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Minnows Slovenia gained independence form Yugoslavia in 1991. Since then, in their short footballing history they have qualified once for the showpiece event in Korea-Japan 2002 when they defeated the likes of Switzerland and ironically, Yugoslavia to qualify for the World Cup. South Africa 2010 marks their 2nd ever FIFA World Cup finals adventure and the young nation will be desperate to register its first ever points on the global stage. In their 2002 sojourn, Slovenia lost all three of their games, 3-1 defeats to Spain and Paraguay were interspersed with a 1-0 defeat to South Africa.
Slovenia are ranked 23rd in the FIFA rankings and are placed in Group B alongside Algeria, USA and mighty England. They'll be hoping for a good run in South Africa and build on their brillaint qualifying campaign which saw them earn a ticket to South Africa at Russia's expense.
Slovenia finished second behind Slovakia in Qualifying, in a Group that consisted of Czech Republic, Poland, San Marino and Northern Ireland as well. They entered a play-off against Euro 2008 semi-finalists Russia and ran out surprise winners on the away goals rule. The win marked the end of a terrible run for the country, after they had failed to qualify for for Euro 2008, their third consecutive major tournament miss since the 2002 World Cup.
Slovenia will be happy to be in Group C, as in Algeria and USA they have two teams they would believe they can beat on their day. They would need to get maximum points from their first two fixtures in order to leave nothing to chance when they come up against England.
Samir Handanovic - Slovenia conceded just 4 goals in their qualifying campaign. Their saviour between the sticks is Udinese keeper Samir Handanovic. Handanovic has contributed heavily to Slovenia's success and he will relish the opportunity to showcase his skills at the biggest stage.
Milivoje Novakovic - The 30-year old Cologne striker is at the peak of his footballing career. Milivoje Novakovic netted 5 times for Slovenia in the qualifying campaign and has been proclaimed by the media as the "backbone" of an otherwise youthful Slovenia squad.
Robert Koren - The 29-year old midfielder is one of the best known faces in the Slovenian squad, having made his way over the English Premier League with West Brom after a successful campaign with Norwegian side Lillestrom. He is the captain of the national team and will need to get on the ball frequently to drive Slovenia forward.
Team:Defenders: Bojan Jokic (Chievo), Marko Suler (Gent), Bostjan Cesar (Grenoble), Branko Ilic (FC Moscow), Matej Mavric-Rozic (Koblenz), Dejan Kelhar (Cercle Brugge), Elvedin Dzinic (Maribor), Miso Brecko (Cologne), Aleksandar Rajcevic (Koper), Suad Filekovic (Maribor)
Midfielders: Andraz Kirm (Wisla Krakow), Andrej Komac (Maccabi Tel-Aviv), Rene Krhin (Inter Milan), Mirnes Sisic (Giannina), Darjan Matic (Rapid Bucharest), Dare Vrsic (Koper), Dalibor Stevanovic (Vitesse Arnhem), Robert Koren (West Brom), Aleksander Radosavljevic (Larissa), Valter Birsa (Auxerre)
Forwards: Milivoje Novakovic (Cologne), Zlatko Dedic (Bochum), Zlatan Ljubijankic (Gent), Nejc Pecnik (Nacional), Miran Burgic (AIK Solna), Tim Matavz (FC Groningen)
Top Goal Scorers: Robert Koren(4), Milivoje Novakovič(14)
Most Capped Players: Boštjan Cesar(41), Robert Koren(45)
Head Coach: Matjaz KekForm Guide: (WWLWW)
Oct 10, Slovakia 0-2 Slovenia
Oct 14, San Marino 0-3 Slovenia
Nov 14, Russia 2-1 Slovenia
Nov 18, Slovenia 1-0 Russia
Mar 03, Slovenia 4-1 Qatar
Fixtures:
13-Jun: Algeria vs Slovenia 12:30pm (GMT) - Match Report
18-Jun: Slovenia vs United States 3:00pm (GMT) - Match Report
23-Jun: Slovenia vs. England 3:00pm (GMT) - Match Report
Team Trivia
Slovenia is the smallest country represented in the FIFA World Cup 2010 with a population of just 2 million.
Also Read:
Group Competitior Previews: England, USA, Algeria
File Photograph Copyright: Robert Jerin
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