Which 26 players is Slovakia head coach Francesco Calzona taking to the 2024 European Championship in Germany?
Slovakia have now qualified for three European Championship tournaments in a row, making the round of 16 at Euro 2016 before being knocked out in the group stage of Euro 2020.
The Falcons were not present at the last World Cup in Qatar, though, with their only qualification for the finals of that tournament coming back in 2010, when they managed to reach the round of 16.
Regardless, Italian coach Francesco Calzona has done an incredible job since taking over in November 2022. They gave Portugal two close games during the qualifiers and will hope their reliable core keeps them in the mix for the knockout round.
Calzona has finalised his squad planning for the 2024 European Championship in Germany, cutting his squad down to 26 from the initial 32-man preliminary Slovakia squad. But who has made the Slovaks' Euro 2024 squad?GOALhas all the details after Calzona announced his final 26-man roster on June 7…
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GOALKEEPERS
Calzona has built his success as the Slovakia head coach by sticking to a largely unchanged squad.
And there should be no surprises in the goalkeeping department, with long-time No. 1 Martin Dubravka set to keep his starting berth in between the sticks after producing some fine performances at the club level for Premier League outfit Newcastle United.
| Name |
Club |
| Henrich Ravas |
Widzew Lodz |
| Martin Dubravka |
Newcastle |
| Marek Rodak |
Fulham |
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DEFENDERS
In defence, the most high-profile name is that of PSG centre-back Milan Skriniar, who remains the leader at the heart of Slovakian defence and team captain, with Copenhagen's Denis Vavro likely to partner the PSG star. At full-back, Calzona has plenty of options, but Salernitana's Norbert Gyomber and Feyenoord's highly sought-after defender David Hancko are his favoured options due to their more defensively sound profiles.
| Name |
Club |
| Adam Obert |
Cagliari |
| David Hancko |
Feyenoord Rotterdam |
| Denis Vavro |
FC Copenhagen |
| Milan Skriniar |
Paris Saint-Germain |
| Norbert Gyömber |
Salernitana |
| Peter Pekarik |
Hertha Berlin |
| Sebastian Kósa |
Spartak Trnava |
| Vernon De Marco |
Hatta |
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MIDFIELDERS
An ever-present as Napoli claimed the 2022-23 Serie A title, Stanislav Lobotka is unquestionably integral to his country's fortunes and will be tasked with controlling the tempo in the middle of the park. Alongside him, Juraj Kucka and Ondrej Duda will be preferred in a midfield trio owing to their vast experience at the top level, while Genk's Patrik Hrosovksy, Viktoria Plzen's Erik Jirka, and Bochum's Matus Bero are all viable alternatives.
| Name |
Club |
| Juraj Kucka |
Slovan Bratislava |
| László Bénes |
Hamburg SV |
| Matus Bero |
VfL Bochum |
| Ondrej Duda |
Hellas Verona |
| Patrik Hrosovsky |
Racing Genk |
| Stanislav Lobotka |
Napoli |
| Tomáš Rigo |
Banik Ostrava |
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FORWARDS
Robert Bozenik is still in fine form at Boavista, but he will be battling for a starting spot up front with namesake Robert Polievka. Wide options include Slavia Prague duo Ivan Schranz and Lukas Haraslin, Feyenoord's Leo Sauer, as well as Slovak First Football League stars David Strelec and Lubomir Tupta. Meanwhile, Hellas Verona's Tomas Suslov is a jack of multiple trades and can feature in a variety of attacking positions, but Robert Mak is set to miss out.
| Name |
Club |
| Dávid Strelec |
Slovan Bratislava |
| David Duris |
Ascoli |
| Ivan Schranz |
Slavia Prague |
| Leo Sauer |
Feyenoord Rotterdam |
| Lubomir Tupta |
Liberec |
| Lukas Haraslin |
Sparta Prague |
| Róbert Bozeník |
Boavista |
| Robert Polievka |
Dukla Banska Bystrica |
| Tomas Suslov |
Hellas Verona |
