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7th October 2011

Match Previews

Group One - Denmark vs Slovakia
This Group One decider will see the winner almost guaranteed a place in Norway next year. Denmark will certainly win the group with three points, whilst a win for Ladislav Jurcimek's side could see them steal top spot away from Denmark and Croatia if results go their way. Just under a year ago Denmark won 3-0 in Bratislava courtesy of goals from Christian Poulsen and a Peter Madsen double. Repeating the trick will be sufficient for Torsten Dürr: "Slovakia are a good side. They've surprised many with their consistency. But our position will be determined by ourselves, we can ask for no more." On the team news front, Slovakia might be without star striker Robert Vittek. The Galatasaray hitman, scorer of 29 international goals, has a heel injury and is only rated a 65% chance of starting. Denmark are at full strength and should line up with a back three in a defensive looking side.

Group Seven - Germany vs Bosnia
Group Seven is still absolutely wide open with any two of four sides still able to progress to the final stages next June. Germany, Belgium, Slovenia and Bosnia are all in positions to celebrate come Saturday night, but Rudi Völler's side must be the favourites as they go into this weekend top of the table. The Nationalmannschaft showed they are capable of beating their Bosnian opponents as they won 3-1 in Sarajevo in the reverse fixture, but the Germans have also shown they are susceptible to humiliating defeats at home, in particular to Slovenia. However, everyone in the Germany camp are typically confident about their progression: "We all know what we can do, and what should be done. Going into the last game top is the best position in which we could be, and everyone here knows the quality we possess, and that should be sufficient to get us through" admits Christoph Metzelder. A win for Bosnia might not be enough to see them through automatically, as Belgium have a relatively easy game away to Malta. There might even be a situation where three sides end up on eighteen points, in which case goal difference comes into play. Hoping that Belgium don't maul Malta, Bosnia and Germany have the advantage there. The drama is certainly going to unfold in Group Seven.

Group Four - Sweden vs Faroe Islands
Uno Andersson's Sweden need three points to guarantee themselves a playoff spot, and with a little luck might become the best of the runners-up and take an automatic route through to their Scandinavian rivals Norway and the European Championships. Beating the Faroe Islands should be a breeze, when you bear in mind the minnows haven't found the net for over 400 minutes and have only won three times in eleven years (twice against Luxembourg and once versus Guinea-Bissau). In fact, should Sweden fail to win convincingly then they really do not belong at the pinnacle of European international football. The Swedes are able to welcome back Alexander Farnerud and Kim Kallstrom from suspension, although Zlatan Ibrahimovic misses out with injury. His absence opens the way for a plethora of exhuberant talent awaiting a chance to seize the initiative. Early suggestions show Zlatan Muslimovic is set to play as the most experienced of the choices, but Demba Traore, recently called up for the first time, might have a shout of taking the number nine jersey, especially after a prolific start to the Swedish season with Degefors. Rúni Olsen will lead the Faroes' charge, but there really should only be one outcome in Stockholm.

What might happen at the business end of things.....

Group 1: Denmark win group with victory, anything less and Croatia win group by beating Lithuania. Slovakia may steal into top two with a win.
Group 2: Settled
Group 3: Settled
Group 4: Sweden take second with a win, Greece need to beat Italy and hope for Swedish humiliation.
Group 5: Settled
Group 6: Settled
Group 7: Germany win group by beating Slovenia. A point for Völler's side guarantees a playoff spot. Belgium win group if they win and Germany slip up. Slovenia qualify autmatically with a win and Belgium and Germany defeated, and Bosnia go second if they win, and Belgium and Slovenia lose.
Group 8: Portugal qualify if they win, otherwise Turkey take top spot with three points.
Group 9: Poland seize runners-up place with three points, Czechs ready to pounce if Poles slip.

