Scotland vs Slovenia: The Tartan Army Eye Second Straight UEFA Nations League Win as Slovenia Arrive Short on Firepower
by Thobelani Moyo | by Thobelani Moyo
Scotland have a superior home record against the Slovenians
The race for second place in the UEFA Nations League - League B, Group B1 has been tight so far, with Scotland and Slovenia both having their eyes locked on securing a promotion playoff spot. The two teams have picked up four points from their last three games, with Slovenia sitting in second place, leading on goal difference.
It has been a run of similar results, with each side having a 1-1-1 record as they enter the final UEFA Nations League fixture in the extended international window. Scotland's big breakthrough came in their most recent match when they beat ceiling dwellers North Macedonia 2-0 on the road. It was a maiden victory that saw Kieron Bowie and Aston Villa's John McGinn score both goals. For McGinn, that was his 22nd goal for Scotland. It is the joint fourth most, alongside Lawrie Reilly.
The win will ease pressure on Pocognoli and give them a platform to build on as they seek to secure a promotion playoff spot. For more insights into the game, check our Scotland vs Slovenia prediction and find out what our experts have to say.
A second consecutive victory should be on the cards given their dominance against this opponent at Hampden Park. So far, they have avoided defeat in their last two matches at this venue and won their last meeting 1-0 in March 2017 in the World Cup Qualifiers.
Scotland have never lost back-to-back competitive games. The last time they did so was in June 2019 when they were defeated by Russia and Belgium.
Slovenia is missing their core attack and are performing poorly on the road
Slovenia endured a frustrating outing against Switzerland last time out. They had entered the contest unbeaten across their previous five UEFA Nations League fixtures but ultimately fell to a 2-1 away defeat. That result ended their unbeaten run while also marking their seventh loss in nine encounters with the Swiss.
Head coach Boštjan Cesar will be hoping for an immediate response from his side. However, it'll be far from straightforward considering their poor away record. It's been a woeful run, with just one win in their last seven matches (D2, L4), including two consecutive defeats. To make matters worse, they have won just one of their last nine UNL away games (D5, L3).
Slovenia's last five UEFA Nations League away results:
03 October 2026: Switzerland 2-1 Slovenia
20 March 2025: Slovakia 0-0 Slovenia
17 November 2024: Austria 1-1 Slovenia
13 October 2024: Kazakhstan 0-1 Slovenia
10 October 2024: Norway 3-0 Slovenia
Another daunting record that will haunt them is their performance in this fixture. The visitors have yet to win in their last six games against this opponent and have lost two of the last five competitive matches without scoring a single goal. In fact, they have failed to score in four such matches, and that shouldn't come as a surprise for a side that generated a meagre 0.45 xG in their recent match against Switzerland, highlighting their toothless display.
Slovenia have three forwards missing in this international window, including Premier League Manchester United striker Benjamin Šeško, who is out with a long-term shin injury. The 23-year-old has scored 16 goals in 45 appearances for the Slovenian senior national team.
He is just one match away from matching Josip Iličić's 17 goals. This would've seen him move up to third in the rankings of top goalscorers in the history of the men's national football team
Still, they have a player that could prove deadly in the final third; Žan Vipotnik is the man in question. The 24-year-old scored a consolation goal in his side's loss against Switzerland. That strike marked his third goal in six games, and it was just the first time he scored in four matches.
