Ivanschitz strike denies Malta uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "Malta 1-1 Austria
Malta earned an impressive draw against UEFA EURO 2008™ co-hosts Austria in Ta' Qali, as they marked the 50th anniversary of their international debut in style."  Posted by Stephen @ 8:02 AM   0 comments   

Ireland looking to take flight uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "Circumstances seem to be conspiring against the Republic of Ireland squad as they look to get their bid to reach UEFA EURO 2008™ back on track with the qualifier in San Marino tonight."  Posted by Stephen @ 8:00 AM   0 comments   

uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "When he steps on to the pitch at Old Trafford this evening for England's friendly international with Spain, Jonathan Woodgate will be entitled to believe his undoubted talent is at last being matched by good luck."  Posted by Stephen @ 8:00 AM   0 comments   

uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "Switzerland and Germany go head to head tonight in a friendly at Dusseldorf's sparkling new Rheinstadion with the visitors desperate to end a run of two defeats while improving their record against the hosts."  Posted by Stephen @ 7:59 AM   0 comments   

Eduardo treble ends Israel run uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - Fixtures & Results - Match Specific: "Croatia's UEFA EURO 2008™ campaign remains firmly on course after a 4-3 win against Israel in Tel-Aviv. A hat-trick from Eduardo da Silva and Darijo Srna's penalty helped the visitors cancel out Roberto Colautti's double strike and returned them to the top of Group E after Russia had briefly led following an earlier victory in F.Y.R. Macedonia."  Posted by Stephen @ 9:22 AM   0 comments   

Nurmela puts Finland on top uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - Fixtures & Results - Match Specific: "Finland saw off a spirited Armenia to claim all three points and storm to the summit of UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying Group A."  Posted by Stephen @ 9:21 AM   0 comments   

Easy win has Russia on the rise uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - Fixtures & Results - Match Specific: "Russia's first away game in UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying Group E proved a successful one as Guus Hiddink's side made light work of F.Y.R. Macedonia in Skopje."  Posted by Stephen @ 9:21 AM   0 comments   

uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "Patrice Evra has crowned a fine start to the season with a recall to the France squad for Wednesday's friendly against European champions Greece."  Posted by Stephen @ 9:20 AM   0 comments   

uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "Kazakhstan pulled off the first surprise of UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying when they held Belgium to a goalless draw in Brussels in their Group A opener last August. It was their UEFA European Championship debut and sent out a message that they should not be taken lightly. Ahead of tonight's match in Portugal, uefa.com spoke to Football Union of Kazakhstan president Rakhat Aliyev about the steps being taken to improve the standard of football in his country."  Posted by Stephen @ 9:19 AM   0 comments   

Domenech turns to uncapped tyros uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "Uncapped teenage forwards Gonzalo Higuaín and Karim Benzema have been called up by France coach Raymond Domenech for Wednesday's friendly against European champions Greece at the Stade de France.

Plays in Argentina
The 18-year-old Higuaín, who is being tipped as a star of the future due to his performances for CA River Plate in Argentina, was born in France of Argentinian parents. Although he does not speak French, Higuaín is a French national and is drawing comparisons with another Les Bleus striker with an Argentinian father, David Trezeguet, who is not on Domenech's 24-man list. However, Higuaín has said he will wait until Monday before deciding whether to accept France's call.

European goals
'An 18-year-old who is a starter at River Plate must have some talent,' Domenech said. 'Moreover, he is keen to play for France. He is not an out-and-out striker like Trezeguet - I see him more as a nine-and-a-half.' The 18-year-old Benzema, meanwhile, has scored two UEFA Champions League goals for Olympique Lyonnais this season, including last week's winner against FC Dynamo Kyiv.

France squad
Goalkeepers: Grégory Coupet (Olympique Lyonnais), Mickaël Landreau (Paris Saint-Germain FC).

Defenders: Eric Abidal (Olympique Lyonnais), François Clerc (Olympique Lyonnais), Julien Escudé (Sevilla FC), Patrice Evra (Manchester United FC), William Gallas (Arsenal FC), Philippe Mexès (AS Roma), Willy Sagnol (FC Bayern München), Lilian Thuram (FC Barcelona).

