Pressure mounts on faltering giants
Friday, October 1, 2010
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Unexpected early setbacks have left Russia, Portugal, France and the Czech Republic with little room to manoeuvre when EURO qualifying resumes on 8 and 9 October.
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Russia, Portugal, France and the Czech Republic will be under pressure when UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying resumes in October having suffered early setbacks in their campaigns.
A host of surprising results in the first two rounds of matches have left several of Europe's more fancied teams playing catch-up. Portugal are arguably in the tightest spot having drawn 4-4 with Cyprus and lost 1-0 to Norway in Group H.
The UEFA EURO 2004 finalists entertain Denmark in Porto on 8 October for Paulo Bento's first game in charge after the former Sporting Clube de Portugal coach replaced Carlos Queiroz. Bento's men will have their work cut out against a Danish side that prevailed against Iceland in their one fixture to date, and have beaten Portugal in two of the last three meetings.
Both Russia and the Czech Republic hope to re-establish themselves after missing the 2010 FIFA World Cup, yet neither has begun in convincing fashion. After an expected success in Andorra, Dick Advocaat's Russia slumped to a 1-0 home loss to Slovakia last time out – hardly the ideal way to prepare for a trip to Dublin to play Group B pacesetters the Republic of Ireland. The Czechs, meanwhile, will seek to collect their first points when Scotland visit, having already succumbed to Lithuania on home soil.
Elsewhere on Friday, Germany and Turkey vie for Group A supremacy. Both teams have taken maximum plunder from two matches, although the side that loses in Berlin could be caught by Austria who host Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, champions Spain are targeting a second victory at home to Lithuania; Italy and the Netherlands want to build on solid starts when they travel to Northern Ireland and Moldova; and in-form Montenegro could register a third straight win at home to Switzerland.
Another wavering giant, two-time European champions France, at least show signs of a revival after beginning Group D in disastrous style with a 1-0 defeat by Belarus in Paris. Les Bleus gave a much-improved performance away to Bosnia and Herzegovina, winning 2-0, and new coach Laurent Blanc will be confident of earning three more points against visiting Romania on Saturday 9 October. The French have, however, failed to beat the eastern European outfit in the last three attempts. Also on Saturday, Israel welcome Croatia in Group F.
