Slovenia

Association Football Association of Slovenia Confederation UEFA (Europe) Head coach Matjaž Kek Captain Robert Koren Most caps Zlatko Zahovic (80) Top scorer Zlatko Zahovic (35) Home stadium Stadion Ljudski vrt Športni park Stožice FIFA code SVN FIFA ranking 25 Highest FIFA ranking 23 (April 2010) Lowest FIFA ranking 134 (December 1993) Elo ranking 47 Highest Elo ranking 28 (November 2001) Lowest Elo ranking 87 (November 1993) Home Colours Away Colours Biggest win Oman 0–7 Slovenia (Muscat, Oman; 8 February 1999) Biggest defeat France 5–0 Slovenia (Saint-Denis, France; 12 October 2002) World Cup Appearances 1 (First in 2002) Best result Round 1, 2002 European Championship Appearances 1 (First in 2000) Best result Round 1, 2000

The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia. They played their first match in 1992 after the split of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1991. Before that, Slovenian players played for the Yugoslavia national football team. Slovenia were surprise qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2000, when they beat Ukraine in a playoff. They turned some heads during the tournament, drawing with Yugoslavia and Norway, and only losing to Spain 2–1. Slovenia achieved another major success two years later, qualifying for the 2002 World Cup, this time defeating Romania in a playoff. They did not lose a match in their whole qualifying campaign, recording six wins and six draws. However, they did not do as well in the finals, as they went home pointless. Despite failing to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, they were the only team to beat Italy on their way to winning the tournament with a shock 1–0 victory on home turf. It wasn't the only time they avoided defeat against the team – in 1995 they held them to 1–1 draw in the qualifying campaign for UEFA Euro 1996, and also took the lead. In November 2009, Slovenia defeated Russia in a playoff to clinch a berth in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.....

2010 FIFA World Cup qualification Team v • d • e Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts  Slovakia 10 7 1 2 22 10 +12 22  Slovenia 10 6 2 2 18 4 +14 20  Czech Republic 10 4 4 2 17 6 +11 16  Northern Ireland 10 4 3 3 13 9 +4 15  Poland 10 3 2 5 19 14 +5 11  San Marino 10 0 0 10 1 47 -46 0   Czech Republic  – 0 – 0 2 – 0 7 – 0 1 – 2 1 – 0 Northern Ireland  0 – 0 – 3 – 2 4 – 0 0 – 2 1 – 0 Poland  2 – 1 1 – 1 – 10 – 0 0 – 1 1 – 1 San Marino  0 – 3 0 – 3 0 – 2 – 1 – 3 0 – 3 Slovakia  2 – 2 2 – 1 2 – 1 7 – 0 – 0 – 2 Slovenia  0 – 0 2 – 0 3 – 0 5 – 0 2 – 1 – Team #1   Agg.   Team #2   1st leg     2nd leg    Russia 2–2 (a)  Slovenia 2–1 0–1 Slovenia qualified after defeating Russia on away goals following a 2-2 aggregate tie. UEFA Euro 2012 qualification Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts  Slovenia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  Italy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  Serbia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  Northern Ireland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  Estonia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  Faroe Islands 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Schedule and results Recent and upcoming games Date Location Opponent Score Competition Slovenia scorers 1 April, 2009 Belfast, Northern Ireland  Northern Ireland 0–1 2010 FIFA World Cup Q 12 August, 2009 Maribor, Slovenia  San Marino 5–0 2010 FIFA World Cup Q Koren  19', Radosavljevic  39', Kirm  54', Koren  74', Ljubijankic  90' 5 September, 2009 London, England  England 1–2 F Ljubijankic  85' 9 September, 2009 Maribor, Slovenia  Poland 3–0 2010 FIFA World Cup Q Dedic  13', Novakovic  44', Birsa  62' 10 October, 2009 Bratislava, Slovakia  Slovakia 2–0 2010 FIFA World Cup Q Birsa  56', Pecnik  90' 14 October, 2009 Serravalle, San Marino  San Marino 3–0 2010 FIFA World Cup Q Novakovic  24', Stevanovic  68', Šuler  81' 14 November, 2009 Moscow, Russia  