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8th October 2011

Germany get through late

A dramatic Group Seven came to a head as Rudi Völler's Germany managed to scrape home to a win, and with it taking top spot and automatic qualification in the final round of games. Opponents Bosnia, marshalled by defensive rocks Asmir Okic and Jasmin Ferhatovic, were tough to break down but fifteen minutes from time Kai Brand rescued his country yet again, for the countless occasion. Ralf Schuster, starting because Jermaine Jones had failed a pre-match fitness test, had the first chance of the game with a header just over Sead Ramovic's goal in the Berlin Olympiastadion. Sebastian Kehl repeated the act five minutes later. Christian Rahn was replaced by Marco Reich on the half hour as the Hamburg man had pulled a hamstring chasing a loose ball. Just before half time Dennis Becker forced Ramovic into an impressive save from a stinging free kick from the talented left foot of the Bayern Munich winger. After a first half of German dominance, it was almost Bosnia who went in ahead with their first shot of the game. Asmir Okic, relieved of defensive duties for a moment, released Daniel Bogojevic. The Frankfurt midfielder hit a low skidding shot which hit the outside of Hildebrand's left goalpost. On the counter attack, Marko Feulner did the exact same thing for the hosts right on the half time whistle. The home pressure increased in the second half, as Schuster again wasted numerous apparently simple chances. With just a quarter of an hour remaining, Berlin native Kai Brand struck the winner on the ground of his bitter rivals. Hanno Balitsch carried the ball forwards, looking for movement. He sent in a wicked cross which Brand gambled on, and with his first chance of the game beat Ramovic and sent Germany through. Mirnel Sadovic might have levelled late on, but his shot missed by a fair distance, and after leading the Group for a fair period of time, Germany have qualified.


Germany 1 (Brand 75)
Bosnia 0
Attendance - 76,210
Referee - Diego Curcic (Serbia & Montenegro)

Germany - Hildebrand, Feulner, Rau, Metzelder, Balitsch, Kehl(c), Rahn (Reich 29), Becker, Schuster, Brand, Fritz (Ernst 34)

Bosnia - Ramovic, Mujcin (Music 56), Papac, Okic, Ferhatovic, Bajramovic, Salihamidzic(c), Duro, Sadovic, Sistek (Joldic 62), Bogojevic (Fazlagic 56)

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Belgium safely into playoffs as they maul Maltese

Marc Wilmot's Belgium side safely qualified for the European Championship Qualifying Playoffs with a 7-0 drubbing of Malta in the Ta'Qali, Rabat. It took barely one hundred seconds for the visitors to exert their influence over the game, as Jonathan Blondel was tripped inside the penalty area by Marc Bonnici. Genk striker Kevin Vandenbergh converted the penalty to score only his second goal for his nation. After being prevented minutes earlier, Watford playmaker Blondel himself found the net to double the lead inside ten minutes. Steed Malbranque delivered a cross which arrived perfectly for the former Spurs man to volley past a desperate Joe Micallef. Just four minutes later it was 3-0 and looking like double figures would have been perfectly feasible. Malbranque again was the protagonist - another cross from the Sunderland man found the head of Vandenbergh, who headed in his second. It might have been four immediately, and but for the goalpost Emile Mpenza would have opened his account on the day. Micallef finally found a use for himself, deciding to prevent further humiliation by making a string of fine saves from Blondel, Mpenza, and Vandenbergh amongst others. Yet Mpenza is too talented to miss out on a goalfest, and midway through the first half he pounced on a loose ball to rifle in a fantastic strike from a tight angle. On the stroke of half time Mpenza made it two for himself and five overall with another fantastic left foot attempt - this one a volley perfectly placed into the top corner. The second half started in the same vein. Malbranque, after creating umpteen chances, finally found his name on the ever expanding scoresheet, as Blondel claimed a third assist with Belgium going six up. Only one more goal followed, as Mpenza was the first to complete a hat-trick with another volley, this time from close range. It was the perfect performance from Wilmot's side, who can now look forward to playoff games with Sweden in November.


