BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Penpix of Slovakia's 23-man squad for the World Cup in South Africa: 1-Jan Mucha (Everton). Goalkeeper. Born Dec. 5 1982. Caps 14. Goals 0. Having made his international debut in a friendly against Hungary in February 2008, Mucha quickly established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper for Slovakia and played in six of their 10 qualifiers. Has made no appearances in the Premier League since he joined Everton in January. 23-Dusan Kuciak (Vaslui). Goalkeeper. Born May 21 1985. Caps 3. Goals 0. Kuciak won three league titles with MSK Zilina before he moved to his present club in the Romanian first division. 12-Dusan Pernis (Dundee United). Goalkeeper. Born Nov. 28 1984. Caps 1. Goals 0. Pernis has played 25 games for his present club since he joined them on Jan. 1 last year. He and Kuciak are likely to compete for the spot of third-choice keeper. 2-Peter Pekarik (VfL Wolfsburg). Defender. Born Oct. 30 1986. Caps 20. Goals 1. Slovakia's most capped player in the qualifiers with nine appearances, the right back has become one of the team's most influential players in the early stages of his career. Won the German league title with his present club in 2009 after winning the Slovakian league with MSK Zilina in 2007. Reliable in defence and a creative attacking player. 16-Jan Durica (Lokomotiv Moscow). Defender. Born Dec. 10 1981. Caps 36. Goals 1. After a poor Euro 2008 qualifying campaign in which he scored two own-goals, the centre-back became one of the team's pillars in 2010 World Cup qualifying with eight appearances. He is on loan from Lokomotiv Moscow at his present club. 3-Martin Skrtel (Liverpool). Defender. Born Dec. 15 1984. Caps 38. Goals 5. The centre-back has recovered from a broken foot just in time for the World Cup, having made six starts in the first half of the qualifiers. A tough-tackling defender and the backbone of Slovakia's back four, he has impressed at Liverpool to become a fairly regular starter. Won the Russian league title with Zenit St. Petersburg in 2007. 22-Martin Petras (Cesena). Defender. Born Nov. 2 1979. Caps 38. Goals 1. Haas been in the Italian second division since 2006, after a five-year stint with Czech sides Jablonec and Sparta Prague, where he won league titles in 2003 and 2005. Failed to settle at Lecce and Treviso, then spent two seasons at Triestina before he moved to his present club in 2009. 5-Radoslav Zabavnik (Mainz). Defender. Born Nov. 16 1980. Caps 43. Goals 1. The versatile defender can play across the back four and even as a defensive midfielder, so he should be one of Slovakia's key players in the finals. Had solid spells with CSKA Sofia, Sparta Prague and Terek Grozny before moving to his present club in February. Played six games in the qualifiers. 4-Marek Cech (West Bromwich Albion). Defender. Born Jan. 26 1983. Caps 39. Goals 5. The speedy left back is often used as a wing-back and offers a wide range of qualities for club and country. Following two league titles and a national Cup he won at Porto, Cech was signed by his present club in 2008 and won promotion to the Premier League with them this season. Former West Bromwich manager Tony Mowbray described him as a model professional. 21-Kornel Salata (Slovan Bratislava). Defender. Born Jan. 24 1985. Caps 3. Goals 0. Made just two appearances in the qualifiers but lack of depth at the back in Slovakia's squad gives him a decent chance of making the World Cup finals. A regular starter for his club in the Slovakian first division. 6-Zdeno Strba (Skoda Xanthi). Midfielder. Born June 9 1976. Caps 20. Goals 0. A hard worker who is likely to share defensive midfield duties after making six appearances in the qualifiers. He won three league titles with Zilina during his six year-spell with the club, before he moved on to the Greek first division. 10-Marek Sapara (Ankaragucu). Midfielder. Born July 31 1982. Caps 24. Goals 2. The central midfielder made six appearances during the qualifiers and is likely to start on the bench in the finals. Had four good seasons with Slovakian side Ruzomberok, winning the league and cup double in his final season with them, and with Norway's Rosenborg where he won the league title in 2009. 