Slovakia are in disarray after a Covid case rocked their camp tonight just hours after their star man was sensationally ruled out.
Inter Milan centre-back Milan Škriniar has tested positive for coronavirus this evening and will miss tomorrow’s big showdown with Ireland.
That hammer blow for the hosts followed news that Stanislav Lobotka will play no part in the Euro 2020 playoff semi-final.
Lobotka - identified by Stephen Kenny as Slovakia’s key man - has been stuck in a Naples hotel ever since Napoli were forced into a Covid-19 lockdown on Sunday.
And Slovakia boss Pavel Hapal was finally told today that the midfielder won’t be available.
Two of Lobotka’s Napoli team-mates tested positive and Sunday’s Serie A game away to Juventus was called off at short notice.
Lobotka tested negative but Napoli demanded that players and management quarantine in their hotel.
That didn’t stop Hapal making repeated attempts to get Lobotka to Bratislava ahead of the game.
But Napoli blocked those moves and the midfielder now has to miss the playoff semi-final.
Marek Hamsik, the Slovakian captain and Napoli legend who plays in China these days, was even asked to intervene.
But his efforts were also to no avail and with confirmation tonight of Škriniar’s positive Covid case, Slovakia are in a flap as kick-off looms.
"We did our best but Napoli stopped communicating,” said Hapal at his pre-match press conference today.
“It's astonishing. For example, players from Juventus could go to the national team matches. We counted on him and will miss him. It’s a complication for us.”
But Ireland boss Kenny said: “We're not reading too much into Slovakia's missing players, we're focusing on our own performance.”
Earlier, six administrative staff at the Slovakian FA tested positive for Covid-19 and were forced into self isolation.
But Hamsik - who plays for the Rafa Benitez-managed Dalian Professional - is ready to do everything necessary to get Slovakia to next month’s playoff final.
“I'm one of the older players, I'm the captain but I’m not the savior,” he said. “We all have to pull the same rope and only then can we be victorious.
“Ireland are tough opponents and our games in the past have been pretty even. The little details will decide the game.”
Slovakia were already without injured Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka as well as striker Michal Ďuriš and defenders Dávid Hancko and Lukáš Štetina.