Midfielders: Alou Diarra (Olympique Lyonnais), Sidney Govou (Olympique Lyonnais), Gonzalo Higuaín (CA River Plate), Claude Makelele (Chelsea FC), Florent Malouda (Olympique Lyonnais), Rio Antonio Mavuba (FC Girondins de Bordeaux), Franck Ribéry (Olympique de Marseille), Jérémy Toulalan (Olympique Lyonnais), Patrick Vieira (FC Internazionale Milano), Sylvain Wiltord (Olympique Lyonnais).

Forwards: Nicolas Anelka (Bolton Wanderers FC), Karim Benzema (Olympique Lyonnais), Thierry Henry (Arsenal FC), Louis Saha (Manchester United FC)."  Posted by Stephen @ 9:23 AM   0 comments   

Old Trafford trip for Spain uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "England will take on Spain in a friendly at Old Trafford on 7 February 2007, just as the two sides prepare to resume their UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying campaigns in March."  Posted by Stephen @ 9:22 AM   0 comments   

Mertesacker return leaves Löw high uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "Coach Joachim Löw was delighted to welcome Per Mertesacker back into the Germany fold for the UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifier in Cyprus after the central defender's return to fitness and form with Werder Bremen.

Heel injury
The 22-year-old was a regular at the FIFA World Cup but has not played for his country since picking up a heel injury during the semi-final defeat by Italy. Mertesacker left Hannover 96 for Bremen in a €5m summer deal but only made his debut in the 1-1 UEFA Champions League draw against FC Barcelona on 27 September as his recovery from surgery took longer than expected.

Perfect record
Löw said: 'Per has been a fixture in the squad for two years. After his long injury break he has started to play better and better and is now at a consistent level in the Bundesliga and Champions League. After talking to his club coach Thomas Schaaf, I had no hesitation in picking him.' Germany have won all three of their Group D qualifiers, while Cyprus have three points from three games ahead of the match in Nicosia.

Germany squad
Goalkeepers: Timo Hildebrand (VfB Stuttgart), Jens Lehmann (Arsenal FC).

Defenders: Malik Fathi (Hertha BSC Berlin), Arne Friedrich (Hertha BSC Berlin), Manuel Friedrich (1. FSV Mainz 05), Clemens Fritz (Werder Bremen), Philipp Lahm (FC Bayern München), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen).

Midfielders: Michael Ballack (Chelsea FC), Torsten Frings (Werder Bremen), Thomas Hitzlsperger (VfB Stuttgart), David Odonkor (Real Betis Balompié), Bernd Schneider (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (FC Bayern München), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburger SV).

Forwards: Mike Hanke (VfL Wolfsburg), Miroslav Klose (Werder Bremen), Oliver Neuville (VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach), Jan Schlaudraff (TSV Alemannia Aachen)."  Posted by Stephen @ 9:21 AM   0 comments   

Scolari gives youth a chance uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "Four uncapped players who helped Portugal qualify for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship have been named in Luiz Felipe Scolari's 20-man squad for the UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifier against Kazakhstan.

Andrade back
Daniel Fernandes, Tonel, Nélson and Raul Meireles are the newcomers, while central defender Jorge Andrade returns after an eight-month absence along with Ricardo Quaresma. There is no place for midfielder Costinha, however. Scolari said: 'I want to see some new players and as the Under-21s only have a friendly [against Serbia on Tuesday], it was the perfect opportunity to pick those four as well as João Moutinho. Besides, I believe these players are in good form and can really help us.'

'A bit behind'
Maximum points in Coimbra are imperative for Portugal, as the Iberians have just four points from three matches in Group A - six fewer than leaders Serbia. 'As we are a little bit behind in the group, it is imperative we win all our home games,' Scolari continued. 'Kazakhstan are a physical team who defend very well so we'll have to find a way to beat them.'

Portugal squad
Goalkeepers: Ricardo (Sporting Clube de Portugal), Quim (SL Benfica), Daniel Fernandes (PAOK FC).

Defenders: Tonel (Sporting Clube de Portugal), Jorge Andrade (RC Deportivo La Coruña), Luis Miguel (Valencia CF), Manuel Da Costa (PSV Eindhoven), Nélson (SL Benfica), Paulo Ferreira (Chelsea FC), Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea FC).

Midfielders: Deco (FC Barcelona), Carlos Martins (Sporting Clube de Portugal), João Moutinho (Sporting Clube de Portugal), Raul Meireles (FC Porto), Tiago (Olympique Lyonnais).

