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Slovenia
Slovenia may be the smallest and least populated country to make an appearance at the World Cup finals, but it does have some of the most dedicated players who will be taking part in the competition.
Coach Srecko Katanec may not have any world-renowned stars at his disposal, but he has managed to optimally fit players who are able to run and fight for the whole 90 minutes. After coming close to qualifying to the second round of Euro 2000, can Slovenia become a surprise package in Asia?
As the countdown to the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan continues, CNNSI.com's Pedro Pinto takes a close look at all of the nations that will contend for football's greatest prize.
Pinto is an anchor on World Sport, the international sports show that airs live on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN International.
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One of the most organized teams out there at the moment. Every player knows his job and is willing to sacrifice personal glory for team success. Slovenia have a physical style of play but can play the ball on the ground and keep possession without any major problems. Katanec likes to employ a counter-attacking style, which pays dividends with skillfull men in midfield like Zlatko Zahovic and Miran Pavlin. Up front, the powerful Milan Osterc causes defenders all sorts of problems with his imposing frame.
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Zlatko Zahovic. The temperamental and creative midfielder can win a game by himself. After starring for FC Porto, Zahovic failed to impose himself at Olympiakos and Valencia before returning to top form with Benfica. He has averaged a goal in every two games for his country and will be the main threat at the finals. He is excellent at free kicks and a superb dribbler.
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Depth. There is only a handful of players on this team who are in the "world-class" level. The majority of them play in secondary European leagues and don't get the chance to experience top-level football every week. This could be a problem for Katanec, especially if something happens to Zahovic.
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Goalscoring. Slovenia scored 17 goals in 10 group qualifiers. Not a bad return, you may say, but actually it is if you consider the fact that Luxembourg and the Faroe Islands were in that group. Slovenia only scored more than two goals in one qualifying game, which means it often struggles to find the back of the net.
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Slovenia beat Romania 3-2 on aggregate in a European playoff, this after finishing second behind Russia in Group 1 of UEFA qualifying. It won five and drew five of its 10 qualifying matches, scoring 17 goals and conceding eight.
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None. Slovenia is making its first World Cup appearance. |
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If Zahovic is inspired, this team can cause one or two surprises. It has a very solid core and rarely collapses under pressure. But the lack of depth and skill throughout the team will haunt them against top teams. Slovenia is a long shot to make the second round.
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