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Finland getting into gear for 2009 finals

UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2009™ hosts Finland will begin a busy year of preparations for the finals with a trip to China next month for a four-team tournament involving the home nation, South Korea and New Zealand.

Finland coach Michael Käld is hoping to win the trophy on home soil next summer
Finland coach Michael Käld is hoping to win the trophy on home soil next summer ©UEFA.com

UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2009™ hosts Finland will begin a busy year of preparations for the finals with a trip to China next month for a four-team tournament involving the home nation, South Korea and New Zealand.

Absentees
The tournament will be played in Guangzhou from 10-14 January and Finland coach Michael Käld has named a strong squad with the only notable absentees Laura Österberg-Kalmari and Miia Niemi. Niemi is still suffering from a thigh injury sustained against Wales in November and Österberg-Kalmari will not travel for family reasons. Käld, who has added FC Honka Espoo coach Marko Saloranta to his technical team on a part-time basis, said: "We have a very interesting tournament ahead of us. It will also mark the beginning of our final preparations for the finals. We will be facing strong opponents in China and it will be a good opportunity to see where we stand at the moment."

Fixtures
His team's only other confirmed fixtures are in the 2009 Algarve Cup from 4-11 March, when they will compete in Group A against Sweden, Germany and China. Finland open UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2009™ at Helsinki's Olympic Stadium on 23 August against Denmark before taking on the Netherlands and Ukraine in the same venue at four-day intervals.

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