15-Miroslav Stoch (Chelsea). Midfielder. Born Oct. 19 1989. Caps 11. Goals 1. One of the brightest talents in Slovakian football in the last decade, the attacking midfielder has had an outstanding season with his club, helping them to win the Dutch league title, after he was loaned by Chelsea. May not be an automatic starter in the World Cup but is almost certain to be in the final squad. 8-Jan Kozak (Timisoara). Midfielder. April 22 1980. Caps 24. Goals 2. Creative midfielder who won two league titles with Artmedia Bratislava in his 2003-08 spell with the club, during which he was briefly on loan at West Bromwich Albion. Joined his present club this year after one season with Slovan Bratislava. Played six games in World Cup qualifying and scored twice. 9-Stanislav Sestak (VfL Bochum). Midfielder. Born Dec. 16 1982. Caps 32. Goals 10. The team's top scorer in qualifying with six goals, the crafty winger should be a key player at the World Cup. His pace, quick feet and clinical finishing make him a handful for any defence. Scored 49 goals in 99 games for former club MSK Zilina before moving to Germany. Can also be deployed as a second striker, behind the front man. 17-Marek Hamsik (Napoli). Midfielder. Born July 27 1987. Caps 31. Goals 8. Slovakia's most influential player who had a good qualifying campaign and three excellent seasons with his present club. Hamsik is a versatile playmaker with an eye for goal and all-round ability. Twice the winner of Slovakia's Young Player of the Year award. 7-Vladimir Weiss (Manchester City). Midfielder. Born Nov. 30 1989. Caps 8. Goals 0. The son of Slovakia's coach Vladimir Weiss and grandson of a namesake former international, the winger looks set to continue a dynasty of footballers after playing four times for Slovakia in the qualifiers. Played only one game for Manchester City before he was loaned to Bolton, where he made 12 appearances this season. 20-Kamil Kopunek (Spartak Trnava). Midfielder. Born May 18 1984. Caps 8. Goals 1. The defensive midfielder made two full appearances for Slovakia in the qualifiers. His participation in the finals hangs in the balance, with Karhan and Strba well ahead of him in the pecking order, though his relative youth may be on his side. 19-Juraj Kucka (Sparta Prague). Midfielder. Born Feb. 26 1987. Caps 6. Goals 0. The upcoming central midfielder has had an excellent season with his club in the Czech first division, scoring eight goals in 31 appearances. Made his full international debut against Lichtenstein in 2008 after impressive performances for the under-21 side. 11-Robert Vittek (Lille). Striker. Born: April 1 1982. Caps 69. Goals 18. Slovakia's first-choice striker failed to score in nine qualifiers but is likely to keep his place in the squad if he recovers from a knee injury he picked up in the closing stages of the season. A robust striker who broke into the spotlight in the 2005-06 Bundesliga season for Nuremberg, when he scored 16 goals in the last 16 games. 13-Filip Holosko (Besiktas). Striker. Born Jan. 17 1984. Caps 37. Goals 5. Made four appearances in the qualifiers and scored one goal. He is likely to be a substitute in the finals. Has recovered from a serious leg injury he sustained this season in a Champions League game against CSKA Moscow. 18-Erik Jendrisek (Schalke 04). Striker. Born Oct. 26 1986. Caps 14. Goals 2. Made his international debut in the qualifiers and has been a regular starter since, grabbing the headlines by scoring the winner in a 2-1 win over Czech Republic. Was in good form for Kaiserslautern, where he scored 33 times in 85 matches before joining his present club in April. 14-Martin Jakubko (Saturn Ramenskoye). Striker. Born Feb. 26 1980. Caps 23. Goals 4. Slovakia's most influential substitute in the qualifiers, he scored twice in six appearances. Likely to retain his role as an impact substitute in the finals. Jakubko is a good finisher. (Compiled by Zoran Milosavljevic in Belgrade) (Editing by Jon Bramley; To query or comment on this story email [email protected])
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