Czech giants not ready to retire

Retiring stars
Vladimír Šmicer, Karel Poborský and Pavel Nedvěd all look certain to retire from international football once Karel Brückner's side bow out of the World Cup, but those three stalwarts of the Czech team that reached the EURO '96™ final are determined this will not be until next summer.

Legendary trio
Šmicer scored the Czechs' winner in Saturday's first leg played in difficult conditions in Oslo, while an appearance this evening in the return at AS Sparta Praha's Sparta Stadium would mark Poborský's 111th cap for his country. However, the tie will also be a special occasion for former Sparta man Nedvěd, who had been away from the national team since the conclusion of UEFA EURO 2004™.

Final flourish
"This could be my last-ever game in front of my home crowd," said the Juventus midfielder. "I want to play my best football for the fans." Nedvěd, 33, will captain the side in place of the suspended Tomáš Galásek, but insisted: "I am only stand-in captain and only for one match."

Polák position
Jan Polák of 1. FC Nürnberg will most likely step into Galásek's midfield anchoring role and should play alongside Tomáš Rosický, despite the sprained ankle the BV Borussia Dortmund playmaker sustained at the weekend. "I refuse to even think about replacing him," said Brückner.

Brückner's birthday
The coach celebrated his 66th birthday on Sunday but was not sure whether a more reliable surface at the Sparta Stadium than that in Oslo, would help his squad reach the finals. "The last step is the most difficult one," said Brückner. "A better pitch will help both teams. The standard of the game will be higher."

Hareide defiant
That will be what Norway coach Åge Hareide is hoping for, as he looks to overturn the 1-0 deficit, and he was keen to remind the world that his team have not lost an away game since September 2004. "We are better away from home and we are here to prove that," he said.

Confident players
Hareide admitted that his players had "not shown all their attacking strength in the first game" and there is a feeling all may not be lost as the Norwegians get ready to battle the odds. "Scoring two goals is not beyond our abilities," said Liverpool FC defender John Arne Riise.

Grindheim grounded
Their squad has been weakened by Daniel Braaten's ban while fellow midfielder Christian Grindheim is doubtful following a bout of flu. "We hope he will be ready for the match," said Hareide, who has Fredrik Strömstad lined up to deputise.

'Nothing to lose'
The coach is also expected to make tactical changes from the side that lost at the Ullevål stadium, with Jon Inge Høiland replacing André Bergdølmo at right-back and Thorstein Helstad set to take Jan Gunnar Solli's position on the right. "We have nothing to lose now," said Hareide. "We have to go forward."

Additional reporting by Eivind Aarre