At 33 years of age, Atalanta stalwart Josip Ilicic remains Slovenia’s biggest star as they look to qualify for a major tournament for the first time since the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Their slow start in this campaign has resulted in only four points after four outings. Their poor performances in the opening games of this qualification include also a 1-0 defeat to Cyprus.
Their hopes of booking a berth into next year’s World Cup edition in Qatar will go through tonight’s tie with Malta as both sides are level on four points.
The team and supporters will hope that Ilicic’s glimpses of geniality can propel them to the World Cup. Ilicic scored in the 2-1 defeat against Russia and was the assist man for their only goal in last Wednesday’s 1-1 stalemate with Slovakia.