Betting on Slovenia at the World Cup 2010

World Cup appearances: 1
Best World Cup: Round 1; 2002
FIFA World Ranking: 23
Manager: Matjaz Zahovic
Captain: Robert Koren

Slovenia Team Profile

Slovenia are part of a group of surprise inclusion travelling to South Africa in that very few would have tipped them to progress before qualifying. However, despite having a population of just 2 million, Slovenia will fancy their chances of being South Africa’s Dark Horses after excelling during qualification, fending off the challenges from Poland and Czech Republic in the group stage before knocking out the tricky Russians in the play-off’s. The scalp of Russia proved there and then that Slovenia should no longer be seen as simple minnows on the international stage.

Their reward for qualifying was to draw England in Group C in South Africa, although the second automatic qualifying spot will remain up for grabs between themselves, USA and Algeria, so a good performance against the latter two teams and Slovenia’s fairytale, in what is just their second appearance in a World Cup, could roll on into the last-sixteen stage of the tournament – What would be considered a huge achievement back home.

Slovenia Key Players

Slovenia coach Matjaz Kek will want to make good use of Robert Koren’s valuable knowledge of English football, the Premier League specifically, as one of their toughest assignments in South Africa will be their final game in Group C against England. Koren, who received the captains armband back in 2008, has played 45 times for his country and will travel to South Africa as one of the more experienced Slovenians in camp. The current West Bromwich Albion play-maker will play an instrumental part in Slovenia’s attack in the summer, although his slim return of just four goals while on international duty means he shouldn’t be much of a threat in front of goal himself.

Up front, Milivoje Novakovic of FC Cologne in Germany, will be Slovenia’s best outlet in the final, and their main source of goalmouth activity. Standing in at a daunting 6ft 4inc, Novakovic is clearly a threat from set-pieces and crosses, scoring 14 goals in 37 international appearances, although all of his international goals have come against fairly ordinary opponents. Even so, his presence and danger in the air will make him an instant threat and a target for the Slovenia’s to lump long balls up to should they find little success in breaking through some well-drilled and highly-trained defences.

Strengths

Slovenia appear to have this underdog aurora about them. They won’t be fancied in the slightest to go far in South Africa but could cause a few countries a problem with their stiff and rigid approach to games. They should also merit some form of respect for beating Russia in a two-legged play-ff just to get this far, beating the Russian’s home and away.

Also, Slovenia finished qualifying with the best defensive record, beating the likes of England & Spain to that honour after conceding just 4 goals in 10 qualifiers. That’s a staggering statistic for such a small nation on a football scale.

Weaknesses

Their obvious flaw is that they don’t boast too many well known players, which could be seen as a good factor as it makes then an unknown quantity. However, in this day and age just about every player with an ounce of talent gets spotted and picked up by the big clubs and the fact that these Slovakian players haven’t been lured away is a concern. However, the vast majority do ply their trade with European clubs so they will have some form of knowledge of how the big names in Europe play. Still, a big lack of quality in camp makes them a weak proposition.

Slovenia Qualification for the World Cup

Sector: European
Group: 3
Position: 2nd
Win-Draw-Lose: 6-2-2
Goals Scored: 18
Goals Conceded: 4

Slovenia boast the best defensive record in Europe after conceding just four goals in ten qualifiers. However, their solid defence wasn’t enough to seal qualification via the group as they had to battle their way past Russia in a play-off to finally seal their passage in South Africa. Slovenia beat Russia 3-1 on Aggregate, winning in both Russia & Slovenia.

World Cup Potential: 2/5

Their amazing defence during qualifying makes them a potentially awkward opponent for some and they could very well spring a surprise if they defend well in games and knick a rare goal on the break. We don’t think they’ll stand much of a chance against the bigger nations but we don’t think Slovenia will leave South Africa empty handed. We fancy the Slovenians to claim at least one scalp this summer, before they inevitably pack their bags, unfortunately.