Malta 0
Belgium 7 (Vandenbergh 2 pen, 13, Blondel 9, Mpenza 26, 45, 76, Malbranque 49)
Attendance - 11,756
Referee - Igor Gorozhankin (Azerbaijan)

Malta - Micallef, Farrugia, Sammut (Grima 51), Spiteri, Bonnici, Caruana, Azzopardi, A.Zammit (M.Zammit 51), Gatt, M.Mifsud(c), Schembri

Belgium - Vercarre, Akouz (Poppe 58), Zarbo, Wuytens, Collen, Blondel, Malbranque, Rauw, Mpenza(c), Vandenbergh, Janssens (Bernaert 51)

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Impressive Denmark pave path for future

Denmark became another side to confirm their placement in next summers European Championship Finals in Norway after completing a late but fully deserved 1-0 victory over Slovakia in Copenhagen. Visiting goalkeeper Peter Kunzo was in fine form, as he repeatedly kept out home advances. After just five minutes he held on majestically to a Kasper Bøgelund header, before he was required again to push Peter Madsen's shot wide. The game was all Denmark, as Jørgensen and Silberbauer dictated a rather rapid speed to the proceeedings. Just before half time Kasper Kure Vidkjær let fly with a piledriver from all of thirty yards which worried Kunzo but ended up shaving the goalpost. Slovakia started the second half a little more positively, as they realised they were able to live with Torsten Dürr's side. However, Mads Jørgensen hit a hopeful shot just after the hour which kept the visitors wary of what was possible. With twenty minutes to go Skoubo struck a fine volley which Kunzo did fantastically to beat away. From the resulting corner Denmark scored. Firstly, Kure Vidkjær had a header pushed over, but the second corner gave him a chance he couldn't refuse. He played a neat one-two with Poulsen before slotting the ball into the bottom corner to open his international account. It very nearly sunk the Slovakians. They were in danger of capitulating until Tomas Oravec seized some initiative and dribbled mazily in search of a goal, which he nearly found. Only Christian Poulsen's last gasp slide tackle preserved the 1-0 victory, and guaranteed Denmark will be able to book their flights for the short trip to Norway in June.


Denmark 1 (Kure Vidkjær 69)
Slovakia 0
Attendance - 41,596
Referee - Reha Biçici (Turkey)

Denmark - T.Sørensen, Kure Vidkjær, Bøgelund, Østergaard, Frederiksen, Mads Jørgensen (Jensen 91), Poulsen(c), M.Laursen, P.Madsen, Skoubo, Silberbauer

Slovakia - Kunzo, Karhan(c), Hrncar, Kral, Konecny, Bazik, Sedlak, Czinege (Janocko 59), Suchy, Oravec, Halenar (Hlinka 69)

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Round-Up

Croatia have to settle for a playoff place in Group One as a result of Denmark's victory over Slovakia. Zoran Maric's side beat Lithuania by a goal to nil in Split, as Ivan Klasnic reached double figures on his 50th appearance for his nation after eleven minutes. Igor Biscan picked up a yellow card and will be suspended from the first leg of the playoffs next month. Lithuania round off an abysmal campaign in which they picked up two lonely points.

France let their attention slip as Hungary held them to a surprising 2-2 draw in Group Two. Zsolt Low gave the home side a shock lead from the penalty spot after five minutes, and then Imre Szabics doubled the lead after twenty-two minutes. Atilla Simon, a debutant in goal for the hosts, was then dismissed for dragging down Stéphane Dalmat, and Jérome Rothen reduced the lead. France pressured like never before, but Hungary never swayed. Until five minutes from time, when Sidney Govou found a way past Balázs Rabóczki to equalise. Bulgaria strolled past San Marino with late goals from Dimitar Berbatov and Gerasim Zakov in a 2-0 win, whilst Georgia leap-frogged Latvia into third with a 2-1 win in Tblisi. Besik Toedoradze gave the home side the lead after ten minutes, and defender David Lomaia scored his first Georgian goal to double it up before half time. Experienced midfielder Intar Kihrner pulled one back but it wasn't enough for Latvia, whose ambition has served them well, but a lack of quality shone through.

Spain finished an abysmal and humiliating Group Three campaign as they were held at home by Estonia, a 1-1 draw in Elche all but confirming manager Miguel Ángel Lotina will be stepping down. Mallorca's Gálder Zubizaretta was sent off after sixteen minutes, and Joel Lindpere gave the visitors the lead minutes later. Ten man Spain equalised early in the second half through a rare international goal by Vicente. Also, a strange twist of fate sees David Körner's Scotland qualify automatically as one of the two best second placed sides after they beat Ukraine 1-0 in Kyiv. Mark Burchill grabbed the all important goal at the halfway point in the second half to set off jubilant celebrations north of the English border to qualify for their first major tournament since France 1998 (having qualified for Euro 2008 as hosts).

