Appearances: This will be their first appearance
Current FIFA Ranking (As of April 28): 38
Captain: Marek Hamsik (Midfielder)
Leading Scorer in Qualifying: Stanislav Sestak (Striker/Winger) - 6 goals
Key Injuries:
Martin Skrtel (Center back): Broken right foot - Should return in time for the World Cup.
Flilip Holosko (Striker): Broken leg - Should return in time for the World Cup.
Robert Vittek (Striker): Knee injury - Should return in time for the World Cup.
Key retirements since 2006:
No significant retirements to note.
Team Overview:
Slovakia makes history this year with their first World Cup appearance as an independent country. The team is short on star players but made up for it in qualifying with solid team play. They shocked everyone by qualifying first in a group that included Poland, Slovenia and a perennial soccer power in the Czech Republic. They are in a group where they could easily get second place so Slovakia could be able to make a small run this year.
Slovakia is a young and inexperienced squad and they had trouble on the defensive side of the ball during qualifying. They managed to make it through due to their efficiency on offense.
Starting in goal is Jan Mucha, an inexperienced player who will soon sign with Everton, where he will back up United States goalie Tim Howard. He struggled some during qualifying and may not be used to the ability of the players that he may see in the World Cup. He spent the last five years playing in the Polish League.
The backline is a solid group that is led by Martin Skrtel. However, Skrtel is currently recovering from a broken foot and has not played since February so his fitness may come into question. If he is not up to par, Slovakia will be in a lot of trouble.
Slovakia's best player and captain roams the midfield. Marek Hamsik is one of the best players in the world that no one knows about. Despite being only 22-years-old, he is the captain of his national team and is easily the most important player on the team. Another player to watch is winger Miroslav Stoch, a diminutive 5'6" speedster who has a great ability to cross the ball. 3 of the starters in midfield are 22-years-old or younger. The one who is not is the oldest player on the team, 33-year-old Zdeno Strba.
The forwards for Slovakia are an unproven group. How much of an impact can they actually make during the games. Stanislav Sestak is probably the one where most of the scoring duties will fall, however, he may find difficulty getting through difficult defenses like Italy and Paraguay. He will need to count on the midfield to get him the ball in order for him and his fellow forwards to succeed.
Player to Watch: Marek Hamsik
There's no question that the only player that defenses are seriously worried about is Hamsik. In two seasons with his club team, Napoli, he has been their leading scorer. He is a strong player that is tough to work off the ball and has the ability to pick and choose his passes. Slovakia's flow of play will go through Hamsik. He is the two time winner of the Slovakian Player of the Year award. However, he is still quite young so the big stage and pressure could be overwhelming for him. He also struggles mightily on the defensive side of the ball so the opposition can exploit that weakness.
Prediction: Second round loss to Netherlands.
The final squad will not be announced until June 10 but the provisional World Cup squad can be found here.
Match Schedule
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