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United FC), Hélder Postiga (FC Porto), Nuno Gomes (SL Benfica), Ricardo Quaresma (FC Porto), Simão (SL Benfica)."  Posted by Stephen @ 9:20 AM   0 comments   

Forssell joins Finland injured list uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "Striker Mikael Forssell will miss Finland's last UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifier of the year, at home to Armenia next Wednesday, after having surgery to repair cartilage damage in his right knee.

Injury list
It is not the same knee that caused the 25-year-old, now with Birmingham City FC in England's second division, so many problems during his time at Chelsea FC. Forssell has joined Finland captain Jari Litmanen on the sidelines for the Group A game in Helsinki, for which midfielders Aki Riihilahti and Teemu Tainio are also injured. Better news for coach Roy Hodgson is the return of forward Alexei Eremenko Jr following a lay-off. Finland lie second in Group A, two points behind Serbia.

Finland squad
Goalkeepers: Jussi Jääskeläinen (Bolton Wanderers FC), Mikko Kavén (Tampere United), Peter Enckelman (Blackburn Rovers FC).

Defenders: Petri Pasanen (Werder Bremen), Sami Hyypiä (Liverpool FC), Hannu Tihinen (FC Zürich), Juha Pasoja (Ham-Kam Fotball), Toni Kuivasto (Djurgårdens IF FF), Toni Kallio (Molde FK), Ari Nyman (FC International Turku).

Midfielders: Mika Väyrynen (PSV Eindhoven), Mika Nurmela (HJK Helsinki), Joonas Kolkka (Feyenoord), Jari Ilola (IF Elfsborg), Peter Kopteff (FC Utrecht), Markus Heikkinen (Luton Town FC), Pekka Lagerblom (1. FC Köln), Jarkko Wiss (Tampere United).

Forwards: Shefki Kuqi (Crystal Palace FC), Alexei Eremenko Jr (FC Saturn Moskovskaya Oblast), Jonatan Johansson (Malmö FF), Daniel Sjölund (Djurgårdens IF FF)."  Posted by Stephen @ 9:19 AM   0 comments   

Čech called up by Czech Republic uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "The uncapped 30-year-old Marek Čech could make his Czech Republic debut on 15 November in the absence of his goalkeeping namesake Petr Čech.

Great form
The FC Slovan Liberec shot-stopper is showing form more usually associated with the Chelsea FC No1, who has been sidelined since 14 October with a serious head injury. Marek Čech has kept nine clean sheets in 13 games for the Czech league leaders and will hope to start in the friendly against Denmark in Prague. Competing for the spot will be established international Jaromír Blažek, who has notched up the same number of shutouts. Also in the squad are Marek Heinz and Jiří Jarošík, with the AS Saint-Etienne forward back for the first time since the 2006 FIFA World Cup, while the Celtic FC midfielder has earned his first call since November 2005.

Czech Republic squad
Goalkeepers: Jaromír Blažek (AC Sparta Praha), Marek Čech (FC Slovan Liberec).

Defenders: Zdeněk Grygera (AFC Ajax), Marek Jankulovski (AC Milan), Radoslav Kováč (FC Spartak Moskva), Martin Jiránek (FC Spartak Moskva), David Rozehnal (Paris Saint-Germain FC), Tomáš Ujfaluši (ACF Fiorentina).

Midfielders: David Jarolím (Hamburger SV), Tomáš Galásek (1. FC Nürnberg), Jaroslav Plašil (AS Monaco FC), Jan Polák (1. FC Nürnberg), Tomáš Rosický (Arsenal FC), Radek Širl (FC Zenit St. Petersburg), Jiří Jarošík (Celtic FC).

Forwards: Milan Baroš (Aston Villa FC), Marek Heinz (AS Saint-Etienne), David Lafata (FK Jablonec 97)."  Posted by Stephen @ 7:07 AM   0 comments   

Lagerbäck to test new talent uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "Sweden coach Lars Lagerbäck will use the 15 November friendly against Ivory Coast to give 'new players a chance to shine' after naming an inexperienced squad for the game in Paris."  Posted by Stephen @ 7:04 AM   0 comments   

Hiddink hands youngsters a chance uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "Russia coach Guus Hiddink has included five uncapped players in his 23-man squad for the UEFA EURO 2008™ Group E qualifier against F.Y.R. Macedonia in Skopje on 15 November.

