Featuring at the European Championships for the first time in 24 years, Slovenia qualified second in Group F behind Denmark, who they will meet again in their opening match of the Group stages.
Progressing by a whisker, Slovenia defeat Kazakhstan 2-1 on the final matchday thanks to goals from Benjamin Sesko and Benjamin Verbic to ensure their place in Germany this summer.
The team qualified with an identical record to Denmark, having won seven out of 10 games.
The Slovenians have been drawn into a tough group filled with plenty of quality, once again lining up against Denmark, who they struggled with during the qualification phase.
Big-hitters England are expected to provide a fierce challenge for Matjaž Kek’s side, whilst Eastern European neighbours Serbia will back themselves against the team of Euros newbies.
What to expect:
Seeing as its the country’s first appearance in the competition in 24 years – before some of the squad was even born – the side may struggle with the weight of the competition and quality of the opponent.
The Slovenians dropped four points to Denmark in qualifying, showing that whilst they perform well against teams of similar stature to them, they still have a way to go to match Europe’s elite.
That said, they delivered a shock result against Portugal during the March international friendlies, netting twice whilst keeping a clean sheet against a top-ten ranked team.
They are placed 57th in the FIFA World rankings, making them the lowest-ranked member of Group C behind Serbia (33rd), Denmark (21st) and England (4th).
Star player:
Captain Jan Oblak has been a regular for Slovenia for over a decade. Immovable in net for Atletico Madrid, the 31-year-old is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He featured in all 38 games for Atletico Madrid as they pushed for fourth place in La Liga, whilst also pushing into the Champions League Quarter Finals.
He featured in every minute of Slovenia’s qualifying campaign, even picking up a man of the match award for a stunning display in a crucial win 1-0 win over Northern Ireland.
Former Atalanta star Josip Ilicic is poised for a return to international football after taking a break from professional sport to protect his mental health. He featured in Slovenia’s warm-up match versus Armenia, where he scored the winning goal on his return.
Young star:
RB Leipzig star Benjamin Sesko is at the beginning of an exciting and promising career, as the 21-year-old is set to lead the line for his country. Linked with big money move to Arsenal this summer, a strong performance at the Euros could be the deciding factor for the Gunners to push the button and take him to North London.
A tall but nimble striker, Sesko has already tallied 11 goals for his country across 28 appearances, quickly becoming Slovenia’s source of goals in the buildup to the tournament. Sesko scored five goals and two assists in qualifying, whilst also being rested for his team’s 4-0 demolition of lowest-ranked San Marino.
The youngster notched 14 Bundesliga goals across only 1,680 minutes last season, making him the second top U20 scorer across Europe behind Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham. He’ll look to complete a thrilling breakout season with a lasting impression at this summer’s championship.
Manager:
Long-term manager Matjaž Kek has been in charge since 2018 and has overseen the gentle progression of the Slovenia into a European Championship quality side.
Favouring the classic 4-4-2 formation throughout qualification, Kek looks to utilise a strike partnership which enables the team to aggressively press up the pitch also chip in with goals.
Schedule:
Slovenia v Denmark – 16/06 – MHPArena
Slovenia v Serbia – 20/06 – Allianz Arena
England v Slovenia – 25/06 – RheinEnergieStadion