Holders Italy face Poland play-off

The draw for the 2002 UEFA Under-21 Championship has been made in Prague with holders Italy facing a play-off with Group Five runners-up Poland for a place in the finals.

Eight matches
The nine group winners and top seven runners-up from the qualifying stage entered the draw, conducted by Lars-Åke Lagrell, chairman of the UEFA National Teams Committee, at the Žofín Palace in Prague. The play-off matches will determine which eight sides reach the tournament finals.

Full of confidence
The Italians, who beat the Czech Republic 2-1 in the final of the 2000 edition in Slovakia, will come up against a Polish side likely to be full of confidence following their 3-0 final-round victory over the Group Five winners, Ukraine.

Proud run ended
The result lifted them above Norway, who lost to Armenia, and into second place to secure their place in Thursday's draw. Italy will be favourites to emerge from the two-legged tie despite seeing their proud 21-match unbeaten record - stretching back nearly four years - ended in their final qualifying match against Hungary.

'Great ambitions'

Late winner
For a fleeting moment, the Magyars' victory looked to have been enough to finish runners-up behind Italy but Romania's late winner against Georgia saw them claim second spot. The Romanians now have the unenviable task of trying to defeat a France side that won six and drew two of their eight qualifying matches, edging the gifted Spaniards into second spot in Group Seven, for a place in next spring's tournament.

Iberian derby
Spain were paired with Iberian rivals Portugal in one of the most eye-catching play-off fixtures. The Portuguese comfortably held off the challenge of the Netherlands to win Group Two, the only blip being the 1-0 defeat in Cyprus on 4 September.

Looking for revenge
The Netherlands, meanwhile, will be looking for revenge when they tackle England after losing 4-0 in August to an English Under-21 side buoyed by the arrival of a new coach, former England captain David Platt.

Dramatic finale
England claimed top spot in Group Nine at Greece's expense with a 2-1 victory over their closest rivals in front of nearly 30,000 fans at Blackburn Rovers FC's Ewood Park stadium on 5 October. Greece will not have far to travel for the away leg of their play-off match after being drawn against nearby Turkey, the runaway winners of Group Four.

Excellent campaign
Turkey enjoyed an excellent qualifying campaign, winning seven of their ten matches and losing just once, to third-placed Slovakia in March. Sweden finished four points behind Turkey and will now face Belgium, who won the only four-team qualifying group, for a place in the finals.

Vital victory
Croatia got the victory they needed to secure second place ahead of Scotland in Group Six, after beating group winners Belgium 1-0 in Velika in their final qualifying match. Zvonimir Deranja of HNK Hajduk Split was the matchwinner for the hosts - who finished on eleven points, two behind Belgium - and he and his team-mates will have to be on top of their game if the Croatians are going to stand a chance of defeating a rampant Czech side.

Outstanding form
The Czechs put paid to Bulgaria's hopes of finishing as one of the seven best runners-up as they thumped the Bulgarians, their closest rivals in Group Three, 8-0 in their final qualifying game. The Czech Republic were in outstanding form throughout the campaign, scoring 27 goals and conceding just five as they won nine of their ten qualifiers.

Group winners meet
The final game brings together two group winners, Ukraine and Switzerland, from Groups Five and One respectively. The first-leg matches will take place on 10/11 November, with the return games being played three days later.