Russia 1–2 2010 FIFA World Cup Q Pecnik  88' 18 November, 2009 Maribor, Slovenia  Russia 1–0 2010 FIFA World Cup Q Dedic  44' 3 March, 2010 Maribor, Slovenia  Qatar 4–1 F Novakovic  14', Cesar  30', Kirm  34', Jokic  66' 4 June, 2010 Maribor, Slovenia  New Zealand 3–1 F Novakovic  7', Novakovic  30', Kirm  44' 13 June, 2010 Polokwane, South Africa  Algeria 2010 FIFA World Cup 18 June, 2010 Johannesburg, South Africa  United States 2010 FIFA World Cup 23 June, 2010 Port Elizabeth, South Africa  England 2010 FIFA World Cup 18 August, 2010 Ljubljana, Slovenia  Australia F 3 September, 2010 Maribor, Slovenia  Northern Ireland UEFA Euro 2012 Q 7 September, 2010 Belgrade, Serbia  Serbia UEFA Euro 2012 Q 8 October, 2010 Ljubljana, Slovenia  Faroe Islands UEFA Euro 2012 Q 12 October, 2010 Tallinn, Estonia  Estonia UEFA Euro 2012 Q 17 November, 2010 Ljubljana, Slovenia TBD F 9 February, 2011 TBD TBD F Current squad The following 23 players were named as part of the squad for the World Cup in South Africa. No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club 1 GK Samir Handanovic 14 July 1984 (1984-07-14) (age 25) 39 0 Udinese 12 GK Jasmin Handanovic 28 January 1978 (1978-01-28) (age 32) 3 0 Mantova 16 GK Aleksander Šeliga 1 February 1980 (1980-02-01) (age 30) 1 0 Sparta Rotterdam 2 DF Mišo Brecko 1 May 1984 (1984-05-01) (age 26) 31 0 Köln 3 DF Elvedin Džinic 25 August 1985 (1985-08-25) (age 24) 0 0 Maribor 4 DF Marko Šuler 9 March 1983 (1983-03-09) (age 27) 17 2 Gent 5 DF Boštjan Cesar 9 July 1982 (1982-07-09) (age 27) 42 3 Chievo 6 DF Branko Ilic 6 February 1983 (1983-02-06) (age 27) 37 0 Lokomotiv Moscow 13 DF Bojan Jokic 17 May 1986 (1986-05-17) (age 24) 34 1 Chievo 19 DF Suad Filekovic 16 September 1978 (1978-09-16) (age 31) 14 0 Maribor 22 DF Matej Mavric 29 January 1979 (1979-01-29) (age 31) 32 1 TuS Koblenz 8 MF Robert Koren 20 September 1980 (1980-09-20) (age 29) 46 4 West Bromwich Albion 10 MF Valter Birsa 7 August 1986 (1986-08-07) (age 23) 34 2 Auxerre 15 MF Rene Krhin 21 May 1990 (1990-05-21) (age 20) 4 0 Internazionale 17 MF Andraž Kirm 6 September 1984 (1984-09-06) (age 25) 26 3 Wisla Kraków 18 MF Aleksander Radosavljevic 25 April 1979 (1979-04-25) (age 31) 15 1 Larissa 20 MF Andrej Komac 4 December 1979 (1979-12-04) (age 30) 41 0 Maccabi Tel Aviv 21 MF Dalibor Stevanovic September 27, 1984 (1984-09-27) (age 25) 15 1 Vitesse 7 FW Nejc Pecnik January 3, 1986 (1986-01-03) (age 24) 8 2 Nacional 9 FW Zlatan Ljubijankic 15 December 1983 (1983-12-15) (age 26) 17 4 Gent 11 FW Milivoje Novakovic 18 May 1979 (1979-05-18) (age 31) 38 16 Köln 14 FW Zlatko Dedic 10 May 1984 (1984-05-10) (age 26) 24 3 Bochum 23 FW Tim Matavž January 13, 1989 (1989-01-13) (age 21) 1 0 Groningen Last updated: 05 June 2010. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only. Recent call-ups The following players have also been called up to the Slovenia squad in 2008, 2009 and 2010. No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club GK Jan Koprivec* 15 July 1988 (1988-07-15) (age 21) 0 0 Gallipoli Calcio DF Aleksander Rajcevic* 17 November 1986 (1986-11-17) (age 23) 0 0 Maribor DF Dejan Kelhar** 5 April 1984 (1984-04-05) (age 26) 1 0 Cercle Brugge 24 DF Aleš Kokot (v. Denmark on February 6) October 23, 1979 (1979-10-23) (age 30) 10 0 Interblock 26 DF Luka Elsner (v. Czech Republic on October 15) 2 August 1982 (1982-08-02) (age 27) 1 0 Domžale 25 DF Mitja Mörec (v. Northern Ireland on April 1) 21 February 1983 (1983-02-21) (age 27) 14 0 Panetolikos 28 MF Zoran Zeljkovic (v. Sweden on May 26) May 9, 1980 (1980-05-09) (age 30) 1 0 APOP Kinyras Peyias 30 MF Amer Jukan (v. Hungary on March 26) November 28, 1978 (1978-11-28) (age 31) 2 0 Interblock 27 MF Rene Mihelic (v. Denmark on February 6) July 5, 1988 (1988-07-05) (age 21) 3 0 Maribor 29 MF Goran Šukalo (v. Denmark on February 6) August 24, 1981 (1981-08-24) (age 28) 32 2 Augsburg 31 MF Luka Žinko (v. Denmark on February 6) March 23, 1983 (1983-03-23) (age 27) 3 0 APOP Kinyras Peyias 38 MF Aleš