goals Prediction

Both sides have a quality attacking line-up (Sesko, Vlahovic, Mitrovic) and have scored nine goals combined in their last two encounters! We can confidently bet on both teams to score and expect an entertaining shootout.

Corners Prediction

The Serbs boast a physically imposing squad, making set-pieces a great opportunity to breach their opponents' defence. I’ll back the Balkans to win the corner count.

Yellow Cards Prediction

Both teams understand the importance of a positive result in this head-to-head clash and won’t hold back in challenges. I’ll wager on the total number of yellow cards being over 3.5.

Score Prediction

I back the score to be 1-1.