Italy ended Greek hopes of taking second place in Group Four by taking all three points away from Athens with a 1-0 win. Second half substitute Inácio Piá headed the winning goal in the second half to sink Greece, who, with the quality they have, should have testes Italy far more over the course of the last year. Sweden, as expected, confirmed their place in the playoffs with a comprehensive 4-0 win at home to the lowly Faroe Islands. Louay Chanko opened the scoring early, whilst Kim Kallstrom doubled the lead inside ten minutes. Fredrik Hjelm made it three on the quarter hour, before adding another late in the day. Belarus, with a little luck, might have impressed far more, and signed off with a 3-1 victory over Luxembourg. Venezia's Igor Chumachenko scored his first two goals of qualifying, and Milan star Vitaly Kutuzov made it three kate on. Marc Leweck grabbed the consolation.

England finished Group Five as the only side to preserve a 100% record throughout the competition. A 5-1 win over Armenia at Wembley confirmed their quality, with Michael Owen stealing the headlines with a hat-trick to take him onto 34 international goals, fifth in the all time records behind only Jimmy Greaves, Alan Smith, Gary Lineker, and Sir Bobby Charlton. Steven Gerrard and Matt Piper also scored, as Steve McLaren's side were five ahead by half time. Oumar Condé managed to restore a tiny amount of Armenian pride with a goal at Wembley at the death. Romania also qualified alongside England as the third best runner up with a simple 2-0 win at home to Austria: Parma's Ciprian Marica and Sporting's Marius Niculae with the goals.

In Group Six, Republic of Ireland celebrated qualifying by beating Serbia & Montenegro 3-1 in Dublin in front of a party atmosphere at Lansdowne Road. Mirko Vucinic gave the visitors an undeserved lead in first half stoppage time, but before referee Petteri Kari had time to call a halt to proceedings, Ciarán Keane had struck a contender for the goal of the year to equalise, a blockbuster from fully thirty-five yards. The Manchester United captain put his nation ahead shortly after the hour with a fantastic solo run and shot, before Richie Partridge finished things off in style. World Champions Holland, embarrassingly eliminated, beat Albania 3-1 in a completely uninspiring clash. Eduard Meka put Albania ahead early to pile further humiliation on Ruud Gullit, but he was saved somewhat by Klaas-Han Huntelaar, Arjen Robben, and Yousseff Hersi, who all found the back of Astrit Shala's goalnet.

Group Seven was decided on one dramatic final night. Germany and Belgium carried through to take the top two spots, which meant disappointment for Slovenia, who held up their end of the bargain with a 3-1 win in Azerbaijan. Dejan Robnik, Goran Sukalo, and Bojan Kapic each scored to cancel out Mallorca's Anatolij Ponomarev, who scored after twenty minutes to give Azerbaijan a rare lead. Slovenia will be sad at not qualifying, especially after some promising early results, but rest assured they'll be back to upset the big guns again.

Portugal are also through after winning away in Moldova by a 2-0 scoreline in Group Eight. Edgar got them off to a flying start, and Fernando Meira's goal guaranteed the win and top spot for Alain Giresse's side. Turkey also qualify as a best runner up (level with Scotland and Romania) despite defeat in Moscow. Karen Rylov's first career hat-trick did for the visitors, who could only respond yet again via Akin Ibrahim. Yet despair turned into joy for Mehmet Özturk's side, who, upon discovery of their success, started a wild celebration.

And to Group Nine for the last time. Poland made certain of second place by virtue of a tight 1-0 win against Switzerland in Chorzow. Martin Wysocki stabbed in the all important strike to make sure the Czech Republic cannot make the finals. Norway 2012 will be poorer for their absence, as they showed in emphatic style by destroying Cyprus 4-0. A hat-trick from the veteran Ludek Stracheny followed Milan Baros' tenth for the country, but the likes of Rosicky, Baros, Grygera and Jarolim will not be at the big football celebration.

