SLOVENIAN TEAM

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Goalkeepers

1-Marko Simeunovic (Maribor) Born: 6.12.67
Joined Slovene champions Maribor from Turkish club Sakaryaspor in 1988. Nicknamed "the panther", was a key player in Maribor's surprise qualification for the 1999-2000 Champions League.
   
22-Dejan Nemec (Club Bruges) Born: 1.3.77
Has been on the fringes of the squad for two years now but only made one international appearance. Began his career with Murska Sobota and joined Belgian side Club Bruges in May 2000 on a five-year contract.

12-Mladen Dabanovic (Lokeren) Born: 13.09.71
Joined Lokeren from Velenje in 1999. One of the tallest players in the squad at 1.96 metres and pushing Simeunovic hard for a first-team place.

Defenders
5-Marinko Galic (Koper) Born: 22.4.70

Experienced sweeper who previously played for Croatia's Dinamo Zagreb and Slovenia's Maribor. He played in FIFA's team of the world against Bosnia in April 2000.
 
6-Aleksander Knavs (Kaiserslautern) Born: 5.12.75
Another solid defender who is a fitness fanatic. Recently moved to Kaiserslautern from Tirol Innsbruck. Scored against Russia in the World Cup qualifiers.

3-Zeljko Milinovic (Jef United) Born: 12.10.69
Played for Austria's Graz AK before moving to Japan. A good man-marker, he scored in the World Cup qualifiers against Yugoslavia and Luxembourg.

2-Goran Sankovic (Slavia Prague) Born: 18.6.79
Played 33 times in the Under-21 team before making his full international debut against Yugoslavia in March 2001. Moved from Celje to Slavia Prague in January 2001.

23-Spasoje Bulajic (Cologne) Born: 24.11.75
Injuries have restricted the central defender's international appearances since he graduated to the national squad at the beginning of 1998. He moved to Germany's Cologne from Maribor after being voted the Slovenian league's best player of 1997/1998.

4-Muamer Vugdalic (Maribor) Born: 25.8.77
One of Slovenia's defensive pillars, Vugdalic had a short spell with Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk but moved back to Maribor last year after failing to hold down a regular place with Shakhtar.

Midfielders

18-Milenko Acimovic (Red Star Belgrade) Born: 15.2.77
A key midfielder for Slovenia in recent times, especially when Zlatko Zahovic has been injured. Scored a crucial goal against Ukraine during the 2000 European Championships and netted twice from the penalty spot during the World Cup qualifiers. Joining English premier league club Tottenham Hotspur next season.

8-Ales Ceh (Graz AK) Born: 7.4.68
Most-capped player in the squad, Ceh is regarded as one of Slovenia's toughest midfielders. He played for Olimpija before moving to the Austrian League like many of his team mates.

20-Nastja Ceh (Club Bruges) Born: 26.1.78
Scored twice against the Faroe Islands in the World Cup qualifiers. The former Maribor midfielder now plys his trade with Bruges but harbors dreams of playing in Spain's first division.

14-Sasa Gajser (Ghent) Born: 11.2.74
Right-sided midfielder who made his international debut in 1999 in a tournament in Oman. He moved to Ghent from Velenje in the same year.

19-Amir Karic (Maribor) Born: 13.12.73
Had a brief spell with English premier league side Ipswich Town but moved back to Maribor earlier this year after making only three substitute appearances in his 16-month stay in England. A strong tackler nicknamed "bulldozer" or "Tyson" for his aggressive playing style.

7-Dzoni Novak (Unterhaching) Born: 4.9.69 .
A mainstay of Slovenia's squad since 1991, he is regarded more as a right-winger than a midfielder but is not afraid to get stuck in. Now plays for Unterhaching after a spell with Le Havre in France.

11-Miran Pavlin (Porto) Born: 8.10.71
A national hero after scoring in the 1-1 playoff draw against Ukraine in 1999, which saw Slovenia qualify for Euro 2000. Has recently broken back into Porto's first team after months of sitting on the bench.

17-Zoran Pavlovic (Austria Vienna) Born: 27.6.76
A hard worker who packs a powerful shot, he joined the national squad in 1998 at the same time as coach Srecko Katanec. Now plays for Austria Memphis after a spell with Croatia's Dinamo Zagreb.

15-Rajko Tavcar (Nuremberg) Born: 21.7.74
Has spent most of his life living and playing in Germany, and as a consequence was unknown in Slovenia until making his debut against Switzerland in October 1999.

10-Zlatko Zahovic (Benfica) Born: 1.2.71
A midfielder who boasts a terrific goalscoring record at international level. Quick and mobile, he is vital to Slovenia's chances at the World Cup. Missed several matches last year due to injury.

Forwards

21-Sebastjan Cimirotic (Lecce) Born: 14.9.74
Known as Slovenia's "king of dribbling". Started his international career with the former Yugoslavia. Scored against Switzerland to give Slovenia an important win in the World Cup qualifiers last year. Has played for Hapoel Tel Aviv, Rijeka and Olimpija.

9-Milan Osterc (Hapoel Tel Aviv) Born: 4.7.75
Good in the air and a hard-working striker. Scored with a superb chip from 18 metres to give Slovenia an important win over favourites Romania in the first leg of the Word Cup playoff.

13-Mladen Rudonja (Portsmouth) Born: 26.7.71
A veteran in the national squad whose first goal for his country came against Romania in the World Cup playoff in Bucharest. Nicknamed "Turbo Rudi" for his speed, he plays for Portsmouth in the English first division.

16-Senad Tiganj (Olimpija Ljubljana) Born: 28.8.75
Scored against the Faroe Islands on his international debut in October in 2001. Moved to Olimpija last year after spells with Belgian side Lommel and Israeli club Hapoel Kvar Saba.