New names
Hiddink has raised eyebrows by selecting 20-year-old PFC CSKA Moskva defender Ivan Taranov and 19-year-old FC Spartak Moskva prodigy Roman Shishkin. In addition to Shishkin, two more Spartak youngsters, 20-year-old midfielder Aleksei Rebko and 22-year-old winger Dmitri Torbinskiy, have received call-ups. Igor Denisov, a 22-year-old midfielder from FC Zenit St. Petersburg, has also been rewarded. However, Hiddink has left out veteran midfielders Dmitri Loskov, Vladislav Radimov and Aleksei Smertin, while Marat Izmailov is unavailable through illness.

Russia squad
Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeev (PFC CSKA Moskva), Dmitri Borodin (FC Torpedo Moskva), Viacheslav Malafeev (FC Zenit St. Petersburg).

Defenders: Aleksei Berezutskiy (PFC CSKA Moskva), Vasili Berezutskiy (PFC CSKA Moskva), Sergei Ignashevich (PFC CSKA Moskva), Ivan Taranov (PFC CSKA Moskva), Denis Kolodin (FC Dinamo Moskva), Roman Shishkin (FC Spartak Moskva).

Midfielders: Evgeni Aldonin (PFC CSKA Moskva), Yuri Zhirkov (PFC CSKA Moskva), Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (FC Lokomotiv Moskva), Vladimir Bystrov (FC Spartak Moskva), Aleksei Rebko (FC Spartak Moskva), Yegor Titov (FC Spartak Moskva), Dmitri Torbinskiy (FC Spartak Moskva), Igor Denisov (FC Zenit St. Petersburg), Igor Semshov (FC Dinamo Moskva).

Forwards: Andrei Arshavin (FC Zenit St. Petersburg), Roman Pavlyuchenko (FC Spartak Moskva), Pavel Pogrebnyak (FC Tom Tomsk), Ivan Saenko (1. FC Nürnberg), Dmitri Sychev (FC Lokomotiv Moskva)."  Posted by Stephen @ 6:51 AM   0 comments   

De Man the man for Belgium uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "Belgium have called up RSC Anderlecht defender Mark De Man for the first time for the UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifier against Poland in Brussels a week tomorrow.

Identical record
The teams have identical records in Group A, with seven points apiece from four games, leaving them three adrift of leaders Serbia and one behind second-placed Finland. As well as the highly regarded 23-year-old De Man, coach René Vandereycken has recalled defender Jelle Van Damme and midfielder Koen Daerden after injury, while forwards Thomas Buffel and Mbo Mpenza, of Rangers FC and Anderlecht respectively, have been left out. Hamburger SV defender Vincent Kompany is absent with a long-term achilles problem.

Belgium squad
Goalkeepers: Geert De Vlieger (SV Zulte Waregem), Stijn Stijnen (Club Brugge KV), Brian Vandenbussche (SC Heerenveen).

Defenders: Mark De Man (RSC Anderlecht), Carl Hoefkens (Stoke City FC), Philippe Léonard (Feyenoord), Daniel Van Buyten (FC Bayern München), Jelle Van Damme (RSC Anderlecht), Anthony Vanden Borre (RSC Anderlecht), Thomas Vermaelen (AFC Ajax).

Midfielders: Koen Daerden (Club Brugge KV), Gaëtan Englebert (Club Brugge KV), Karel Geraerts (R. Standard de Liège), Bart Goor (RSC Anderlecht), Gaby Mudingayi (S.S. Lazio), Timmy Simons (PSV Eindhoven).

Forwards: Stein Huysegems (Feyenoord), Emile Mpenza (Al Rayyan), Luigi Pieroni (AJ Auxerre), Kevin Vandenbergh (KRC Genk)."  Posted by Stephen @ 6:43 AM   0 comments   

Cech called up by Czech Republic uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News: "Čech called up by Czech Republic" :The uncapped 30-year-old Marek Čech could make his Czech Republic debut on 15 November in the absence of his goalkeeping namesake Petr Čech."  Posted by Stephen @ 12:01 AM   0 comments   

Hiddink hands youngsters a chance uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "Hiddink hands youngsters a chance" :Russia coach Guus Hiddink has included five uncapped players in his 23-man squad for the UEFA EURO 2008™ Group E qualifier against F.Y.R. Macedonia in Skopje on 15 November."  Posted by Stephen @ 12:00 AM   0 comments   

Denmark to take on Socceroos uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "Denmark are to warm up for the resumption of their UEFA EURO 2008™ campaign with a friendly against Australia.

