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Road to Portugal Euro 2004 back on agenda as international season kicks offPosted: Monday August 18, 2003 9:36 AMLONDON (AP) -- The European soccer season has barely just begun but the buildup to the Euro 2004 championship is back in full swing. Eighteen friendly matches will be played across Europe on Wednesday, including Germany-Italy, England-Croatia, Belgium-Netherlands and Switzerland-France. Wednesday will also feature two Euro 2004 qualifiers: Serbia-Montenegro-Wales in Belgrade and Faeroe Islands-Iceland in Torshavn. A win would give the Welsh 15 points from five games in Group 9 and a comfortable lead ahead of the Sept. 6 match against the Italians, who have 10 points from five games. Iceland will top Group 5 by one point with a victory, setting up a showdown with Germany. The next full slate of qualifiers is Sept. 6 and Sept. 10. With the domestic season just started in England, France, Germany and Netherlands and yet to begin in Spain and Italy, the friendlies will rely heavily on European based players -- Australia plays Ireland in Dublin on Tuesday and a day later, Argentina plays Uruguay in Florence, Italy. David Beckham returns to England days after a disappointing debut for Real Madrid on Spanish soil in a preseason match. England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has selection problems in attack and defense for the match at Ipswich's Portman Road Stadium. With Gary Neville sidelined and Owen Hargreaves doubtful after picking up a groin injury with Bayern Munich on Saturday, Eriksson may select Danny Mills at rightback. Mills failed to make the Leeds squad Sunday. With teenage striker Wayne Rooney rested, Eriksson has Michael Owen, Emile Heskey and James Beattie up front. "There is no doubt that Eriksson has a team that will push us to our limits," Croatia coach Otto Baric said. "With players like (Paul) Scholes, (Steven) Gerrard and Hargreaves at his disposal, there might not even be room for the likes of Beckham." Croatia is without its first choice strikers: towering Monaco forward Dado Prso is nursing an ankle injury and Wolfsburg's Tomislav Maric is sidelined with muscle problems. French stars Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Robert Pires and Mikael Silvestre have impressed in the Premier League so far, but goalkeeper Fabien Barthez' place is not so safe. Edged out at Manchester United by newcomer Tim Howard, Barthez could be frozen out for France if he doesn't perform in England. "If, before the Euro 2004 qualifiers, he is not in his club team, we will have to do some thinking," France coach Jacques Santini said last week. "You need to play." France has a 13-12 edge over Switzerland -- with the Swiss winning their last meeting in 1992. Both teams are unbeaten in Euro qualifying. The Netherlands play Belgium in Brussels needing form ahead of the next round of qualifiers. The talent-rich Dutch are tied with the Czechs in Group 3 with five points from 13 games and automatic qualification could rest on the match between the two on Sept. 10. Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and Bayern Munich's Roy Maakay join 19-year-old Wesley Sneijder, who has already scored twice for Ajax. Alessandro Del Piero and Mauro German Camoranesi warmed up for the match against Germany in Stuttgart with goals for Juventus in a 2-0 win over AC Milan in the preseason Luigi Berlusconi trophy Sunday. Christian Vieri and Francesco Totti are also in the Italian squad, which is missing veteran defender Paolo Maldini through injury. Totti, Vieiri and Del Piero last played together at last year's World Cup -- injuries since prevented the three playing together. The German roster is missing two of the country's most talented players in Sebastian Deisler and Kevin Kuranyi, while midfield star Michael Ballack will miss the game because of a calf injury. Voeller also has defensive problems through injury, although his 20-man squad includes 11 players who were runners-up at the 2002 World Cup. |
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