GROUP B / SLOVENIA

*--* World Cup record: Debut Best finish: Debut 1998 showing: Did not qualify Coach: Srecko Katanec. A former midfielder for Sampdoria in Italy and now a national hero for putting Slovenia on the world stage Players to watch: Zlatko Zahovic, Milenko Acimovic, Djoni Novak In brief: When Slovenia gained its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, few expected that within a decade it would qualify for not only the European Championship in 2000, but also the 2002 World Cup, the latter impressively coming at the expense of Romania and Yugoslavia Quick quote: “I’ve got the impression that [the public] in Slovenia is suddenly expecting miracles from us. Fans seem to have lost touch with the ground under their feet.”--Zahovic Forecast: Zahovic is the only world-class player Slovenia has, but if Katanec can keep the team’s mind on its task and keep it riding a wave of national pride, the smallest nation in the World Cup might cause the biggest surprise and reach the final 16

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