Slovenia vs Sweden Prediction: Visitors’ impressive form can continue

Slovenia welcome Sweden to Stozice Stadium on Friday (19:45 BST) as both teams get their Fifa World Cup qualifying campaigns up and running. They are in Group B alongside Kosovo and Switzerland, so this could prove to be a rather competitive group.

Read on for my Slovenia vs Sweden predictions, featuring the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Despite failing to score in his first handful of appearances for Manchester United, Benjamin Sesko is set to lead the line for Slovenia, as he bids to get his confidence up before returning to Premier League action.

The striker is likely to be aided by Petar Stojanovic and Danijel Sturm in the final third. Dejan Petrovic should operate in the engine room, and he may be joined by recent call-up Adrian Zeljkovic.

The experienced Jan Oblak is expected to feature between the sticks, and the Atletico Madrid goalkeeper might be shielded by a centre-back pairing of David Brekalo and Jaka Bijol.

Football Odds

Sweden forward Alexander Isak is part of the squad after sealing his deadline day move from Newcastle United to Liverpool. In his own quest to force that transfer, the attacker refused to play for the Magpies and all training he has had has been individually.

He heads into this international break without match sharpness and he may not be guaranteed a start on Friday. Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres looks like he will lead the line alone, but he may be supported by Benjamin Nygren, who could be drafted in to take Isak's spot.

Newcastle's Anthony Elanga is set to start out wide as he looks to build some momentum to help him get his Magpies career up and running. Yasin Ayari of Brighton & Hove Albion, looks likely to start in midfield.

Former Watford man Ken Sema bagged a hat-trick in Sweden's latest fixture in a friendly with Algeria, and he looks set to start on the left flank, whether that be as a winger or wing-back.

Slovenia vs Sweden Odds

Slovenia have won their previous three fixtures heading into this clash and they are 12/5 to prevail in Ljubljana.

Their two matches before this run both ended in a draw and the stalemate can be backed at 11/5.

Sweden have won eight of their last 10 games and they are 5/4 (implied probability of 44.4%) to come away with the three points.

Isak heads the anytime goalscorer market at 13/8, followed by Gyokeres at 7/4.

Sweden to win @ 5/4

On paper, this looks like this could be a very competitive group, so a strong start could go a long way. These two sides both have momentum coming into Friday's match.

They both possess players of quality, particularly in attack, who can be the difference-makers in an important fixture such as this. Slovenia have Sesko, while Sweden possess two incredible options in Gyokeres and Isak.

The Blagult do have a stronger squad than their hosts in my opinion and I suspect we may see a gulf in class between the two sides in this match. Sweden have gained a lot of confidence from their eight wins in their most recent 10 outings, but they are up against a side who have won three on the spin.

I believe the visitors will be made to work for their victory here, and one concern is their defence as they shipped three goals against Algeria last time out, so any frailties could be exploited by Slovenia.

However, with Isak and Gyokeres at their disposal, I do think they should be able to outgun their opponents and start off their qualifying campaign with a win.

Viktor Gyokeres anytime goalscorer @ 7/4

It's been a while since Gyokeres has played for his country because he was not part of the camps for the previous two international breaks. He last featured in November as the Uefa Nations League was wrapped up.

The striker played a starring role in that campaign, with nine goals in six appearances. If he returns in the same form in which he left then Slovenia are in trouble. Gyokeres is off the mark at Arsenal, having bagged two goals in the 5-0 drubbing of Leeds United in the Premier League, but he needs more if he is going to help fire the Gunners to the Premier League title.

These upcoming international fixtures provide him with the opportunity to build some momentum before returning to England. We all know he has the quality but joining a club with huge ambitions can always lead to a nervous start.

But if he comes back having scored a few goals on the international stage, he may have some confidence that he has not yet had in an Arsenal shirt.

Today's Football Fixtures

Offers

Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down

You can read all our latest Football Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.