The Slovakia captain Robert Vittek has promised his side will bounce back from their defeat to Slovenia to seal a place in the World Cup finals.
Slovakia blew a great chance to guarantee a trip to South Africa at the weekend, but can still top Group Three with a win in Poland tonight.
If they slip up again, Slovenia can overtake them with a victory against San Marino and condemn Slovakia to the play-offs.
But the Lille striker Vittek said: "This side has huge team spirit. We will perk up and win in Poland. Qualification will be ours. We have never been so close to qualifying. Maybe this was the problem [on Saturday]. We allowed emotions to bring down our performance."
The goalkeeper Jan Mucha made no attempt to play down the importance of today's tie.
"It will be a game of life and death in Poland," he said.
In the group's other match, the Czech Republic and Northern Ireland face each other knowing only a win will keep alive their faint hopes of a play-off spot.
They rely on San Marino claiming their first point of the qualifying campaign after nine defeats in a row. That is unlikely as San Marino have scored just one goal and conceded 44.
* Agencies
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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Director: James Cameron
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Stuck in a job without a pay rise? Here's what to do
Chris Greaves, the managing director of Hays Gulf Region, says those without a pay rise for an extended period must start asking questions – both of themselves and their employer.
“First, are they happy with that or do they want more?” he says. “Job-seeking is a time-consuming, frustrating and long-winded affair so are they prepared to put themselves through that rigmarole? Before they consider that, they must ask their employer what is happening.”
Most employees bring up pay rise queries at their annual performance appraisal and find out what the company has in store for them from a career perspective.
Those with no formal appraisal system, Mr Greaves says, should ask HR or their line manager for an assessment.
“You want to find out how they value your contribution and where your job could go,” he says. “You’ve got to be brave enough to ask some questions and if you don’t like the answers then you have to develop a strategy or change jobs if you are prepared to go through the job-seeking process.”
For those that do reach the salary negotiation with their current employer, Mr Greaves says there is no point in asking for less than 5 per cent.
“However, this can only really have any chance of success if you can identify where you add value to the business (preferably you can put a monetary value on it), or you can point to a sustained contribution above the call of duty or to other achievements you think your employer will value.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
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Rating: 3/5
