"They can do whatever they want. I just want the team to put on a good performance and win. If it helps, they can go out and party, and set a good atmosphere – even if that means that they don’t get to watch the finals," Katanec said. His statement comes as a bit of a surprise, as he was suggesting that the players should generate a greater team spirit, even if they miss the Champions' League finals on Saturday.

"Some of the players are in good shape, but there are a few guys I’m not happy with. It’s always that way. It could always be better," Srečko Katanec said about his 24-strong squad.

Some changes on the bench
Miral Samardžić, Bojan Jokič, Nejc Pečnik are Zlatan Ljubijankić are back on the roster. However, defender Dominic Maroh and striker Tim Matavž are missing from the squad. "Dominic is missing because his club would only allow him to join us on June 8, but our preparations start on June 3," Katanec said about the 1. FC Köln player. The FC Augsburg striker is still nursing an injury, which forced him to miss many matches in the past few months.

The team manager was very sad to learn that Maribor defender Petar Stojanović decided to undergo nasal surgery. Katanec only found out about that right before he unveiled his line-up at noon.

Slovenia to take on a perfect English team
The qualifier against England on Sunday, June 14 at 18:00 is a key match for Slovenia. Slovenia is tied with Switzerland for second place in Group E. Both sides managed to pick up 9 points from 5 matches. England are 6 points clear of both teams. In November, Slovenia and England squared off at Wembley. Roy Hodgson’s men won 3:1.

Toni Gruden, MMC, translated by D. V.