Sports Mole previews Thursday's UEFA Under-21 European Championship qualification clash between Slovenia Under-21s and England Under-21s, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

England Under-21s will look to take the next step towards qualifying for the 2023 Under-21 European Championship when they face Slovenia Under-21s on Thursday night.

While the Three Lions came through their opening encounter against Kosovo, Slovenia have claimed three points from their first two fixtures.

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Match preview

England Under-21s are very much at the start of a new period, the Football Association taking their time before replacing Aidy Boothroyd with Lee Carsley.

The Young Lions barely had to get out of second gear as they posted a 2-0 win over Kosovo, both goals being scored before the half-hour mark.

Qualification for the next major tournament is ultimately the priority and expectation, particularly having been drawn in a favourable group.

However, Carsley will want to see further improvements made against Slovenia, and just five of this squad having more than 10 caps means that there is strong competition for places.

Rhian Brewster finally ended his wait for an Under-21s strike in the last fixture, but the Sheffield United frontman has not found the back of the net for his club in two months.

On the flip side, Cole Palmer netted a wonder goal for Manchester City against Wycombe Wanderers in the EFL Cup, strengthening the feeling that the 19-year-old could emerge as an important player in this team.

Slovenia Under-21s have only won one game at this level in 10 attempts, that solitary victory coming by a 1-0 scoreline in Andorra last time out.

However, they only went down to a last-minute goal in Czech Republic four days earlier, a result which suggests that England cannot take their hosts lightly.

This group of players have only scored six goals between them at this level, four of which have been netted by Hammarby IF striker Aljosa Matko.

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Team News

With Noni Madueke being forced out of the squad through injury, Arsenal playmaker Emile Smith Rowe could be drafted into the starting lineup as his replacement.

Brewster should retain his place down the middle of the attack, getting the nod over the likes of Folarin Balogun and Joe Gelhardt.

Despite losing his spot in the Stoke City starting lineup, goalkeeper Joe Bursik is expected to feature between the sticks.

After their hard-fought victory last time out, Milenko Acimovic may see no reason to make any changes to his Slovenia XI.

Enrik Ostrc appears most likely to be brought into the side, the 19-year-old either being used as a straight replacement in central midfield or in a more defensive-minded trio.

Slovenia Under-21s possible starting lineup:
Turk; Spanring, Zec, Stojinovic, Koderman; Casar, Zabukovnik; Matko, Ticic, Zugelj; Bosilj

England Under-21s possible starting lineup:
Bursik; Aarons, Guehi, Harwood-Bellis, Thomas; Gallagher, Skipp, Garner; Smith Rowe, Brewster, Palmer

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We say: Slovenia Under-21s 0-2 England Under-21s

While England U21s are the clear favourites to prevail in this fixture, it remains to be seen whether Carsley's side will be full of goals. Nevertheless, we still expect a comfortable win for the visitors with strikes potentially coming in either half. body check tags ::

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