Mejac (v. Northern Ireland on April 1) 18 March 1983 (1983-03-18) (age 27) 5 0 Maribor 36 MF Armin Bacinovic (v. San Marino on August 12) October 24, 1989 (1989-10-24) (age 20) 1 0 Maribor 21 MF Anton Žlogar (v. Russia on November 18) 24 November 1977 (1977-11-24) (age 32) 37 1 Omonia MF Dare Vršic* September 26, 1984 (1984-09-26) (age 25) 5 2 Timisoara MF Mirnes Šišic** 8 August 1981 (1981-08-08) (age 28) 12 2 PAS Giannina MF Darijan Matic** 28 May 1983 (1983-05-28) (age 27) 7 0 Rapid Bucuresti 37 FW Klemen Lavric (v. Denmark on February 6) June 12, 1981 (1981-06-12) (age 28) 25 6 Sturm Graz 39 FW Dejan Rusic (v. Denmark on February 6) December 5, 1982 (1982-12-05) (age 27) 4 0 Spartak Nalchik 35 FW Etien Velikonja (v. San Marino on August 12) December 26, 1988 (1988-12-26) (age 21) 1 0 Gorica FW Miran Burgic* 25 September 1984 (1984-09-25) (age 25) 5 0 AIK *The following players were named in Slovenia's preliminary 30 man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and were later scratched from the list by the coach on 21 May 2010. **The following players were named in Slovenia's preliminary 30 man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and were later scratched from the list by the coach on 1 June 2010. Competition history World Cup record Year Round Position GP W D L GS GA 1998 Did not qualify - - - - - - - 2002 Round 1 30 3 0 0 3 2 7 2006 Did not qualify - - - - - - - 2010 Qualified Total 2/4 3 0 0 3 2 7 European Championship record Year Round GP W D L GS GA 1996 Did not qualify - - - - - - 2000 Round 1 3 0 2 1 4 5 2004 Did not qualify - - - - - - 2008 Did not qualify - - - - - - 2012 - - - - - - - Total 1/4 3 0 2 1 4 5 Statistics Most appearances # Name NT Career Caps Goals 1 Zlatko Zahovic 1992–2004 80 35 2 Aleš Ceh 1992–2002 74 1 2 Milenko Acimovic 1998–2007 74 13 4 Džoni Novak 1992–2002 71 3 5 Marinko Galic 1994–2002 65 0 5 Aleksander Knavs 1998–2006 65 3 5 Mladen Rudonja 1994–2003 65 1 8 Amir Karic 1996–2004 64 1 9 Miran Pavlin 1994–2004 63 5 10 Marko Simeunovic 1992–2004 57 0 Last updated: 18 November, 2009. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only. Top goalscorers # Name NT Career Caps Goals Goals per game 1 Zlatko Zahovic 1992–2004 80 35 0.44 2 Milivoje Novakovic 2006– 38 16 0.43 3 Sašo Udovic 1992–2000 42 16 0.38 4 Ermin Šiljak 1994–2005 48 14 0.29 5 Milenko Acimovic 1998–2007 74 13 0.18 6 Primož Gliha 1992–1998 28 10 0.36 7 Milan Osterc 1997–2002 44 8 0.18 8 Sebastjan Cimirotic 1998–2005 33 6 0.18 8 Nastja Ceh 2001–2007 46 6 0.13 8 Klemen Lavric 2004–2008 25 6 0.24 Last updated: 4 June, 2010. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only. Managers Name NT Career Played Won Drawn Lost Win % Drawn % Lost % Achievements Prašnikar, BojanBojan Prašnikar 1991–1993 4 1 2 1 25.00 50.00 25.00 Verdenik, ZdenkoZdenko Verdenik 1994–1997 32 10 8 14 31.25 25.00 43.75 Prašnikar, BojanBojan Prašnikar 1998 5 1 1 3 20.00 20.00 60.00 Katanec, SreckoSrecko Katanec 1998–2002 47 18 16 13 38.30 34.00 27.70 2000 Euro; 2002 World Cup Prašnikar, BojanBojan Prašnikar 2002–2004 16 6 3 7 37.50 18.75 43.75 2004 Euro Qualifying Play-offs Oblak, BrankoBranko Oblak 2004–2006 23 6 7 10 26.10 30.40 43.50 Kek, MatjažMatjaž Kek 2007– 32 13 5 14 40.63 15.62 43.75 2010 World Cup Last updated: 4 June 2010. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only. Home venues record Venue City Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA Win % Drawn % Lost % Bežigrad Ljubljana 29 15 6 8 48 34 51.70 20.70 27.60 Ljudski vrt Maribor 16 10 2 4 34 16 62.50 12.50 25.00 Arena Petrol Celje 16 5 3 8 15 19 31.25 18.75 50.00 Fazanerija Murska Sobota 2 1 0 1 3 4 50.00 0 50.00 Športni park Nova Gorica 2 0 0 2 2 7 0 0 100 Bonifika Koper 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 100 Športni park Domžale 1 1 0 0 1 0 100 0 0 Športni center Kranj 1 0 0 1 1 4 0 0 100 Totals 68 32 11 25 105 86 47.06 16.18 36.76 Last updated: 4 June 2010. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only. Source : wikipedia