EURO 2024 Team Guide - Group C - Slovenia

Possibly the best goalkeeper in the world, a frightening attack and wise old heads to come off the bench - could this be the tournament Slovenia make it through the groups and beyond? Nik Jošt

Country:

Slovenia

FIFA World Ranking:

57

Qualification Record:

2^nd Place

W7, D1, L2

Goals For – 20

Goals Against - 9

Group:

Group C

Highest Ever Euros Finish:

Group Stage

Previous Euros Appearances:

1

Top International Goal Scorer (in Squad):

Josip Iličić (16)

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid), Vid Belec (APOEL), Igor Vekić (Vejle)

Defenders: Jaka Bijol (Udinese), Petar Stojanović (Sampdoria), Jure Balkovec (Alanyaspor), Miha Blažič (Lech Poznan), David Brekalo (Orlando City), Erik Janža (Gornik Zabrze), Žan Karničnik (Celje), Vanja Drkušić (Sochi)

Midfielders: Josip Iličić (Maribor), Nino Žugelj (Bodo-Glimt), Sandi Lovrić (Udinese), Benjamin Verbič (Panathinaikos), Adam Gnezda Čerin (Panathinaikos), Jasmin Kurtić (Südtirol), Tomi Horvat (Sturm Graz), Timi Max Elšnik (Olimpija), Jon Gorenc Stanković (Sturm Graz), Adrian Zeljković (Spartak Trnava)

Forwards: Jan Mlakar (Pisa), Benjamin Šeško (Leipzig), Andraž Šporar (Panathinaikos), Žan Vipotnik (Bordeaux), Žan Celar (Lugano)

The Gaffer:

Matjaž Kek (appointed 2018)

Gaffer Bio:

Kek started his managerial career at the club he previously played for until 1999, at Maribor. He took over as assistant coach in 2000 and then as head coach in 2002. He won 2 league titles at Maribor and was in the champions league with them as assistant coach. He then worked his way up in the youth national teams from the U15s to taking over the first team in 2007. In 2010 he lead the team to the World cup in South Africa after beating Russia in the playoff. At the World cup the team started out with a win vs Algeria and then continued with a 2-2 draw vs the United States after being 2 nil up at half time already. The tournament ended for Kek and Slovenia after a narrow 1-0 loss against England and a Landon Donovan 91^st minute winner vs Algeria that knocked the Slovenians out. He left the national team in 2011. After that he had a short stint at Al Ittihad (before the Saudi money) and then joined Rijeka in Croatia. There he had a very successful 5 years there, winning the Croatian cup twice, the Supercup once and most importantly beat Dinamo to the title in 2016/17, which no one else has managed since 2005/06. After leaving Rijeka he soon joined the national team again in 2018 and after not succeeding in his first EURO and World cup qualifying then lead the team to their second EURO appearance.

Who Could Do with Him?

Hajduk Split had him in their wishes before appointing Gattuso, just like the entire Croatian first division. His performance at Rijeka really made him a crowd favourite there.

Formation / Style of Play:

4-4-2/4-3-3

A simple man when it comes to the formations but it often works. Kek usually adopts his 4-4-2 formation but has recently also tried to use the 4-3-3 more and more often. He manages to get the best out of Benjamin Šeško but also not only play through him, offering spaces and chances for others to shine. The style of play might not end up looking beautiful at the Euros but it will definitely be made to get a result against the bigger teams against which this team usually performs well.

Strengths:

The quality of the attack is the best Slovenia has ever seen. The Šeško-Šporar partnership could work wonders and with backups like Vipotnik and Celar there is no worries in that department. Add Iličić from the bench for the final 20 minutes of the game and you have a winning combination. Another strength is of course also Jan Oblak. The man from Škofja Loka in his first major tournament with the national team will be guiding the team from the net and could be the difference between winning and losing for Slovenia.

Weaknesses:

Injuries. An injury to one of the key players like Šeško, Oblak or Bijol could change the course of the Euro for this team. The quality of their back ups especially in goal is not good enough to get Slovenia out of the group stage.

The midfield. Players like Gnezda Čerin, Elšnik, Horvat and Lovrić are good, but will they be able to win the midfield battle against the likes of Bellingham, Rice, Eriksen, Hojbjerg and Milinković-Savić? Not so sure about that. The tactics of how they are used will be key for this team.

Player to Watch:

Benjamin Šeško -

The 21-year old had offers from all over Europe and nearly joined Arsenal before the Euro but ended up staying at Leipzig. He will be the star of this team and will have to perform at the biggest stage with the entire Europe watching. He ended the Bundesliga season with a goal in each of his last 7 games and he should take that form straight into the Euros.

One for the Future:

Adrian Zeljković –

Could this be the breakout tournament for Zeljković? He managed to get on the plane with just 1 previous appearance for the national team after a very successful season at Spartak Trnava. Got from the bottom side of the Slovenian league to the Euros in the space of one year. Some appearances there could make him shine and get the spotlight of the bigger clubs onto himself. Surely Kek included him for a reason right?

Unlucky to Miss Out:

Miha Zajc –

After not playing much in Turkey in the last few months and not fitting the system of Matjaž Kek, Miha Zajc got cut from the 26 man list at the last moment. A player that has always been with the team and even has 8 goals from midfield for his nation. No one expected him to get excluded, not even himself and he issued an emotional letter after the shock exlusion. It is possible this is the last goodbye for him at the national team but unfortunately there just isn’t a spot for him in the current squad especially with the forwards at the disposal right now and Iličić coming back.

Likely Line Up:

Oblak; Karničnik, Bijol, Brekalo, Janža; Elšnik, Horvat, Gnezda Čerin; Mlakar, Šeško, Šporar

Fixtures:

Matchday 1 – Slovenia vs Denmark – 16^th June

Matchday 2 – Slovenia vs Serbia – 20^th June

Matchday 3 – England vs Slovenia – 25^th June

Verdict:

The nation expects their team to get to the knockout stages for the first time in their history and they are absolutely capable of doing it, especially with the lucky third places. I believe this team will surprise many at the tournament and could even end up being the dark horses of the tournament.

Nik Jošt (@sloveninho1)