Scotland and Slovenia go into the rematch level on four points in Group B1, with their first meeting ending 0-0 on September 26. Scotland also arrive off a 2-0 win in Skopje on Saturday, Sebastien Pocognoli's first victory in charge. The margins are tight, and this one looks set to hinge on who handles the key moments better.
Scotland's first win under Pocognoli
Scotland's win in Skopje ended a four-match scoreless run and gave Pocognoli something concrete to build from, but it did not wipe out the concerns around the side. Scott McKenna is suspended after his red card against North Macedonia, while Jack Hendry is returning from a red-card ban of his own.
That leaves Scotland having to manage the back line carefully in a game where control could matter more than pace. Andy Robertson is also closing in on Dalglish's appearance record, which adds a different bit of pressure to the night, even if the main job is still getting the result.
Slovenia's early threat
Slovenia have already shown they can start fast. Zan Vipotnik gave them the lead two minutes into the game against Switzerland, and he has a Nations League rating of 7.08 with one goal in the competition. Sandi Lovric has also scored once, so there is more than one route to an early punch.
That gives Scotland vs Slovenia a familiar shape. The reverse fixture was cagey, and Sports Mole's preview argued that Slovenia are likely to be competitive again. Scotland's 2-0 win over North Macedonia has lifted the mood, but Slovenia have already shown enough to make this a proper test at Hampden Park.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
