Slovenia aims to hang onto first place in Group C against USA

Slovenia will try to take a stranglehold on Group C at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on June 18 as they take on the USA. The Slovenians won their first match 1-0 against Algeria, while the Americans sit tied for second in the group after their 1-1 draw with England. Both teams might consider themselves lucky though after earning their points due to goaltending mistakes by their opponents.

Slovenia has predicted a win and it wouldn’t be too much of a shock if the 25th-ranked nation knocked of the 14th-ranked Americans. Slovenia will need good games out of midfielder Andrej Komac as well as captain Robert Koren, who scored the goal against Algeria. The USA will be hoping Clint Dempsey can hit the back of the net again as well as it was his strike that earned the point against England.

Slovenia is full of confidence at the moment due to their win and Komac is certain his team can win its second straight as he told the press after training on June 15. However, American goalie Tim Howard, who was the man of the match against England, said things aren’t going to be easy for Slovenia and that they should be expecting a hard-fought game for the whole 90 minutes.

The Americans can count themselves lucky that Howard will be able to play after injuring his ribs when English striker Emile Heskey slid into him in the first match. Heskey’s boot hit Howard in the ribs and it was feared ha may have fractured some of them. But Howard said he’s fit and anxious to play through the injury.

The USA were underdogs against England, but they’re expected to win this game against defensive-minded Slovenia. Don’t expect manager Bob Bradley to make many changes to his lineup as the Americans all handled themselves quite well against England. Midfielder Landon Donovan is recognized as the team’s best player and will need to use his speed and creativity to crack the Slovenian defence. Donovan said he’s not sure what to expect as he doesn’t know if Slovenia will be going for the win or will be satisfied with a single point.

Odds and Match Predictions

Bradley may make a couple of changes in midfield though, as Ricardo Clark and Michael Bradley were used in defensive roles against England and he may want to insert more attack-minded players against Slovenia.

Slovenia has already pulled off a huge upset recently as they beat Russia over a two-legged playoff to make the World Cup for the second time in their history, but it’s doubtful they will be able to duplicate that feat with a win against the USA. The Americans appear to be a steady and solid team and should be able to pull off a 2-0 win in this match. Bet 2-0 for the Americans for 8.50 (+750) at Sportsbook (US friendly) or just a win for the USA at 2.05 (+105).

The two teams have never met before, but the USA is favoured to take this game with Bwin listing their odds of a win at 21/20. A draw comes in at 23/10 and a win for Slovenia is posted at 14/5.

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