Sports Mole takes a look at Slovakia’s squad for Euro 2024, including the key players to make the cut and the notable names that miss out.
Slovakia head coach Francesco Calzona has announced his final 26-man squad that will travel to Germany for Euro 2024.
The Falcons are preparing to make a third consecutive appearance European Championship appearance after finishing in second spot in their qualifying group.
After failing to reach the knockout rounds in Euro 2020, Slovakia will hope to avoid a similar fate when they compete in Group E alongside Belgium, Romania and Ukraine.
Calzona opted to name an initial 32-man provisional squad before making the tough call to which six players should drop out of the final selection.
Here, Sports Mole takes a look at Slovakia’s 26-man squad for Euro 2024, highlighting some of the key players to make the cut as well as focusing on those missing from the travelling party.
Skriniar, Lobotka among senior players selected
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Calzona has selected a squad which contains five players who have earned over 50 caps for their country, including Paris Saint-German defender Milan Skriniar.
The Slovakia captain has returned to the fold after being forced to miss March’s friendlies against Austria and Norway due to an ankle problem.
Having represented his country on 54 occasions, Napoli’s Stanislav Lobotka will provide crucial leadership and quality to Slovakia’s engine room during the tournament.
Patrik Hrosovsky and Ondrej Duda will also bring their experience to the table, while Juraj Kucka and Peter Pekarik are the only two players in the squad who have reached a century of international appearances.
In fact, Hertha Berlin’s Pekarik is 12 matches away from equalling Slovakia’s all-time appearance record which is currently held by a member of Calzona’s backroom staff, former Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik.
Who else will be representing Slovakia?
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Martin Dubravka is the senior man in Slovakia’s goalkeeper department, having represented his country on 43 occasions.
The Newcastle United goalkeeper enjoyed plenty of game time during the 2023-24 season, featuring in 23 Premier League games due to Nick Pope‘s injury absence.
Dubravka’s deputy Marek Rodak is the only other Premier League representative in the squad, although the Fulham shot-stopper will hit the free-agent market when his contract expires at the end of this month.
At the opposite end of the pitch, Robert Bozenik is expected to lead the line for his country after playing a key role in Boavista’s successful relegation battle.
The striker found the net in five of Boavista’s seven league victories, netting a total of nine Primeira Liga goals to finish the campaign as his club’s top scorer.
Meanwhile, Feyenoord’s 18-year-old winger Leo Sauer has done enough to impress Calzona, making him the youngest member of the 26-man squad.
Sauer became Slovakia’s youngest-ever player when he made his international debut as a substitute in March’s 1-1 draw against Norway.
Which Slovakia stars will miss Euro 2024?
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Uncapped goalkeeper Dominic Takac and the defensive duo of Michal Tomic and Matus Kmet were among those cut from Calzona’s initial 32-man selection.
Dominik Holly, Jakub Kadak and Robert Polievka were the remaining three players to be told they would drop out of the final squad.
Robert Mak was one of the notable names left out of the provisional squad, having previously represented his country at Euro 2016 and Euro 2020.
The 33-year-old winger featured in six of Slovakia’s 10 qualifiers and was included in the squad for March’s friendlies against Austria and Norway.
However, he will not get the chance to add to his 81 caps this summer despite scoring 10 goals and providing two assists in 27 appearances for Sydney FC during the 2023-24 season.
Slovakia Euro 2024 squad in full
Goalkeepers: Martin Dubravka (Newcastle United), Marek Rodak (Fulham), Henrich Ravas (New England Revolution)
Defenders: Peter Pekarik (Hertha Berlin), Milan Skriniar (Paris Saint-Germain), Norbert Gyomber (Salernitana), David Hancko (Feyenoord), Adam Obert (Cagliari), Denis Vavro (Copenhagen), Vernon De Marco (Hatta), Sebastian Kosa (Spartak Trnava)
Midfielders: Stanislav Lobotka (Napoli), Juraj Kucka (Slovan Bratislava), Ondrej Duda (Hellas Verona), Patrik Hrosovsky (Genk), Matus Bero (Bochum), Laszlo Benes (Hamburger SV), Tomas Rigo (Banik Ostrava)
Forwards: Robert Bozenik (Boavista), Lukas Haraslin (Sparta Prague), Ivan Schranz (Slavia Prague), David Strelec (Slovan Bratislava), Tomas Suslov (Hellas Verona), David Duris (Ascoli), Lubomir Tupta (Slovan Liberec), Leo Sauer (Feyenoord)