Our prediction for this Euro 2024 match:
David faces Goliath in Serravalle as San Marino and Slovenia go head to head in the EURO 2024 qualifiers round 6. Slovenia proved their worth in a 4-2 win over Northern Ireland and a triumph over San Marino should see them climb to top two in Group H. As always, a man to keep an eye on in the away team will be Andraz Sporar, who scored a brace in Thursday’s clash. Defender David Brekalo serves a one-game ban.
The minnows, on the other hand, do not seem to be competitive at this level, with the team losing each of their five group matches. Since San Marino have yet to find the net in this qualifying campaign, anything but a routine away win would be a big shock. There are no fresh injury worries in the home team, but experienced forward Matteo Vitaioli should sneak into the starting XI.
Highlighted Player (Andraz Sporar):
Born in Ljubljana, Slovenia on February 27, 1994, Andraz Sporar is a striker who plays for Slovakian side Slovan Bratislava. Sporar spent his youth career at the likes of Olimpija, MNK Ljubljana and Interblock and he continued playing for the last mentioned club at senior level.
After scoring 10 goals in 21 appearances for the club, the Slovenian attacker moved to his hometown club Olimpija Ljubljana where he earned the captaincy. Andraz Sporar was scoring goals for fun in the Slovenian top flight, netting 46 goals in 95 appearances in the league, but he then decided to take a step forward in his career.
In the 2015/2016 season he moved to Swiss outfit Basel, but he made no more than 19 appearances in the league for the RotBlau. During his spell with Basel Sporar played for Arminia Bielefeld on loan as well and in the winter of 2018 he joined Slovan Bratislava. Speaking of his international career, he made his debut with Slovenia in November 2016 against Malta.
Highlighted Team (San Marino):
San Marino played their first official match back in 1990, with the team suffering a 4-0 loss to Switzerland in the European Championship qualifiers. The minnows often serve as a cannon fodder for their rivals in competitive games, but it has to be noted that they did well to hold Estonia to a goalless draw in the Euro 2016 qualifiers.
San Marino have yet to record a win in the qualifiers for the major tournaments, but on April 28, 2004 they recorded a hard-fought victory over Liechtenstein in a friendly match and that is considered their biggest achievement. “La Serenissima” welcome their rivals at San Marino Stadium and the capacity of the venue is only 6.664.
San Marino footballers wear blue shirts and blue shorts when playing at home, whilst the colour of their away kits is white. It is well known that San Marino have never participated at the finals of the FIFA World Cup or the European Championship.