Slovakia Euro 2024 squad: Who is Francesco Calzona taking to Germany?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Slovakia boss Calzona is expected to set his side up in a possession-based 4-3-3 system, which relies heavily on the midfield controlling the tempo.

Dubravka will likely get the nod above Rodak in goal, behind a back-four comprising Gyomber, Vavro, Skriniar, and Hancko.

Kucka, Lobotka, and Duda will look to hold the fort in the middle of the park, with the latter also renowned for his goalscoring ability after arriving late in the opposition box.

Suslov or Haraslic will feature as the left-sided wide player while Dusic is pushing for a start on the right. Bozenik will lead the charge for the Slovaks in the final third. He would have to carry most of the goal-scoring burden for the Falcons up top.

Slovakia predicted XI (4-3-3): Dubravka; Gyomber, Vavro, Skriniar, Hancko; Kucka, Lobotka, Duda; Dusic, Bozenik, Suslov

Dominik Holly, Dominik Takac, Jakub Kadak, Matus Kmet, and Michal Tomic were all named in the provisional 32-man roster, but did not make the final Slovakia squad that travelled to Germany.