Putting established international sides like Poland and Czech Republic to the sword in FIFA World Cup™ qualifying might go to some teams' heads, but that has certainly not been the case with Slovakia, who beat both nations to an automatic place at South Africa 2010 in European Zone qualifying Group 3. Indeed, the nation of around 5.5 million inhabitants is remaining decidedly modest ahead of football's showpiece event in just a few months' time.
"Of course the World Cup is going to be the highlight of my career," admitted Slovakia's record caps holder Miroslav Karhan in an exclusive interview with FIFA.com, although the Mainz stalwart maintained an air of caution about his side's chances in South Africa. "There are a lot of people back home who are really enthusiastic about seeing us take on the best in the world, but there are also a lot of people who are very sceptical about our chances."