It has been clear since the most recent match, which took place in Scotland on March 26, that Boštjan Cesar, Valter Birsa, and Miral Samardžić will not able to play because of yellow cards.
"I hope he’ll be ready for the next season"
Kevin Kampl will also be among those missing the action. He has been having trouble with his right foot since November and will eventually need to have surgery. In May, he played just 13 minutes in the Bundesliga against Ingolstadt and 33 minutes against Cologne, but did not play for his team in the most recent game against Hertha.
"The decision was made by the club, or rather Kampl himself. He has been having trouble all season long. It’s up to him to decide whether he’ll have surgery. I hope his health improves and that he’ll be ready for the following season, so that he will be able to help out the Slovenian national team," said Katanec.
Because Carpi and Frosinone are still trying to advance in Serie A, the manager has yet decide who among the trio of Vid Belec, Aljaž Struna and Luka Krajnc will be invited to join the training sessions.
Skubic and Rotman are returning
Among the returnees, Nejc Skubic has been given another chance. His team, Konyaspor, has confirmed that he has received an invitation. Katanec ha also called in Rajko Rotman, who was most recently a member of the national team a year ago, when Slovenia played in friendlies against Sweden and Turkey. Since January, he has been playing regularly for Kayserispor, to whom he is on loan from Istanbul BB.
Compared to the lineup in Scotland, the current list includes two other returnees, Antonio Delamea Mlinar and Gregor Sikošek, while Andraž Struna is absent. Among the debutants are four players from Slovenia’s First League -- Jure Balkovec, Miha Blažič (both from Domžale), Nemanja Mitrović (Olimpija), and Matej Palčič (Maribor).
Ten days of preparations
"The lineup includes many names because our situation is unusual. Carpi and Frosinone are still playing additional matchups, while others have yet to play in the Slovenian Cup finals, so a lot can happen. We know what is ahead for us. We must win. We’ll try to score a goal as soon as possible, and during our practice sessions, we’ll focus primarily on our playfulness and tactics. I feel that the players’ readiness is higher than in the game against Scotland, when several of the guys did not play for their teams. However, we shouldn’t underestimate Malta. They showed their skills in their recent game against Slovakia," explained Katanec.
The members of the national team will gather at Brdo pri Kranju next Thursday, June 1. They will take part in training sessions until Saturday. They’ll have Sunday off, and then continue their work all week until the game. Tickets are already on sale; they cost 15 euros. Slovenia has already faced Malta in the qualifications for the 2018 World Cup. In November, Benjamin Verbič decided the game in the 47h minute (0:1) at Ta’Qali.
"I made two big mistakes in Scotland"
At the end of the press conference, Katanec also discussed Slovenia’s 1:0 loss in Glasgow and admitted several errors. "The manager made two big mistakes. The first was the morning training session before the game, when the Scots took us to a field that I believe wouldn’t have been suitable even for animals. That was my mistake; I should have taken my players back to the hotel. We also missed the exit for the field; the guys made it to the locker room from warmups too late and they didn’t have enough time to get ready. The fourth referee was rushing us, and the result was a mess. That’s what my analysis has shown. As far as the game itself is concerned, I’ll keep that to myself – or rather, I’ll share it only with my guys."
This fall, Slovenia will play away games against Slovakia on September 1 and England on October 5, and home games against Lithuania on September 4 and Scotland on October 8.
M. R.; Translated by J.B.
