With 52 places between the two teams in the FIFA rankings, on paper this should be a one-sided affair. However, England continue to underperform expectations, with their star-studded squad failing to gel together on the pitch in a manner befitting their pre-tournament berth as favourites.
Slovenia have looked vulnerable at the back in both matches they have played and can expect to be punished by Kane, Saka and co if giving up the same chances again. They have scored at least one goal in their last 15 games though and have a good chance of getting on the scoresheet against an English side who have only kept three clean sheets in their last nine matches. England 2 - 1 Slovenia.
Euro 2024: England vs Slovenia Preview & Prediction
Slovenia take on England in the last game of Group C at the European Championships this Tuesday with both sides still looking to grab a knock-out round spot after a messy start to both European Championship campaigns.
Date: 06/25/2024
Kick-off time: 15:00 (ET)
Location: RheinEnergieStadion
The knock-out rounds loom, with both England and Slovenia having their eyes on a spot there. However, with the likes of Denmark and Serbia also within a shout, a win is a must.
England currently sit top of Group C after two games. The Three Lions have one win and one draw, but are still two points clear of Denmark and Slovenia in second and third.
The top spot in Group C will give England a good launch pad into the knock-out rounds. Here theyβll be looking to replicate their feat of reaching the Final last time out, but rather to get over the final hurdle and lift their first European Championship.
Slovenia, on the other hand, currently sit third in Group C. In their two games so far, Slovenia have picked up two draws which leaves them on two points also equal with Denmark on a goal difference of zero.
This is Sloveniaβs first European Championships since 2000, where they exited at the Group stage where they picked up just two draws and one loss. In the time between 2000 and 2024, Slovenia failed to qualify for the competition.
England and Slovenia have met six times in their histories, with the first meeting coming back in an international friendly in 2009. The Three Lions have the better record in the fixture with five wins, with Slovenia picking up just one draw and being yet to win.
This fixture rarely sees more than one side on the scoresheet, with just three games of six meetings having both sides on the scoresheet. In fact, the last time both sides scored was back in 2015.
Where to watch
England vs Slovenia will be shown on Fox Sport in the U.S.
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Gareth Southgate is likely to switch it up for the final game of the Group stage after starting the same team in the opening two games. However, the likes of Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane will stay among the starters.
Slovenia Team News
Matjaz Kek will likely persist with the likes of Benjamin Sesko and Andraz Sporar up front for Slovenia, despite some of the attacking issues in the opening games.
Recent Form
In their last five games in all competitions, England have two wins, two draws and one loss.
Wembley Stadium hosted England and Belgium in an international friendly. Youri Tielemans opened the scoring in the 11th minute, but a penalty from Ivan Toney equalised just five minutes later. Tielemans scored again for Belgium before halftime but a goal from Bellingham in the 95th minute gave England a 2 - 2 draw.
England got back to winning ways in another friendly, this time against Bosnia and Herzegovina. A penalty from Cole Palmer gave England the lead on the hour mark and he was joined on the scoresheet by Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harry Kane.
The Three Lions were handed a shock loss in the last international friendly before the European Championships. Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson scored the only goal of the game in the 12th minute to give Iceland the 1 - 0 win.
The first game of the European Championships saw England take on Serbia. Bellingham scored the only goal of the game in the 13th minute to give England the 1 - 0 win.
The last time out for England was against Denmark. Kane opened the scoring for England in the 18th minute but Morten Hjulmand equalised for Denmark before the halftime whistle. Neither side could find another goal in the second half and had to settle for a 1 - 1 draw.
In their last five games in all competitions, Slovenia have two wins and three draws.
An international friendly against Portugal saw Slovenia grab a shock win. After a goalless first half, Adam Gnezda Cerin and Timi Max Elsnik both found the back of the net in the second half to give Slovenia the 2 - 0 win.
Slovenia backed this up with another win in a friendly, this time against Armenia. Jan Mlakar opened the scoring for Slovenia in the 11th minute, a lead they carried into halftime. Varazdat Haroyan pulled Armenia level on the hour but Josip Illicic grabbed a goal just seven minutes later to give Slovenia the 2 - 1 win.
A penalty from Kiril Despodov gave Bulgaria the lead against Slovenia in just the fourth minute. However, Sporar found the back of the net just ten minutes later as Slovenia grabbed a 1 - 1 draw.
The first game of the European Championships for Slovenia was against Denmark. Christian Eriksenβs goal in the 17th minute gave Denmark the 1 - 0 lead at halftime but Erik Janza popped up with a goal in the last 15 minutes to grab Slovenia a 1 - 1 draw.
The most recent outing for Slovenia was against Serbia. After a goalless hour, Zan Karnicnik found the back of the net to give Slovenia the lead. However, in the fifth minute of extra time, Luka Jovic popped up with a goal to grab a 1 - 1 draw for Serbia.
European Championship - Group C 