Morten Olsen's men will take on the Socceroos in London on 6 February. 'It is important for us to have a decent training ground and match ground at our disposal, and therefore we have had to look for an international outside Denmark,' said Olsen. 'Australia are a highly competitive opponent for us in our preparations for the qualifying match against Spain.' Denmark travel to Spain on 24 March holding a four-point advantage over their opponents in Group F, where they occupy second place behind Sweden."  Posted by Stephen @ 10:04 AM   0 comments   

Tricky time for F.Y.R. Macedonia uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "F.Y.R. Macedonia will be without key forwards Goran Pandev and Ilco Naumoski for the UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifier against Russia in Skopje on 15 November.

Suspension
Srečko Katanec has called up 18 players but the absence through suspension of S.S. Lazio's Pandev and SV Mattersburg's Naumoski could leave his side struggling for goals. One positive for the coach is the return of AC Omonia midfielder Vlatko Grozdanovski. F.Y.R. Macedonia are handily placed in Group E, level on seven points with England, Croatia and Israel, although like England they have played a game more. Russia are two points back.

F.Y.R. Macedonia squad
Goalkeepers: Jane Nikolovski (NK Slaven Koprivnica), Tome Pacovski (FK Rabotnicki).

Defenders: Goce Sedloski (SV Mattersburg), Igor Mitreski (FC Energie Cottbus), Nikolce Noveski (1. FSV Mainz 05), Aleksandar Vasoski (Eintracht Frankfurt), Robert Petrov (PFC CSKA Sofia), Robert Popov (PFC Litex Lovech), Vlade Lazarevski (Groclin Grodzisk Wielkopolski).

Midfielders: Igor Jancevski (Enosis Neon Paralimni FC), Velice Sumulikoski (Bursaspor), Darko Tasevski (FC Metalurh Zaporizhya), Artim Sakiri (FC International Turku), Aleksandar Mitreski (1. FC Köln), Vlatko Grozdanovski (AC Omonia).

Forwards: Aco Stojkov (FK Partizan), Goran Maznov (KSC Lokeren OV), Stevica Ristic (FK Sileks)."  Posted by Stephen @ 10:03 AM   0 comments   

Trio back for Cyprus uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "Cyprus coach Angelos Anastasiadis has recalled Haris Nicolaou, Eleftherios Eleftheriou and George Nicolaou for the 15 November visit of Germany in UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying.

Satsias out
The trio return to the fold for the match at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia, but two players who will be absent are the suspended APOEL FC captain Marinos Satsias and Xanthi FC midfielder Alexandros Garpozis, while Stelios Okkarides, also of APOEL, is back after overcoming a knee injury. Cyprus have three points from their first three fixtures, while Germany have a 100 per cent record from the same number of games in Group D.

Cyprus squad
Goalkeepers: Michael Morphis (APOEL FC), Antonis Georgallides (AC Omonia).

Defenders: Marios Elia (APOEL FC), Loukas Louka (Anorthosis Famagusta FC), Georgos Theodotou (AC Omonia), Lambros Lambrou (Anorthosis Famagusta FC), Stelios Okkarides (APOEL FC), Demetris Daskalakis (APOEL FC), Haris Nicolaou (AEK Larnaca FC).

Midfielders: Konstantinos Makrides (APOEL FC), Chrysostomous Michail (APOEL FC), Efstathios Aloneftis (Larissa FC), Constantinos Charalambides (PAOK FC), Elias Charalambous (PAOK FC), Eleftherios Eleftheriou (Enosis Neon Paralimni FC).

Forwards: Yiannis Okkas (Olympiacos CFP), Nektarios Alexandrou (Larissa FC), Yiasoumi Yiasoumis (PAOK FC), Michalis Konstantinou (Olympiacos CFP), Georgios Nicolaou (Olympiakos Nicosia FC)."  Posted by Stephen @ 9:47 AM   0 comments   

Bosnia-Herzegovina sack Slišković uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "Blaž Slišković has been fired as coach of Bosnia-Herzegovina after the Football Federation of Bosnia & Herzegovina opted for a complete overhaul of its coaching staff at senior and Under-21 levels."  Posted by Stephen @ 2:32 PM   0 comments   

Paris match for Argentina uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "France are to take on Argentina in a rare friendly on 7 February ahead of the resumption of their UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying campaign."  Posted by Stephen @ 2:31 PM   0 comments   

uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "Swiss Football Association president Ralph Zloczower has described as 'perfect' the work being carried out with UEFA EURO 2008™ co-hosts Austria as the tournament countdown continues."  Posted by Stephen @ 2:31 PM   0 comments   

uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "Right-back Pawel Golanski will sit out Poland's UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifier in Belgium on 15 November after a thigh injury turned out to be more serious than anticipated."  Posted by Stephen @ 2:29 PM   0 comments   

uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "Yuri Puntus is to step down as coach of FC MTZ-RIPO Minsk in order to dedicate himself to his role with Belarus.

