Norway turn to teenager Skjelbred
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Article summary
Several countries have made late call-ups for the midweek matches with Norway's Per Ciljan Skjelbred and Maxym Startsev of Ukraine leading beneficiaries.
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Norway
Ukraine have recalled FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk goalkeeper Maxym Startsev for their Group B home game against Lithuania following 18 months in the international wilderness. The 27-year-old, who missed out on Ukraine's 2006 FIFA World Cup squad after undergoing groin surgery, is the third keeper in Oleh Blokhin's selection alongside Olexandr Shovkovskiy and Andriy Pyatov.
Spain are determined to build on their weekend win against Denmark when they welcome Iceland to Mallorca on Wednesday night in qualifying Group F. "We are all confident that on a personal level we can give more," midfielder David Albelda said, following Saturday's 2-1 victory over the Danes. Defender Carles Puyol, who missed that match through suspension, added: "This team has quality and some great players, so we have to work harder and pick up results."
Luxembourg forward Aurelien Joachim will miss the Group G trip to Romania after succumbing to an ankle injury. The 20-year-old, who plays for TSV Alemannia Aachen's reserve team, was a starter in Luxembourg's first three qualifiers but requires surgery, having already been sidelined for the weekend's 2-1 defeat by Belarus.