Norther Ireland vs Slovenia

Northern Ireland and Slovenia are set to square off at Windsor Park in Belfast in a lopsided Euro 2024 qualifier.

Except for a brace of victories over the worst-ranked nation in FIFA’s world rankings, San Marino, Northern Ireland’s remaining five Euro 2024 qualifiers have yielded defeats, ruling them out of contention for next summer’s tournament in Germany. Even though they’ve nothing but pride left to play for down the final stretch, Michael O’Neill’s men could still have a significant impact on the standings, especially if they can avenge a 4-2 humbling in the reverse H2H in Ljubljana. However, ‘Norn Iron’ cannot draw much confidence from their recent home form, having won just three of the last 18 internationals they’ve hosted since September 2019 (D6, L9), all of which came against nations ranked substantially worse than Slovenia. With two of them coming ‘to nil,’ keeping a clean sheet will be crucial.

On the other hand, Slovenia’s bid to qualify for only their second-ever European Championship as an independent country – the first since 2000 – is going according to plan. After going winless in both Euro 2024 qualifiers played in June (D1, L1), Matjaz Kek’s men have racked up three victories on the spin, seizing the top spot in Group H. But since they’re level on points with runners-up Denmark and four clear of third-placed Finland, another win here would virtually guarantee qualification for next summer’s tournament. Indeed, it will seal the deal as long as Finland and Kazakhstan share the spoils in the other Group D fixture. A draw would equal Slovenia’s best-ever 17-point haul in a European Championship qualification cycle, so motivation won’t be in short supply.