Slovenia World Cup Betting Odds

Slovenia to win the World Cup (Outright): 400/1 bWin

Before the World Cup the odds on Slovenia were 300/1 

Official Slovenia World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Samir Handanovic (Udinese Calcio)

Jasmin Handanovic (AC Mantova)

Aleksander Seliga (Sparta Rotterdam)

Defenders

Bojan Jokic (Chievo Verona)

Marko Suler (KAA Gent)

Bostjan Cesar (Grenoble Foot)

Branko Ilic (Lokomotive Moscow)

Matej Mavric (TuS Koblenz)

Elvedin Dzinic (NK Maribor)

Miso Brecko (Cologne)

Suad Filekovic (NK Maribor)

Midfielders

Andraz Kirm (Wisla Cracovia)

Andrej Komac (Maccabi Tel Aviv)

Rene Krhin (Inter Milan)

Dalibor Stevanovic (Vitesse Arnheim)

Robert Koren (West Bromwich Albion)

Aleksander Radosavljevic (AE Larissa)

Valter Birsa (AJ Auxerre)

Strikers

Milivoje Novakovic (Cologne)

Zlatko Dedic (VfL Bochum)

Zlatan Ljubijankic (KAA Gent)

Nejc Pecnik (Nacional Funchal)

Tim Matavz (FC Groningen)

last update: 18 June 2010

World Cup 2010 Slovenia Fixtures – Group C

World Cup 2010 Group C - Table

 World Cup Fixtures and Results

World Cup Group F Teams: Italy, Paraguay, Slovakia, New Zealand. A fascinating betting group is this one. The defending Champions Italy were drawn in this group, and they have a great mix of opposition to test their mettle, as they look to retain their title. They are waiting news on the fitness of Andrea Pirlo, and World Cup odds are well worth casting an eye over in this one. What will Paraguay and Slovakia bring to the table? Can New Zealand take any points from their second ever World Cup? There is less than a week now to finalise your World Cup betting, before the big kick off in Johannesburg on June 11th. Here we take a look at the best value bets to be found on Group F, to help your betting decisions.

Group Outright: Italy 1/2 at Ladbrokes
The Italians, under Marcello Lippi have not been taking the same route to the 2010 FIFA World Cup and most other nations. Instead of honing their match sharpness, they have instead, been focusing on their conditioning at camp. What does this mean in terms of betting on Italy at the World Cup? Well, the defending champions have been labeled everything from Dad’s Army to Golden Oldies, describing the aging squad. While it is true they have some strong veterans in the squad, like Gianluigi Buffon, Gennaro Gattuso, Mauro Camoranesi, Gianluca Zambrotta and Andrea Pirlo, there is more than enough young legs in their side to run other teams into the ground. It is actually a very well balanced squad, and one thing that the Italians will have over most other teams in the tournament, is an incredible mentality. That is something which they will pull together on, even if they are not playing well. They came through European qualification comfortably, in their own style, which may lack a lot of flair of the likes of Spain, Holland and Brazil, but Italy know how to get the job done, and they have one of the best coaches in the world at handling tactics. How the Italians set themselves up, and how the Italians play won’t shock anyone, and that means teams will know how to play against them. It doesn’t mean that they will be able to beat them though. There is a lot to be admired about the defending champions, and they should be strong force in the group.

To Qualify: Slovakia 13/10 at William Hill
This really is one of the most exciting groups at South Africa 2010. Slovakia topped their European qualification group, edging out Slovenia, who beat the winners twice in the group. Slovakia though, still had enough to get over the finish line, and are worth looking at in World Cup Odds. They have had a few injury worries, including captain Martin Skrtel who has just found out that he will be able to participate in the World Cup after he received positive news about his injured ankle. Their key player is midfielder Marek Hamsik, who pulls all of the strings for Slovakia, as they head to their first ever World Cup. What benefits them on their debut, is that picking up points from their group opposition is extremely feasible. Being their first World Cup, they won’t be shy of taking on their group rivals, as they know they have nothing to lose. They should be able to pick up maximum points against New Zealand, and then it will be a test of their technical ability to beat out South American’s Paraguay for the second spot.

