At Stozice Stadium in Ljubljana, on Monday, October 13, Slovenia will face Switzerland in the 4th round of Group B of the FIFA World Cup 2026 UEFA qualifiers, to be held next June in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. After the first three rounds, Switzerland is firmly at the top of the standings with a perfect record, while Slovenia lags in third place with only 2 points, yet to secure a win. Francesco Calzona's team has a clear goal: to achieve their first victory in this qualifying campaign to stay in the running for at least second place, which grants access to the playoffs, where Kosovo currently leads by two points. Switzerland, on the other hand, is motivated to secure a fourth consecutive group win to cement first place and, in case of a Kosovo loss against Sweden (last with only one point), achieve direct qualification to the 2026 World Cup.

Slovenia's Form and Key Statistics

Slovenia is going through a rough patch, having failed to win in their last seven matches across all competitions, with a record of two losses and five draws. In their most recent match on October 10, Francesco Calzona's men drew 0-0 away against Kosovo, remaining two points behind second place in the group.

Slovenia’s World Cup qualifying campaign has been disappointing so far: two draws and one defeat in the first three rounds, totaling 2 points, with an average of 0.67 goals scored and 1.67 conceded per match. The 0-0 draw in the last round marked their first clean sheet in the group but also their second consecutive match without scoring, highlighting offensive struggles.

At home, performances have been more encouraging: Slovenia has lost only one of the last five home matches across all competitions, with three draws and one victory.

Switzerland's Form and Key Statistics

Switzerland is in excellent form: including friendlies, the Swiss are coming off six consecutive wins, notably without conceding a goal in the last four matches. Their latest success came on October 10: a 2-0 away win against Sweden, with goals from Granit Xhaka and Johan Manzambi.

In Group B, Murat Yakin’s team is flying high, sitting at first place with 9 points from three wins in three matches, averaging 3 goals scored and none conceded per game. The team’s top scorer is Breel Embolo, with 3 goals so far, while the defense, led by Manuel Akanji, remains the real strong point.

The October 10 victory in Sweden ended a run of three consecutive away losses against Denmark, Serbia, and Spain. This signals progress and gives Swiss fans hope for the upcoming match against Slovenia, where Switzerland will aim for another decisive step toward qualification for the 2026 World Cup.

Slovenia vs Switzerland Prediction by BetMines

Based on the first three rounds of Group B, Switzerland is the clear favorite to return from Slovenia with another three points. According to BetMines’ algorithm, an away win has a 45% probability, compared to 27% for the home team and 28% for a draw.

The prediction further favors Switzerland due to the first-leg result on September 8 in Basel, where the Swiss won convincingly 3-0. Overall, Switzerland has won four of the last five head-to-head encounters against Slovenia, averaging 1.8 goals scored and just 0.4 conceded per game.

Given the defensive solidity shown by Murat Yakin’s men, it’s possible that Gregor Kobel could achieve a fourth consecutive clean sheet, against a Slovenian attack that hasn’t scored in two matches. Adding to the hosts’ challenges is the injury absence of Lobotka, a key player in dictating the pace of Francesco Calzona’s play.

For this reason, besides betting on a Switzerland win, the “at least one team does not score” and “Under 2.5 goals”, each with a 53% probability, are also valid alternatives.

Probable Lineups Slovenia vs Switzerland

SLOVENIA (4-4-2): Oblak; Brekalo, Bijol, Drkusic, Karnicnik; Seslar, Cerin, Elsnik, Stojanovic; Gradisar, Sesko. Coach: F. Calzona

SWITZERLAND (4-3-3): Kobel; Widmer, Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez; Freuler, Xhaka, Rieder; Ndoye, Embolo, Vargas. Coach: M. Yakin