What Bettors Need To Know: England vs. Slovenia
By MICHAEL DA SILVA
England (-303) vs. Slovenia (+500, 2.5)
England face Slovenia in what is a winner-takes-all final Group C game Wednesday. A draw will take Slovenia through but only a win is good enough for England, who have struggled to hit top form. While the game could be tense and cagey, England need goals, so it promises to be a fascinating encounter – if not a goal-fest.
Game strategy
England have been in turmoil ever since Robert Green spilled Clint Dempsey’s shot into his own net 10 days ago. And the unrest has only intensified since Friday’s dire 0-0 draw with Algeria.
With John Terry unhappy with the Capello regime and talks of a coup backfiring on the former England captain, this England side are in danger of becoming the new France.
Following Terry’s emergence as England’s unsuccessful mutineer, Capello has almost taunted the man of whom he stripped of the team captaincy earlier this year.
"When you speak you have to speak privately," the England coach told Britain’s ITV. "This is the big mistake - a very big mistake. It's not revolution. It's the mistake of another player".
This was after Terry had said players had “things to get off their chest” and that some of the England squad could follow France’s Nicolas Anelka in catching the next flight home.
But the England players must put politics to one side if they are to avoid the airport.
It remains to be seen whether Capello will change his tactics to bring Chelsea’s Joe Cole into the starting 11, with England’s current forward line of Emile Heskey and Wayne Rooney struggling to find the net.
England are set to stick with David James between the posts, but the suspended Jamie Carragher is replaced by Matthew Upson is defence – Terry’s third central defensive partner in as many games.
Slovenia have quietly gone about their business of topping Group C with a win against Algeria and a draw against the USA.
The Slovenians are known for their tidy passing game and ability to keep the ball for long periods, with the likes of Robert Koren and Valter Birsa key to their hopes of sending England home.
Slovenia is a country of just 2 million, the smallest population of any team at the World Cup, giving their team slogan “Never Judge Greatness by Size” particular significance.
Their captain Robert Koren is a man full of confidence in his side's goal to dent the egos of England's Premier League stars and a firm believer in the slogan, which dominates their base in the wealthy Hyde Park area of Johannesburg.
"It was a big achievement for the country to come to the World Cup but now everybody wants to improve," he said.
"When we arrived in South Africa we said we wanted to go through the group stage and we are full of confidence that we can. We already expected before the tournament to go through the group stage, and this is still the same.
"We all know that England is a really good team with big players in their squad, but we are not thinking too much about England - we will concentrate on ourselves and the way we want to play."
Players to watch
England – Steven Gerrard
In what has been a dismal World Cup for the English so far, Steven Gerrard has been one of the few players to have hit the heights of his club form, with that brilliantly crafted and finished goal against the USA.
Gerrard tends to thrive as captain, as he does at Liverpool. If he is played in the more advanced role that many think he should play in against Slovenia, he is likely to be a key influence and goal threat for England.
Slovenia – Milivoje Novakovic
Novakovic, who plies his trade for German side Cologne, is a lanky, long-haired beanpole of a striker whose sly, predatory penalty-box skills have seen him bag 14 goals in 39 international games.
Not quite as tall as Peter Crouch, but just as awkward to play against.
Know your enemy
The last meeting between these two sides was a closely-fought friendly at Wembley Stadium in September 2009. England came out 2-1 winners that day with goals from Frank Lampard and Jermain Defoe proving enough to clinch victory.
England’s central defenders that day, Matthew Upson and John Terry, were given an uncomfortable afternoon by Novakovic, who was a handful in attack.
But Slovenia, despite not coming away with the win, reduced England to a style that didn’t please Capello.
“The concentration was not good in the last four or five minutes,” Capello said. “We were too slow and tried to play a long ball. This is not how I want us to play. It was not good concentration from us — I want us to focus in every moment.”
Weather / Pitch
The weather for Wednesday’s crucial clash should suit both sides with it being typically European with highs of 70 degrees. But as the lights go out in Port Elizabeth, temperatures will drop as low as 50.
But with no rain forecast, there should be no greasy surfaces or slippery balls to worry about.
But something that is a concern to both sides is the pitch. The Port Elizabeth surface was badly cut up after Switzerland played Chile, and FIFA prevented both teams from training on it the night before the game. However, this could be less of a concern to England, who are used to playing on Wembley’s boggy pitch.
Stat attack
On paper, the game is something of a mismatch. England has over 4,000 registered professional players, whilst Slovenia has 429. England have 42,490 different football clubs, whereas Slovenia has 257. And while Fabio Capello earns $10 million a year, Slovenia’s coach Matjaz Kek earns a measly $500,000.
Jermain Defoe played his 41st match for England against Algeria, but has never played a full 90 minutes.
Wayne Rooney has scored no goals and has no assists in seven appearances (523 mins) at the World Cup finals.
England have drawn 10 games 0-0 at World Cups, more than any other team in World Cup finals history.