Top Group Stage Scorers: Paraguay 24/13 at Bwin
Paraguay showed a strong attacking flair in their impressive qualification campaign in the South American Zone. Their top scorer was Salvador Cabanas, who won’t be at South Africa 2010, as he was the unfortunate victim of a shooting to the head. While he is on the road to recovery, his absence will be sadly missed at South Africa 2010. The goal scoring duties will fall upon Nelson Valdez, Roque Santa Cruz and exciting young talent Lucas Barrios. They finished qualification just one point behind winners Brazil, and level on points with Chile. They do not have the strongest of defences though, and coach Gerardo Martino has demanded his players work harder at the back. Still, they have beaten World Cup bound Greece, fought back twice from behind to hold the Ivory Coast, but suffered a loss against the Republic of Ireland in their international friendly warm up matches. Paraguay have never been beyond the last sixteen of the World Cup, but it shows that they can get out of their group, and with their current side, they should explode with goals.

Group Goals Total: Under 15.5 goals Evens at Bwin
This may fly in the face of the Paraguay bet above, but this is a good value bet to back. Typically, Italy will not be full of goals, and being the seeded team in the group, a lot of what happens in the World Cup Fixtures in Group F will be influenced by the defending Champions. Italy should also be tight at the back, with the capability of blanking the rest of the group out. New Zealand will likely struggle for goals, and with the relative unknown quantity of Slovakia, this should be a tight group, with not too many goals flying in. The best match of the group should be Paraguay v Slovakia which could have a huge bearing on the next best value of the group.

Italy to finish second: 13/5 at Boylesports
Yes, this is worth looking at because of the odds. The Italians have not been having everything their own way in their build up for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and this is why this bet is in here. After losing to Mexico and then drawing with Switzerland, the Italians are looking for a little bit of match sharpness, and having to face a Paraguay side in the first match, a side who likes to attack with pace, then they could be caught cold. This group could run a lot closer than many may think, especially with Slovakia in the mix as well. It is hard to see Italy not qualifying from the group, but there is a chance of upsets happening in Group F, and if so, then it will be at Italy’s expense. Italy are a great tournament nation, but could have their hands full here, and be pushed all the way.
 

Group C World Cup Betting Preview: Only two of the sides in Group C have met before in the World Cup, so a lot of new ground will be broken in June. There is plenty of excitement and betting to come though from the group, which houses one of the World Cup favourites, as long as their star striker stays healthy.

World Cup Teams: England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia

England will be relatively happy with the 2010 FIFA World Cup draw which they received. The best World Cup Bookmakers have England, who are managed by Fabio Capello, down as one of the favourites to lift the coveted trophy this year, and the draw they received favoured them. A certain David Beckham was at the draw, and watched with interest as the United States were drawn in the same group as England. Beckham of course plies his trade with LA Galaxy, but his World Cup dreams have been ended with an injury while playing on loan with AC Milan. More injury worries have arisen over star striker Wayne Rooney, who turned over his ankle while playing for his club Manchester United in the Champions League. All eyes will now be on his recovery, not thought to be deemed as serious and only minor, he could still miss United’s most crucial part of the domestic season. However, all England fans will be chewing their nails at the sight of Wayne Rooney on crutches, as most of England’s World Cup dreams rest on his shoulders. He has been in scintillating form for club and country this season, and as a genuine world class striker, England will rely on his special talents to fire them towards the World Cup final on July 11th. It was his nine goals during qualification which made England so strong. England, thanks to a strong qualification have consistently been amongst the forerunners as favourites for the World Cup. Indeed World Cup betting odds have shortened over the past six months, with England standing around third favourite behind Brazil and Spain. There is one piece of World Cup history that stands out in this group, as the USA famously beat England at the 1950 World Cup 1-0. That piece of history, along with David Beckham’s link with US soccer has brought a lot of hype to Group C, even if, in all honesty, it is one of the weaker groups. England World Cup Fixtures in South Africa, starts with their opener against the USA in Rustenburg on June 12th. Following that, they face Algeria, and round up the group matches against European opposition, Slovenia. The USA topped their CONCACAF qualification zone, but lost games to both Mexico and Honduras along the way, and looked very unconvincing at times. Top scorer for them was Jose Altidore, whose abilities have looked a little out of place in the Premier League with Hull, and that says a lot about the threat they could pose up front in the World Cup. They have lost Charlie Davies and that will make them even weaker up front. They performed well at the FIFA Confederations Cup, beating Spain and losing 3-2 to Brazil in the final. They are unlikely to cause much of a threat in 2010, based on their performances during qualification. African participants in Group C, Algeria had only one good performance at the African Cup of Nations in January, and that was a 3-2 victory over  favourites Ivory Coast. Up until then, Algeria had only managed to score one goal in their three group matches, conceding three, but still managed to qualify as runner-up out the weakest group at the tournament. They then disgraced themselves in the semi finals against old foes Egypt (who won the African Cup of Nations will a lot of style), losing 4-0 and finishing the match with 8 players. Qualification for the World Cup was at the expense of Egypt, after Algeria won 1-0 in a play-off. That sudden death play-off came after Egypt had beaten Algeria 2-0 in the final game of the group, leaving both teams with exact equal records. Slovenia have the potential to wrap up second spot in Group C quite comfortably. If they get off to a good winning start against Algeria, then confidence should be high. Slovenia beat the much fancied Russians in a European play-off to reach South Africa 2010, after finishing second in their group to Slovakia. Slovenia finished with the second best defensive record in European qualification, and look to be a solid, technical side, which should have the ability to secure second place because England if things go to plan. All eyes will be on the group opener though between England v USA as pundits take trips down memory lane, and expectant England fans await to see just who boss Fabio Capello can field on the day. Hopefully Wayne Rooney is one of them.

