Slovenia are the smallest nation at this World Cup and, should they overcome United States at Ellis Park, they will have achieved the remarkable feat of qualifying for the knockout stages. Nevertheless, they will have to play better than they did against Algeria at Polokwane, where they appeared infected by nerves and owed their 1-0 victory to what would have been the worst goalkeeping blunder at this World Cup were it not for Robert Green.

Jay DeMerit had a point when he said that the United States deserved more than just a draw against England in Rustenburg. They may have owed plenty to Robert Green’s inability to control the softest of shots from Clint Dempsey, but England had their under-fire keeper and the post to thank for emerging from the Royal Bafokeng with a point. Tim Howard has recovered from his painful collision with Emile Heskey and Oguchi Onyewu, who went into their opening game with just one match in nine months will, be that bit fitter.

The American coach, Bob Bradley, says he expects more of a “chess match” than the frantic game England gave them in their opening fixture. However, they should be wary of reducing the match to Slovenia’s pace. Since they face England in their final group game, Slovenia know this represents an enormous opportunity and cannot play as timidly as they did against the Algerians. Verdict: Draw.