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The Final Qualifying Tables:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">********************************************* ************************************************** * European Championship Qualifying - Saturday 8th October 2011********************************************** ************************************************** ================================================== ============================================== 2011 Tables============================================ ================================================== ==Group 1Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q Denmark 8 2 1 1 6 4 3 1 0 6 1 17 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd Pl Croatia 8 2 1 1 5 3 3 0 1 4 2 16 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Slovakia 8 3 0 1 8 3 1 0 3 3 6 12 4th Wales 8 2 0 2 4 4 1 1 2 3 7 10 5th Lithuania 8 0 1 3 1 4 0 1 3 2 8 2 Group 2Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q France 10 5 0 0 16 1 3 1 1 11 5 25 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd Pl Bulgaria 10 4 0 1 9 2 3 1 1 8 4 22 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Georgia 10 3 1 1 7 6 1 2 2 4 6 15 4th Latvia 10 2 1 2 7 9 2 0 3 5 11 13 5th Hungary 10 0 3 2 4 6 1 0 4 3 12 6 6th San Marino 10 1 0 4 3 8 0 1 4 1 8 4 Group 3Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q Ukraine 8 3 0 1 8 3 3 1 0 7 2 19 2nd Q Scotland 8 2 2 0 10 5 3 0 1 8 1 17 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Spain 8 1 1 2 3 6 2 1 1 14 6 11 4th Israel 8 2 0 2 3 5 1 0 3 4 7 9 5th Estonia 8 0 0 4 1 16 0 1 3 2 9 1 Group 4Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q Italy 10 5 0 0 14 2 4 1 0 13 1 28 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd Pl Sweden 10 4 0 1 12 2 3 1 1 10 3 22 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Greece 10 2 2 1 9 3 3 0 2 9 6 17 4th Belarus 10 2 1 2 6 7 2 1 2 9 7 14 5th Faroe Islands 10 1 0 4 3 14 1 0 4 6 12 6 6th Luxembourg 10 0 0 5 1 22 0 0 5 3 16 0 Group 5Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q England 8 4 0 0 15 1 4 0 0 10 0 24 2nd Q Romania 8 3 0 1 8 2 3 0 1 5 5 18 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Austria 8 2 0 2 6 4 1 1 2 1 4 10 4th FYROM 8 1 1 2 4 4 0 0 4 1 12 4 5th Armenia 8 1 0 3 2 8 0 0 4 2 14 3 Group 6Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q Ireland 8 3 0 1 5 2 3 1 0 6 1 19 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd Pl Finland 8 2 1 1 10 6 2 1 1 5 3 14 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Holland 8 1 3 0 4 3 2 0 2 6 5 12 4th Serbia & Montengro 8 1 0 3 1 3 1 1 2 5 10 7 5th Albania 8 0 0 4 2 10 1 1 2 2 3 4 Group 7Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q Germany 10 3 1 1 12 3 3 2 0 12 2 21 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd Pl Belgium 10 3 2 0 11 3 2 3 0 14 5 20 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Slovenia 10 3 2 0 10 4 2 2 1 7 5 19 4th Bosnia 10 2 2 1 11 6 2 1 2 9 4 15 5th Azerbaijan 10 1 0 4 3 11 1 0 4 1 12 6 6th Malta 10 0 1 4 1 18 0 0 5 2 20 1 Group 8Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q Portugal 8 4 0 0 13 2 3 0 1 5 1 21 2nd Q Turkey 8 4 0 0 7 0 2 0 2 8 9 18 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Russia 8 3 0 1 8 3 1 1 2 4 8 13 4th N.Ireland 8 0 2 2 4 7 0 1 3 4 11 3 5th Moldova 8 0 1 3 5 11 0 1 3 2 8 2 Group 9Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q Iceland 8 4 0 0 9 4 2 0 2 7 6 18 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd Pl Poland 8 4 0 0 9 2 1 1 2 4 4 16 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3rd Czech Republic 8 4 0 0 8 0 1 0 3 4 6 15 4th Switzerland 8 2 1 1 6 4 0 1 3 2 5 8 5th Cyprus 8 0 1 3 0 9 0 0 4 2 11 1 Second Placed TeamsPos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Q Turkey 6 3 0 0 5 0 1 0 2 4 8 12 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd Q Romania 6 2 0 1 5 2 2 0 1 3 5 12 3rd Q Scotland 6 1 2 0 6 4 2 0 1 4 1 11 4th Sweden 6 2 0 1 4 1 1 1 1 4 2 10 5th Finland 6 2 0 1 9 5 1 1 1 2 2 10 6th Bulgaria 6 2 0 1 5 2 1 1 1 5 4 10 7th Poland 6 3 0 0 7 1 0 1 2 2 4 10 8th Croatia 6 1 1 1 4 3 2 0 1 3 2 10 9th Belgium 6 1 2 0 5 3 0 3 0 5 5 8 </pre>