Group B Betting Stats (World Cup History form in brackets)
(Final outcomes of Golden Goal, Extra Time and Penalty Shoot Out results count as wins or losses)

England: Relatively unknown territory for England during the group stage of this World Cup. Obviously there is that result from 1950 against the USA which everyone will be talking about, but it will have no bearing on what happens in South Africa. England have never played Algeria or Slovenia in the World Cup, but will be buoyed with their friendly victory over the strong Egyptian side. (P55, W25, D14, L16)

USA: Will use that victory over England as a dressing room team talk before their opening match, but should not be able to come close to England. They have provided some exciting moment during World Cup history, but not as strong as they have been in the past. They have no World Cup history against Slovenia or Algeria. (P25, W6, D3, L16)

Algeria: Virgin territory for the African entrants against all three competitors in Group Three. Wooden spoon material. (P6, W2, D1, L3)

Slovenia: Have the technical ability to do well, as displayed in their qualifying group matches against Slovakia and then in the play-offs against Russia. Have only made one previous World Cup appearance in Korea/Japan 2002. For a nation so young on the international stage, this is quite an achievement. (P3, W0, D0, L3)

World Cup Group C - Table

Group Stage Fixture List

World Cup Betting at Bet365 for Outright Winner of Group C, has the USA at 9/2, Slovenia at 9/1, Algeria at 15/1 and England are favourites at 1/3 (and 11/2 to Win the World Cup Outright).

World Cup appearances: 1
Best World Cup: Round 1; 2002
FIFA World Ranking: 23
Manager: Matjaz Zahovic
Captain: Robert Koren

Slovenia Team Profile

Slovenia are part of a group of surprise inclusion travelling to South Africa in that very few would have tipped them to progress before qualifying. However, despite having a population of just 2 million, Slovenia will fancy their chances of being South Africa’s Dark Horses after excelling during qualification, fending off the challenges from Poland and Czech Republic in the group stage before knocking out the tricky Russians in the play-off’s. The scalp of Russia proved there and then that Slovenia should no longer be seen as simple minnows on the international stage.

Their reward for qualifying was to draw England in Group C in South Africa, although the second automatic qualifying spot will remain up for grabs between themselves, USA and Algeria, so a good performance against the latter two teams and Slovenia’s fairytale, in what is just their second appearance in a World Cup, could roll on into the last-sixteen stage of the tournament – What would be considered a huge achievement back home.

