MATJAZ KEK, the head coach of Slovenia, reckoned he had almost the full measure of England three months ago. He brought his team to London for a weekend friendly in early September that was intended to sharpen them up for the tense denouement of their World Cup qualifying group and to usher England into what was then widely regarded as the formality of picking up the remaining point they would need to confirm their participation in South Africa.
The details of both performances would soon be overshadowed by events, errors and successes in the competitive matches that followed. But Friday's draw in Cape Town suddenly puts that September fixture into a more vivid relief. Glen Johnson's difficulties in dealing with the crossing of Nejc Pecnik, for instance, come back like disturbing déjà vu. The mood of Kek and his players as they left England's national stadium starts to resemble a dangerous piece of toxic waste festering a little too close to Fabio Capello's apparently enchanted Group C garden.
Kek was cross that evening about the circumstances surrounding Slovenia's 2-1 defeat at Wembley, because of the dubious penalty gained by Wayne Rooney that gave England their advantage. "England are England, and Slovenia are Slovenia," he said of the Swedish referee's decision. What he meant was that Slovenia are little Slovenia, England are mighty England, a theme Kek will be repeating time and again over the next six months if his initial response to the pairing of the two teams, his David against Capello's Goliath, is any indication.
Kek carries the measurements of Slovenia around with him like a jockey carries a whip. "We are the smallest country at this World Cup," he says of the thinly populated former Yugoslav state, "but we have a very big heart, and that is one of our main positives."
The Slovenians, he reminded the playground's bigger boys, were already seasoned giantkillers. "In qualifying we played against Poland, against the Czech Republic and against Russia and we won through ahead of each of them." The triumph against Russia is the most handsome feather in his cap, coming as it did in the playoff. "It is a good thing for football that a small country can beat as large a country like Russia."
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Kek was carrying around some other measurements on Friday, too. A first-round schedule that sweeps from high altitude to coast - England play Slovenia in Port Elizabeth - might upset both the Davids and the Goliaths, he suggested. "Going from hundreds of metres up and then down to sea level is a big jump," he reckons. Asked about the England-Slovenia precedent, the Wembley meeting, Kek said: "Playing at Wembley is something special. This next one is another game." While that is true, nobody would be surprised to see the coach load his left flank again, to pinpoint what he regarded as England's Achilles heel, and to try to remind Johnson how he was caught out in the build-up to Slovenia's late goal that afternoon.
Capello, meanwhile, can expect a call about this fixture from his good friend Edy Reja, a former Napoli coach with a Slovene background who grew up near Capello in Friuli, on the Italian border with Slovenia. The region is sometimes called Slovitalia because of the proximity of the two nations. Capello will hope to have put a good distance of points between his team and Kek's by the time they next come face to face.
SLOVENIA
World ranking: 33
World Cup record: 1st round 2002
Manager: Matjaz Kek
Familiar face: Robert Koren (WBA)
Starting XI: Handanovic (Udinese), Cesar (Grenoble), Brecko (Cologne), Suler (Gent), Jokic (Sochaux), Radosavlievic (Tom Tomsk), Koren, Kirm (Wisla Kraków), Dedic (Bochum), Birsa (Auxerre), Novakovic (Cologne)
Their anthem should be: Things Are Worse In Russia by Sam Mayo
Odds: 175-1
TWO QUESTIONS FOR . . .
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MATJAZ KEK SLOVENIA COACH
What are England's prospects in the group and beyond?
'Perhaps this is England's time to win the World Cup. They have a famous coach and they have very good players.'
How will you try to cause an upset?
'Slovenia are the smallest team in the World Cup, but with a great heart. That's one of our biggest pluses. It is good for football that a small country like us can beat as great a country as Russia.'