Spain aim to hit ground running

Spain have been leaving nothing to chance as they begin their defence of the UEFA European Futsal Championship in qualifying round Group C, starting today in the Madrid suburb of Pinto.

Training week
Javier Lozano, who two years ago led Spain to victory in Ostrava to add the continental title to the FIFA Futsal World Cup, oversaw an intense week of training in Arnedo to ensure his players achieved top condition for the encounters with F.Y.R. Macedonia, Cyprus and Poland, as they seek a place in the November finals in Porto.

Friendly wins
Lozano, who has called up Álvaro Párraga and Dani Salgado to replace the injured Rafa Muñoz (groin) and Marcelo Dos Reis (calf), led his team in three friendlies last week, beating local club Arnedo Himalaya 15-1, then defeating Paraguay 8-0 and 5-0. In the third-mentioned, El Pozo Murcia FS player Kike won his 100th cap, the fifth player to reach that mark for Spain, including squad-mates Luis Amado and Javi Rodríguez.

'Obligation to qualify'
"We have the obligation to qualify and defend our title," said another experienced player, Andreu. "We don't have much information on our rivals. But [F.Y.R.] Macedonia, as our first opponents, could make us a bit nervous because we want to start well." Lozano added: "The players are all fighting fit and ready for these three tests. It's been a great week and the two Paraguay matches were very good for us. I've seen some good things about the team and now we have to put them to use."

Coach's wish
Lozano, whose charges last lost in December 2005 against Brazil, continued: "Our first objective is to qualify; that's a self-imposed obligation. And our first mission is to win. I also want the fans at the Pabellón Municipal de Pinto to feel satisfied and proud, and associate the image of the Spanish national team with the idea that futsal is an attractive and great game."

Macedonian aim
F.Y.R. Macedonia may be thinking back to 2003, when they opened their campaign against Spain and succumbed 6-0. Last month they lost two friendlies to Croatia, but a win and a draw against Belgium in October shows they at least have a chance of improving on their third seeding in the group. Coach Vasko Skenderovski said: "Spain are favourites as world and European champions. But we will try to take second place, which means a better seeding in our next qualification. Our chance comes in matches against Poland and Cyprus. Third place is realistic, but I hope we will do our best to take second. It's a tough group and we have young players."

Poland keep busy
Poland have had a busy programme of warm-up fixtures, playing 14 times in 2006, including two pairs of victories against Cyprus and F.Y.R. Macedonia. Last month they staged a tournament in Rzeszow and Krosn, overcoming Moldova, going down against Serbia, and holding Ukraine 2-2. Cyprus, meanwhile, advanced from the preliminary round as second-best runners-up, ousting Malta and Georgia before losing to Kazakhstan. Coach Petros Konstantinou has overseen successes against France, England and Finland, but admitted to uefa.com: "We have to be realistic about our chances when we play Spain, who are one of the best in the world. Our chances of a win range from extremely difficult to impossible."