Slovenia Key Players

Slovenia coach Matjaz Kek will want to make good use of Robert Koren’s valuable knowledge of English football, the Premier League specifically, as one of their toughest assignments in South Africa will be their final game in Group C against England. Koren, who received the captains armband back in 2008, has played 45 times for his country and will travel to South Africa as one of the more experienced Slovenians in camp. The current West Bromwich Albion play-maker will play an instrumental part in Slovenia’s attack in the summer, although his slim return of just four goals while on international duty means he shouldn’t be much of a threat in front of goal himself.

Up front, Milivoje Novakovic of FC Cologne in Germany, will be Slovenia’s best outlet in the final, and their main source of goalmouth activity. Standing in at a daunting 6ft 4inc, Novakovic is clearly a threat from set-pieces and crosses, scoring 14 goals in 37 international appearances, although all of his international goals have come against fairly ordinary opponents. Even so, his presence and danger in the air will make him an instant threat and a target for the Slovenia’s to lump long balls up to should they find little success in breaking through some well-drilled and highly-trained defences.

Strengths

Slovenia appear to have this underdog aurora about them. They won’t be fancied in the slightest to go far in South Africa but could cause a few countries a problem with their stiff and rigid approach to games. They should also merit some form of respect for beating Russia in a two-legged play-ff just to get this far, beating the Russian’s home and away.

Also, Slovenia finished qualifying with the best defensive record, beating the likes of England & Spain to that honour after conceding just 4 goals in 10 qualifiers. That’s a staggering statistic for such a small nation on a football scale.

Weaknesses

Their obvious flaw is that they don’t boast too many well known players, which could be seen as a good factor as it makes then an unknown quantity. However, in this day and age just about every player with an ounce of talent gets spotted and picked up by the big clubs and the fact that these Slovakian players haven’t been lured away is a concern. However, the vast majority do ply their trade with European clubs so they will have some form of knowledge of how the big names in Europe play. Still, a big lack of quality in camp makes them a weak proposition.

Slovenia Qualification for the World Cup

Sector: European
Group: 3
Position: 2nd
Win-Draw-Lose: 6-2-2
Goals Scored: 18
Goals Conceded: 4

Slovenia boast the best defensive record in Europe after conceding just four goals in ten qualifiers. However, their solid defence wasn’t enough to seal qualification via the group as they had to battle their way past Russia in a play-off to finally seal their passage in South Africa. Slovenia beat Russia 3-1 on Aggregate, winning in both Russia & Slovenia.

World Cup Potential: 2/5

Their amazing defence during qualifying makes them a potentially awkward opponent for some and they could very well spring a surprise if they defend well in games and knick a rare goal on the break. We don’t think they’ll stand much of a chance against the bigger nations but we don’t think Slovenia will leave South Africa empty handed. We fancy the Slovenians to claim at least one scalp this summer, before they inevitably pack their bags, unfortunately.

Slovenia World Cup Betting Odds

Slovenia to win the World Cup (Outright): 400/1 bWin

Before the World Cup the odds on Slovenia were 300/1 

Official Slovenia World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Samir Handanovic (Udinese Calcio)

Jasmin Handanovic (AC Mantova)

Aleksander Seliga (Sparta Rotterdam)

Defenders

Bojan Jokic (Chievo Verona)

Marko Suler (KAA Gent)

Bostjan Cesar (Grenoble Foot)

Branko Ilic (Lokomotive Moscow)

Matej Mavric (TuS Koblenz)

Elvedin Dzinic (NK Maribor)

Miso Brecko (Cologne)

Suad Filekovic (NK Maribor)

Midfielders

Andraz Kirm (Wisla Cracovia)

Andrej Komac (Maccabi Tel Aviv)

Rene Krhin (Inter Milan)

Dalibor Stevanovic (Vitesse Arnheim)

Robert Koren (West Bromwich Albion)

Aleksander Radosavljevic (AE Larissa)

Valter Birsa (AJ Auxerre)

Strikers

Milivoje Novakovic (Cologne)

Zlatko Dedic (VfL Bochum)

Zlatan Ljubijankic (KAA Gent)

Nejc Pecnik (Nacional Funchal)

Tim Matavz (FC Groningen)

last update: 18 June 2010

World Cup 2010 Slovenia Fixtures – Group C

World Cup Group C - Table

 World Cup Fixtures and Results

World Cup Group of Slovenia