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Qualifiers to date: Norway(hosts), France, Ukraine, Italy, England, Ireland, Iceland, Denmark, Portugal, Germany, Scotland, Turkey, Romania

Playoff Draw announced

The six nations in the European Championship Qualifying Playoffs didn't have long to wait to discover their next opponents. A draw was held by UEFA after the final round of games to determine the matches to be played in mid November. Marc Wilmots' Belgium must face Sweden, travelling to Stockholm for the second leg, whilst Bulgaria and Finland meet in a clash of two very under-rated sides. Croatia meet Poland in the third and final playoff, with the three winners after two legs joining the thirteen nations already through.

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30th October 2011

Sweden prepared to fight

Uno Andersson has named a very strong party of twenty-six names to take on Belgium in their double-header playoff starting in just under a fortnight. Helsingborg striker Ola Ambrahamsson is called up for the first time after striking nine goals in his first fifteen games this season, including eight in seven domestically. The 26 year old will have some work to do to displace Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Fredrik Hjelm, both of whom have shown wonderful form for both club and country. Elsewhere, the regualr names of Nils-Eric Johansson, Kim Kallstrom, Kennedy Bakircioglu, and Rami Shaaban will be expected to lead the experienced Swedes through a potentially tricky tie with Belgium. Marc Wilmot's side are well drilled and capable of springing a surprise, something which Swedish captain Kim Kallstrom is all too aware of: "We know Belgium are a good side. Mpenza and Malbranque must be watched carefully. However, I feel we can get a fair result in Brussels, setting us up well for a strong performance in Stockholm on the Wednesday."

Squad
Gk: Rami Shaaban (Sunderland), Toshiyasu Takahara (Helsingborg), Karl Wallgren (AIK)
Def: Olof Mellberg (Stuttgart), Carlos Roldán (ÖIS), Emil Olausson (Halmstad), Patrik Åkesson (Malmö), Frederik Risp (Bolton), Richard Spong (Norwich), Richard Henriksson (IFK Göteborg), Mikael Dorsin (Freiburg), Fredrik Stenman (Las Palmas), Nils-Eric Johansson (Rangers)
Mid: Kim Kallstrom (Leverkusen, capt), Louay Chanko (Bristol City), Fredrik Ljungberg (Napoli), Labinot Harbuzi (Feyenoord), Kennedy Bakircioglu (Rostock), Alexander Farnurud (Arsenal), Bojan Djordjic (Man Utd), Henrik Matsson (Helsingborg)
Fwd: Fredrik Hjelm (Bologna), Ola Ambrahamsson (Helsingborg), Zlatan Muslimovic (Boavista), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Roma), Mans Sörensson (Ipswich)

In brief...
Injured Collen gambled on by Wilmots....Bojinov returns for Bulgaria....uncapped Anatoli Todorov in Bulgarian party....Six uncapped names in Finnish squad....Croatia at full strength....as are Poles....

