Scotland vs Slovenia Predictions
Scotland and Slovenia meet at Hampden Park on Tuesday in their fourth Nations League B, Group 1 fixture.
The Scots finally made their chances count in Saturday's win against North Macedonia, and they should have enough momentum to see off the Slovenian challenge.
I have my stake on the hosts to claim victory in Glasgow.
Scotland Can Build on Skopje Win
- Scotland won 3 of their last 5 home matches (competitive fixtures)
- Scotland won their last match against Slovenia
- Slovenia lost 3 of their last 4 away matches
Scotland Hold H2H Advantage
Scotland and Slovenia have met on six previous occasions. Scotland remain unbeaten with two wins picked up since their first encounter in 2024.
Slovenia were fortunate to hold on for a goalless draw in their most recent encounter just ten days ago.
Scotland Claim First Pocognoli Win
Scotland return to Hampden after a well-deserved 2-0 victory against North Macedonia on Saturday gave Sebastien Pocognoli his first win as head coach.
Kieron Bowie fired the Scots ahead inside ten minutes with a superb long-range strike before John McGinn added a second-half penalty in Skopje.
Scott McKenna was sent off late on, but the visitors held firm to secure a vital three points.
Pocognoli's side could have scored several more in a dominant away performance. Scotland had 25 shots to North Macedonia's nine, while the final xG totals of 3.45-0.38 underlined their dominance in Skopje.
Saturday’s much-improved display was a welcome response to a 3-0 home defeat against Switzerland last week. Jack Hendry’s 10th-minute red card proved costly as the Swiss made the most of their man advantage.
Pocognoli’s men were unfortunate to take only a point from their opening fixture in Slovenia last month. Scotland finished the contest with significantly more shots (18-4) and a higher xG total (2.16 - 0.47).
Scotland's strong record in competitive fixtures at Hampden should stand them in good stead this week. The hosts recorded impressive wins over Denmark (4-2) and Greece (3-1) on their way to securing World Cup qualification last year.
Slovenia Suffer Swiss Setback
Slovenia make the trip to Glasgow after a 2-1 defeat against Switzerland in Lucerne on Saturday.
Zan Vipotnik gave Bostjan Cesar's side an early lead, but Erik Janza's own goal brought the Swiss level before Dan Ndoye struck a Swiss winner before half-time.
The Slovenians remained competitive in Switzerland but were unable to find an equaliser. Final match stats suggested the Swiss were good value for their victory, with the hosts enjoying 67% possession and registering six shots on target to Slovenia's two.
Saturday's setback in Switzerland came on the back of a 2-0 home win against North Macedonia last week.
A poor display against Scotland last month will be in the back of Slovenian minds on Tuesday.
Cesar's men failed to register a shot on target against Scotland in their opening Nations League draw until late in the contest. The Slovenians offered little in attack for long periods and were fortunate to escape with a point.
Over a longer period, Slovenia failed to win 11 of their last 13 games, including away defeats against Croatia, Hungary and Switzerland (twice).
Scotland vs Slovenia Squads & Team News
Scotland Squad
Goalkeepers: Scott Bain, Angus Gunn, Liam Kelly, Jon McCracken
Defenders: Luis Binks, Josh Doig, Colby Donovan, Luke Graham, Jack Hendry, Aaron Hickey, Scott McKenna, Nathan Patterson, Andy Robertson, Stephen Welsh
Midfielders: Ryan Christie, Lewis Ferguson, Billy Gilmour, Lennon Miller, Kristi Montgomery, John McGinn, Josh McPake
Forwards: Kieron Bowie, Findlay Curtis, Ben Gannon-Doak, Oli McBurnie, Robbie Ure, James Wilson
Head coach Pocognoli will be forced into at least one change to his selection. Scott McKenna is suspended after his red card in Skopje.
Jack Hendry is available again after serving a ban against North Macedonia and is likely to return to the Scots' three-man defence.
Ryan Christie made a positive impact from the bench on Saturday and is another likely contender to earn a recall this week.
Kieran Tierney, Kenny McLean, Che Adams, Lawrence Shankland and Scott McTominay are notable injury absentees for the Scots.
Pocognoli expressed his delight with last weekend’s win against the North Macedonians:
"I'm very pleased with this first win. Today I think we played very well, created a lot of chances, and we've kept two clean sheets, which means a lot also.”
"It was a nice game; not everything was perfect because we should have scored more goals.”
"Kieron Bowie scored the most difficult goal from the game. I was really pleased for him because I know the topic about not scoring will have been on the table after 25 minutes.”
Slovenia Squad
Goalkeepers: Jan Oblak, Matevz Vidovsek, Igor Vekic
Defenders: Zan Karnicnik, Jure Balkovec, Srdjan Kuzmic, Jost Urbancic, Erik Janza, David Zec, Vanja Drkusic, David Brekalo
Midfielders: Mark Zabukovnik, Jaka Bijol, Sandi Lovric, Timi Max Elsnik, Tamar Svetlin, Danijel Sturm, Tomi Horvat, Adam Gnezda Cerin
Forwards: Tjas Begic, Zan Celar, Zan Vipotnik, Aljosa Matko
Head coach Cesar is unable to call on three players ahead of the trip to Scotland.
Manchester United forward Benjamin Sesko remains out with a shin injury while Zan Zaletel and Nik Prelec have withdrawn from the squad.
Adam Gnezda Cerin, Tjas Begic and David Brekalo are among those pushing for first-team recalls after coming off the bench against Switzerland.