Final outing
The 45-year-old will take charge of MTZ-RIPO for the last time tomorrow against FC Gomel, in the final fixture of the 2006 campaign, and will then have no distraction from his job as coach of the national team. 'I will make no secret of the fact I wanted to continue combining my jobs next season,' admitted Puntus, who took the Belarus post in February. 'But after talks with the Belarus Football Federation and given the comments in the media on this matter I understood that I had to make a choice.'"  Posted by Stephen @ 2:09 PM   0 comments   

Kocian steps up to Slovakia role uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "Slovakia have appointed Ján Kocian as their new coach after parting company with Dušan Galis last month."  Posted by Stephen @ 9:18 AM   0 comments   

Swiss line up Germany test uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "Switzerland have lined up a testing start to 2007 with the UEFA EURO 2008™ co-hosts arranging a friendly away to Germany in Dusseldorf on 7 February."  Posted by Stephen @ 9:18 AM   0 comments   

Várhidi to stand in for Hungary uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "Péter Várhidi will take charge of Hungary for the friendly game against Canada on 15 November following the resignation of Péter Bozsik last week.

'A good person'
Várhidi is currently in charge of the Hungarian Under-19 team, who are in action at a UEFA European Under-19 Championship mini-tournament in Cyprus. He previously won the Hungarian title as coach of Újpest FC in 1997/98. 'He is a young, motivated coach who has done a good job with the national team,' said Hungarian Football Federation (MLSZ) president István Kisteleki. 'I am sure that he is a good person to lead the national team against Canada in mid-November."  Posted by Stephen @ 9:17 AM   0 comments   

Bilić names side for Israel trip uefa.com - UEFA EURO 2008™ - News - News Specific: "Croatia coach Slaven Bilić is expecting 'a most difficult away match' after naming his squad for the UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifier in Israel on 15 November.

No surprises
There are no surprises in the squad for the match in Tel-Aviv. FC Dynamo Kyiv defender Goran Sablić misses out as he is recovering from knee surgery while fringe players Danijel Pranjić and Marin Skender have been left out with midfielder Jurica Vranješ and forward Igor Budan, who has scored four goals in nine Serie A starts for Parma FC this season, coming in.

Israeli threat
'After a very good start we have plenty of points and lots of confidence but now we have a most difficult away match ahead of us,' said Bilić, whose side are level with England, F.Y.R. Macedonia and Israel on seven points in Group E. '[In 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying] they were in a group with France, Ireland and Switzerland, and no one managed to beat them. But we have built a good group and we hope we will be closer to our goal after match in Israel.'

Croatia squad
Goalkeepers: Stipe Pletikosa (FC Shakhtar Donetsk), Vedran Runje (Beşiktaş JK).

Defenders: Dario Šimić (AC Milan), Anthony Šerić (Panathinaikos FC), Robert Kovač (Juventus), Josip Šimunić (Hertha BSC Berlin), Hrvoje Vejić (FC Tom Tomsk), Vedran Ćorluka (NK Dinamo Zagreb), Dario Knežević (AS Livorno Calcio).

Midfielders: Niko Kovač (FC Salzburg), Jerko Leko (AS Monaco FC), Marko Babić (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Darijo Srna (FC Shakhtar Donetsk), Milan Rapaić (R. Standard de Liège), Niko Kranjčar (Portsmouth FC), Luka Modrić (NK Dinamo Zagreb).

Forwards: Mladen Petrić (FC Basel 1893), Ivan Klasnić (Werder Bremen), Ivica Olić (PFC CSKA Moskva), Boško Balaban (Club Brugge KV), Eduardo da Silva (NK Dinamo Zagreb), Igor Budan (Parma FC)."  Posted by Stephen @ 9:16 AM   0 comments