Group 10 favourites meet in opener
Friday, February 15, 2002
Article summary
Republic of Ireland and Russia will meet in their first EURO 2004™ qualifier.
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The Republic of Ireland, top seeds in Group 10, will start their EURO 2004™ qualifying campaign on 7/8 September with what, on paper at least, looks like being their most difficult assignment - a visit to Russia.
Summit meeting
Representatives of the five Group 10 nations met in Dublin on Friday to organise the fixture list. The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) announced the results of the meeting, and they should please manager Mick McCarthy who had wanted to start with a difficult away game.
Tough away games
The Irish opened their 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign by claiming draws from tough away games against the Netherlands and Portugal, and McCarthy is doubtless hoping for a similar early boost. On the same matchday, Georgia visit Switzerland while the fifth team in the group, Albania, open up with a home match against Switzerland on 12/13 October, when Georgia also play neighbours Russia. Exactly a year later the campaign will be concluded when Switzerland play Ireland and Russia host Georgia, on 11/12 October.
Winner takes it all
The group winners will qualify automatically for the finals in Portugal, while the runners-up will have to play off against another of the ten second-placed sides.
Recent clash
Both Ireland and Russia have qualified for this summer's World Cup finals in Korea/Japan and the two countries met in a friendly on Wednesday in Dublin, from which Ireland emerged 2-0 winners.
Group 10 fixtures:
2002 – 7/8 September: Russia v Republic of Ireland, Switzerland v Georgia; 12/13 October: Albania v Switzerland, Georgia v Russia; 15/16 October: Republic of Ireland v Switzerland, Russia v Albania.
2003 – 29/30 March: Georgia v Republic of Ireland, Albania v Russia; 1/2 April: Albania v Republic of Ireland, Georgia v Switzerland; 7/8 June: Switzerland v Russia, Republic of Ireland v Albania; 10/11 June: Republic of Ireland v Georgia, Switzerland v Albania; 6/7 September: Republic of Ireland v Russia, Georgia v Albania; 9/10 September: Russia v Switzerland, Albania v Georgia; 11/12 October: Switzerland v Republic of Ireland, Russia v Georgia.
