A humdinger of a contest awaits all at Stadion Ljudski vrt in Maribor where Slovenia hosts Ukraine in the second leg of the Euro qualifiers' playoffs on Tuesday for a 2016 Euro spot in France.
Ukraine are already in the driver's seat after they played some great football to defeat Slovenia in the first leg 2-0.
Goals scored by Andriy Yarmolenko and Yevhen Seleznyov have given Ukraine the confidence to qualify for the prestigious competition in Europe. If the duo once again gets its act going in the second leg ,Slovenia can kiss their dream of playing in Euro 2016 in France goodbye.
Ukraine, who also qualified for the last edition of the competition, cannot afford to take Slovenia lightly as the hosts are going to go full tilt in search of the elusive win at home.
Slovenia have to win the game by three clear goals in normal time or at least score two clear goals in 90 minutes and clinch it in extra time, if they want to qualify for the Euro 2016 finals in France.
If Slovenia fail to qualify, it will be for the fourth straight time they will be absent from the competition. They last qualified in 2000.
"We know what we have to do, we know that we have to score at least twice in normal time. I believe it is still possible for us to qualify but only if we are 100% prepared. Also, we can't miss chances again," UEFA official website quoted SreÄko Katanec, Slovenia coach, as saying.
Slovenia were not very poor in the first leg in Ukraine, but failed to convert their chances, which cost them dearly. With such results, Slovenia are in dire straits and Katanec is aware of the huge task ahead of the home team.
"Ukraine have a big advantage. Anyone who knows anything about football knows it will be very difficult but not impossible. One goal can change a lot. From the first leg in Lviv we have learnt that you have to take at least one of your big chances in this kind of tie. We were in control of the ball and the game – especially in the second half – but we were not aggressive enough," he said.
Slovenia, to a certain extent, will also depend on the home crowd to provide a tough atmosphere for the visitors on Tuesday. The home team is going to be supported to the hilt by the fans, but it is their players, who need to stand up and be counted on the field.
"We know about the atmosphere at this stadium – there will be great support for the home side. We have told the team all that they need to know. It's up to them to use that information on the pitch. The most important thing is to keep focused and not allow the opposition to provoke us. We talk about that at every meeting, reminding every player that they have to be disciplined," said Mykhailo Fomenko, Ukraine coach.
Where to watch live
The crucial Slovenia vs Ukraine second leg Euro 2016 qualifiers playoff is scheduled for 8:45 pm local time (1:15 am IST, 7:45 pm BST, 2:45 pm ET) start. There is no live TV coverage in India.
Viewers in the US can catch Slovenia vs Ukraine second leg Euro 2016 qualifiers playoff on Fox Sports 2 while the live stream option is Fox Soccer2Go. Viewers in the UK can enjoy the live Slovenia vs Ukraine second leg Euro 2016 qualifiers playoff on Sky Sports 4/HD with an option of going online on Sky Go.
Football fans in Ukraine can watch the game on Futbol1.