SM
Saturday, April 20
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data

Preview: Slovenia Under-21s vs. England Under-21s - prediction, team news, lineups

:Headline: Preview: Slovenia Under-21s vs. England Under-21s - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Thursday's UEFA Under-21 European Championship qualification clash between Slovenia Under-21s and England Under-21s, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Sports Mole

England Under-21s will look to take the next step towards qualifying for the 2023 Under-21 European Championship when they face Slovenia Under-21s on Thursday night.

While the Three Lions came through their opening encounter against Kosovo, Slovenia have claimed three points from their first two fixtures.


Match preview

England Under-21s are very much at the start of a new period, the Football Association taking their time before replacing Aidy Boothroyd with Lee Carsley.

The Young Lions barely had to get out of second gear as they posted a 2-0 win over Kosovo, both goals being scored before the half-hour mark.

Qualification for the next major tournament is ultimately the priority and expectation, particularly having been drawn in a favourable group.

However, Carsley will want to see further improvements made against Slovenia, and just five of this squad having more than 10 caps means that there is strong competition for places.

Rhian Brewster finally ended his wait for an Under-21s strike in the last fixture, but the Sheffield United frontman has not found the back of the net for his club in two months.

On the flip side, Cole Palmer netted a wonder goal for Manchester City against Wycombe Wanderers in the EFL Cup, strengthening the feeling that the 19-year-old could emerge as an important player in this team.

Slovenia Under-21s have only won one game at this level in 10 attempts, that solitary victory coming by a 1-0 scoreline in Andorra last time out.

However, they only went down to a last-minute goal in Czech Republic four days earlier, a result which suggests that England cannot take their hosts lightly.

This group of players have only scored six goals between them at this level, four of which have been netted by Hammarby IF striker Aljosa Matko.

Slovenia UEFA Under-21 European Championship qualification form:
  • L
  • W

Slovenia form (all competitions):
  • D
  • L
  • D
  • L
  • L
  • W

England UEFA Under-21 European Championship qualification form:
  • W

England form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • L
  • L
  • W
  • W

Team News

With Noni Madueke being forced out of the squad through injury, Arsenal playmaker Emile Smith Rowe could be drafted into the starting lineup as his replacement.

Brewster should retain his place down the middle of the attack, getting the nod over the likes of Folarin Balogun and Joe Gelhardt.

Despite losing his spot in the Stoke City starting lineup, goalkeeper Joe Bursik is expected to feature between the sticks.

After their hard-fought victory last time out, Milenko Acimovic may see no reason to make any changes to his Slovenia XI.

Enrik Ostrc appears most likely to be brought into the side, the 19-year-old either being used as a straight replacement in central midfield or in a more defensive-minded trio.

Slovenia Under-21s possible starting lineup:
Turk; Spanring, Zec, Stojinovic, Koderman; Casar, Zabukovnik; Matko, Ticic, Zugelj; Bosilj

England Under-21s possible starting lineup:
Bursik; Aarons, Guehi, Harwood-Bellis, Thomas; Gallagher, Skipp, Garner; Smith Rowe, Brewster, Palmer


We say: Slovenia Under-21s 0-2 England Under-21s

While England U21s are the clear favourites to prevail in this fixture, it remains to be seen whether Carsley's side will be full of goals. Nevertheless, we still expect a comfortable win for the visitors with strikes potentially coming in either half. body check tags ::

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


amp_article__466564 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2021-10-07 12:34:02:
html db last update - 2021-10-05 09:56:08 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html
Read more!
Share this article now:
AE
Read Next:
Three Arsenal players named in England Under-21 squad
>


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Read more about Lee Carsley Aidy Boothroyd Rhian Brewster Cole Palmer Aljosa Matko Noni Madueke Emile Smith Rowe Folarin Balogun Joe Gelhardt Joe Bursik Milenko Acimovic Enrik Ostrc Football
Follow @SportsMole for the latest breaking news stories, and follow @sm_headlines to get every headline from Sports Mole
Recommended Next on SM
Three Arsenal players named in England Under-21 squad
Leicester go top of Championship with win over West Brom

Page options

Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
2Arsenal32225575264971
3Liverpool32218372314171
4Aston Villa33196868491963
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle321551269521750
7Manchester UnitedMan Utd32155124748-150
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham33139115258-648
9Chelsea31138106152947
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves32127134651-543
12Fulham33126154951-242
13Bournemouth32119124757-1042
14Crystal Palace3289153754-1733
15Brentford3388174758-1132
16Everton3298153248-1627
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3379174258-1626
18Luton TownLuton3367204670-2425
19Burnley3348213368-3520
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3237223084-5416
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

Team News: Haaland missing for Man City, Fernandez returns for Chelsea

NEW

1

TN

Barcelona 'make final decision on Xavi replacement'

2

B'

Port Vale, Fleetwood Town relegated from League One

NEW

3

PV

Barcelona, Man City 'to battle for 25-year-old Bundesliga attacker'

4

BM

Real Madrid 'willing to delay Alphonso Davies pursuit'

5

RM

Lukaku set for Chelsea return this summer?

6

LS

Liverpool midfielder set for summer exit after only one year at club?

7

LM

Man United midfielder 'very close to signing new contract'

8

MU

Saturday's Championship predictions including Leicester vs. West Brom

9

SC

"He can be a disaster" - William Gallas slams Arsenal centre-back

10

&C


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .