Slovakia Has a Chance to Progress From Group F

Slovakia may be making its first appearance in a World Cup but Al feels this team has a chance at making it to the knockout stages.

How they got here
Slovakia won the most competitive and exciting group in the European qualifiers to book an automatic spot in the 2010 World Cup. Slovakia got off to a mixed start beating Northern Ireland and Poland at home but losing on the road to Slovenia. An historic 2-1 win at rivals Czech Republic was followed by a 7-0 stomping of San Marino to put Slovakia in charge of the group.

A road win over Northern Ireland looked to have secured qualification but a shock home loss to Slovenia meant Slovakia had to win its last game, at Poland, to top the group and avoid the playoffs. An own-goal by Poland’s Seweryn Gancarczyk was enough to give Slovakia a 1-0 win and secure a place in South Africa.

Who to watch
Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel is the best known player on the Slovakian roster and the defender will play a crucial role for the team in South Africa. While Skrtel has already made a name internationally, another English Premier League (EPL) player will look to be the breakout star of the 2010 World Cup. Chelsea’s Miroslav Stoch enters the World Cup on the back of a league winning season but not with the EPL champions. Stoch spent the 2009/10 season on loan to Dutch team FC Twente and the midfielder made 32 appearances as he helped Twente win its first ever Eredivisie title.

The performances of goalkeeper Jan Mucha will be a good indicator of Slovakia’s form so keep an eye on how the new Everton signing plays in South Africa. Everton management has already expressed some fears about the signing based on Mucha’s recent performances with Legia Warsaw so the Slovakian goalkeeper will want to put things right in South Africa.

How they will perform
In almost any other group I wouldn’t even consider Slovakia as a serious contender to make the knockout rounds but the lack of depth in the group, coupled with a favorable schedule, gives the World Cup debutants a fighting chance. If Slovakia can win its opening game then it may only need a point from games against Paraguay and Italy in order to progress. I’m not convinced Slovakia will pull it off and feel they will more likely end up on the outside looking in but this team has a good shot as an underdog to make it out of Group F.

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