Slovakia ahead of the 2010 World Cup

All of Slovakia is eagerly awaiting the start of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The entire nation will be proudly cheering on the Slovak national team in front of their televisions. The small (footballing) nation is taking part in a World Cup for the first time and sensationally qualified for the major event. National coach Weiss is already working at full speed on his plans for the 2010 World Cup.

The cornerstones of the Slovak national team

There is no doubt that coach Vladimir Weiss deserves to be called the architect of this success. He prepared his team perfectly for the World Cup qualifiers against higher-ranked sides such as the Czech Republic, Poland and Northern Ireland. Slovakia won both matches against Poland and secured an away victory against the Czech Republic.
Among the national team’s key players, Miroslav Karhan stands out first: the longtime captain of Slovakia’s national side, he is familiar to German fans from his time in the Bundesliga as a player for 1. FSV Mainz 05. Other key contributors include former England-based player Szilárd Németh and former Nuremberg player and current captain Róbert Vittek. Marek Hamšík, who plays in Italy’s Serie A for SSC Napoli, and Martin Škrtel of Premier League giants Liverpool have also been important players for Slovakia on its way to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The squad is rounded out by the coach’s son Weiss (Manchester City), Stanislav Šesták (VfL Bochum), Peter Pekarík (VfL Wolfsburg), Erik Jendrišek and Adam Nemec (1. FC Kaiserslautern).

Slovakia’s road to the 2010 World Cup

In South Africa, Slovakia will play Italy, Paraguay and New Zealand in Group F. Italy are clear favorites in the group, but Slovakia believes it has a real chance of finishing second against the other teams, which would earn it a place in the knockout stage of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. To prepare for the tournament, several friendly matches were arranged. Slovakia lost the first, at home against Norway, 0–1.

The remaining fixtures for Slovakia’s national team before the 2010 World Cup:

Sat, 29 May 2010 Slovakia – Cameroon

Sat, 5 June 2010 Slovakia – Costa Rica