Russia and Slovenia have given themselves and excellent chance of topping Group H after wins on the opening night of qualifying games, but only one side will be able to maintain their perfect start to the group with a second victory on Saturday afternoon.
World Cup Qualifier
One of the big shock results in the World Cup qualifiers came in Group H this past weekend, as Slovenia stunned the 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia to claim a 1-0 win. The victory was a huge success to open their group campaign, and they will be confident of recording a second straight win this weekend ahead of a third international match next week against Cyprus. Slovenia struck early against Croatia to take control of the game, as they hit the winner after 15 minutes through Sandi Lovric. They defended excellently to hold on to that win, as they allowed Croatia just three shots on target in the whole game. The defensive display by Slovenia will give them confidence ahead of this game on the road, but it will be a tricky assignment against Russia.
Russia also opened their World Cup qualification campaign with three points on Wednesday evening, as they had a straightforward away game against Malta. The visitors took firm control of the game after scoring twice in the opening half. Artem Dzyuba scored the first goal in the game after 23 minutes, before Mario Fernandes doubled the lead ten minutes before the interval. Malta threatened to get back into the game early in the second half, but Russia were able to easily keep the minnows at bay and hold on to the victory that they deserved. Aleksandr Sobolev scored a late third for Russia to showcase their dominance in the second period.
Russia vs Slovenia Head To Head
This will be the first meeting between Russia and Slovenia for over ten years. The last competitive meeting between the nations came in November 2009, with Slovenia claiming a 1-0 home win. Russia have won twice against Slovenia in the past, with their most recent victory coming in the way of a 2-1 success in 2009.
Russia vs Slovenia Prediction
There is very little to separate these two sides, as they are very evenly matched. That will make it a tough game to call, but neither side will want to lose the game. That means that it could be a tight affair with few goals scored. Therefore, the under 2.5 goals bet could be a solid selection.
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