Sweden – Slovenia

The Swedes are expected tp win in front of their fans

The suburbs of Stockholm will host a crucial match for Sweden and Slovenia in the final round of the Nations League B. The tournament path for both countries is not an easy one, so in their head-to-head encounter, they are called upon to determine the departing side for the Liga C to teams on the level of Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, and the Faroe Islands. Before the starting whistle of German referee Zwaier, the Swedes are tied for fourth with three points, while the Slovenians are two points clearer. Neither side is likely to climb higher than third place. The home side is favourite to win, with the bookmakers putting the odds on their side being slightly lower than the visitors' score of at least one point. The Swedes were excellent in their group at last year's European Championships, only to be eliminated in the playoffs by Ukraine. The Blues and Yellows defeated Spain in their first game back on home soil to claim sole possession of the World Cup qualifying group. However, that victory a year ago ended the Swedes' success. The Scandinavian national side lost their qualifying game in Qatar to Spain, then crashed out in the final stages of the playoffs against Poland. Sweden started the current Nations League campaign with an away win against Slovenia but have lost all of their next four games. In that encounter, Slovenia conceded the opening goal on penalties, before their efforts to get back into the game ended in the 88th minute with a second goal. However, the Slovenians showed the opposite dynamic to their opponents. After losing their opening two games to Sweden and Serbia, the team picked up four points against Norway and drew at home against the Serbs. Five points is enough for the Slovenians now to focus on defending their own goal in Solna, as a draw will do them good. Nor is it likely that the Swedes will be desperate to attack from the outset at home. The current run of four defeats in a row will certainly not help the Blue-Yellows to be too confident. The home side will take control of the ball and try to play first-choice and, when they score, try to maintain a minimal advantage in the scoreline. It's a safe bet that this game won't be rich in goals.