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2nd November 2011

Bau ruled out of Euro Champs

Roma and Italy international striker Eder Bau has sensationally today been ruled out of next summer's European Champinships to be held in Norway after damaging the cruciate ligaments in his right knee. The forward, scorer of seven international goals (six of which have come in the qualification process), landed awkwardly during a training session with Roma yesterday morning. Initial scans showed damage to both the anterior cruciate ligament, and further tests have confirmed that damage does indeed require major surgery. The process, and subsequent rehabilitation, will require eleven months on the sidelines for the former Triestina and Galatasaray man. The anterior cruciate ligament is the major player in fluid and correct movement of the knee joint. Damaging or tearing the ligaments can and will impede the slightest of movements, meaning extensive physical exertion is impossible until it is fully healed. 29 year old Bau is said to be "devastated" at not only missing the rest of his club season with Roma, but also the European Championships, which he was so looking forward to. It poses a selection problem for Azzurri coach Francesco Guidolin, who has opted for Bau to lead his line. Initial options may include Alessandro Pellicori, Andrea Rabito, Mattia Rossini, or Denis Pavesi - although with several months left until he must name his squad there is plenty of opportunity for others to shine - for example Napoli's Paolo Mosca may have a claim to press.

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11th November 2011

Playoff Previews - First Leg

Belgium vs Sweden
By far the highest profile of the three matches, and the loser will be a notable absentee from the tournament to be held in Norway a little over seven months from now. Belgium will feel unlucky to be in this situation after performing admirably in Group Seven, only falling behind Germany. Sweden knew from the outset it would take a lot to finish ahead of Italy, and thus Uno Andersson's side might have expected a playoff situation. They have recent experience of playoff situations, beating Turkey 4-3 on aggregate in a tight decider to reach the 2010 World Cup. However, Belgium also have taken part in knockout international qualification, destroying Norway to reach the same tournament. Since Belgium hold a win over their Swedish opponents from their last meeting at Euro 2004, it may be seen that they have a slight advantage. But important defender Pieter Collen is struggling with injury, and should his partnership with Jan Wuytens be broken up it might open the door for Swedish strikers Ibrahimovic and Hjelm to fully punish the hosts. Three Swedes are all one yellow card away from suspension (Ibrahimovic, Ljungberg, Kallström) and Andersson will be looking to preserve his stars for Wednesday's return match, should they be needed.

Bulgaria vs Finland
Two sides who surprised many during the qualification campaign will slug it out to see who will join the elite of Europe next year. Bulgaria ran France very close in Group Two, and with the attacking prowess of Dimitar Berbatov and Valeri Emilov Bojinov complimented by the creative flair of Martin Petrov and the solid defence of Alexsandar Tunchev they certainly are in with a major chance. Yet Finland have a chance of making waves should they emerge as victors. Mikael Forssell is an immense goalscorer, and just seems to get better and better. Partnered by Juho Mäkelä, they have a potent strikeforce. But they are just the outlet for the rest of the side, as Antti Muurinen explains:"Juho and Mikael have a great scoring record, but without the creative services of Sjölund, Saavolainen, and co, they might not appear as prolific." Unfortunately for Muurinen, Mäkelä is ruled out with a twisted knee picked up in training. Sociedad's Sjölund should play instead. Progressing Bulgarian forward Gerasim Zakov may miss out with a gashed leg, but Bulgaria are otherwise at full strength. Having not met for over decade and a half, the two sides could not go into the game knowing less about each other, which should make for an interesting if cagey game in Sofia.

Croatia vs Poland
Croatia will be hugely disappointed at not qualifying directly. The 2006 World Cup winners have failed to make an impression since, and must overcome Poland to have a chance at restoring their pride. As a rule their matches are not very entertaining, having been involved in five 1-0 scorelines of their six outings in 2011. But their record speaks for itself - however Zoran Maric's squad go about getting their results, they certainly do it. Poland, on the other hand, have massive potential but never utilise it fully. Since a half impressive World Cup in Germany they've done little or nothing. Since, talent such as Mateusz Dobek, Adrian Klimowicz, and Lucas Szymanski has emerged to join established stars - namely Olisadebe, David Klimek, and others. But they will be missing captain Michael Stasiak for the double header, and that may be the deciding factor. Two 1-0 victories for Poland over the Croats in the last two meetings will hold no weight, as they were almost a decade ago. This battle of two Eastern European powerhouses will be intriguing at the least.