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England hopes winning continues
Posted: Thursday June 03, 1999 09:05 PM
LONDON (AP) -- Manchester United's amazing Champions Cup triumph has put English soccer on a high. A Swedish victory at Wembley on Saturday can bring it crashing back down again. With England coach Kevin Keegan sending out four United players against the Swedes for a European Championship qualifying game, there's a chance that the ripples of that Reds' comeback triumph over Bayern Munich in Barcelona nine days ago are still being felt. But Sweden goes into the game with a 100 percent record from four Group 5 games and, with a victory over the English already in Stockholm, will be confident of a first win over England at Wembley since 1959. Newly-appointed in succession to Glenn Hoddle, Keegan has lifted the England team's confidence with a win over Poland but needs to maintain the momentum. Victories over Sweden and then Bulgaria in Sofia will give his team a good chance of gaining the 2000 finals in the Netherlands and Belgium but two losses will virtually rule his team out. Saturday's game at Wembley is one of 40 Euro 2000 qualifying games spread over the next five days with many teams playing twice. That means the race for places in the finals is hotting up and, by next Wednesday night, many teams will know exactly what they have to do to get there. The Czech Republic, runner up to Germany three years ago, may virtually be in the finals again with three games to spare. It already has an 8-point lead after five wins from five games in Group 9 and victories over second place Estonia and then third place Scotland could all but clinch a place in the final 16. Norway has a 5-point lead at the top of Group 2, Italy has a 3-point advantage in Group 1 while defending titlist Germany and World Cup holder France, also at the heads of their groups, are in good positions to make it provided they don't slip up in the next few days. The nine group leaders as well as the best runner up automatically qualify and the other eight second-place teams face playoffs. Group 8, as well as being the most closely fought, is creating major problems for UEFA. Ireland has defied Europe's soccer governing body by calling off its game against Yugoslavia on Saturday. It refused visas to the visiting players in protest at the Serbs' involvement in the Kosovo conflict. The series of Group 8 games is already behind schedule because matches due to be played in and around the former Yugoslavia have been postponed amid dangers caused by NATO air strikes. Neighbors Macedonia and Croatia are in the same group and are going ahead with their confrontation in Skopje on Saturday but Yugoslavia's match against Malta on Tuesday has been switched to Salonica in Greece. Group 1 Italy has a great chance to open up an 8-point lead with victories over Wales and Switzerland while Denmark can move up from last place to second by beating Belarus and then the Welsh. Italian coach Dino Zoff sends out Lazio's Christian Vieri and Filippo Inzaghi of Juventus against the Welsh but has big injury problems elsewhere with defender Alessandro Nesta, Dino Baggio and Gianluca Pessotto all likely to be out. "I expected to have problems," Zoff said. "But I didn't think there would be this many. We're dealing with a real emergency. There's no use in complaining, though. We have to deal with it." Group 2 Already five points clear, Norway will keep that advantage by winning at last place Albania Saturday while the chasing teams all play each other. Greece can improve its position by beating Georgia away and Latvia at home but, with the points likely to be shared out, the Norwegians should be strongly favored to take the first place and leave the others fighting over runners up. Group 3 Germany, despite Oliver Bierhoff's no-scoring drought in national colors now lasting 382 minutes, has a chance to open up a lead by beating last place Moldova on Friday while Finland needs a win over the second place Turks to stay in contention and the follow it up with a win at Moldova. "I have the necessary confidence and I am bringing with me the euphoria from Milan," said Bierhoff whose goals helped AC Milan win the Italian title. "I have shown in Milan that I can establish myself. I hope it will finally work for me in the national team." Group 4 World Cup holder France hosts Russia (three losses in five games) on Saturday and then should beat Andorra away from home to take control of the group. Any slip-ups and Ukraine, powered by Dynamo Kiev, will take over with wins over Andorra and Armenia. Group 5 Kevin Keegan will field Alan Shearer and Manchester United's Andy Cole against the Swedes at Wembley with three more Reds players, defender Philip Neville, and midfielders David Beckham and Paul Scholes also on the starting lineup. Club-colleague Jesper Blomqvist could face them and the Swedish lineup will include Glasgow Celtic's prolific striker Henrik Larsson. A victory at Wembley on Saturday could put the Swedes six points clear although the Poles could move within three by beating Bulgaria and then Luxembourg. Group 6 Spain will go top on Saturday by beating San Marino and then it's up to Austria to bounce back by winning at Israel. That would leave Cyprus and the Israelis with something to make up. Group 7 With Romania and Hungary meeting each other in Bucharest, Portugal has a chance to kick ahead with a victory in Lisbon over fourth place Slovakia on Saturday with another home game against minnow Liechtenstein to follow on Wednesday. Romania (vs. Azerbaijan) and Hungary (vs. Slovakia) also have home games so it likely will stay tight. Group 8 Four teams level on six points and everything to play for so long as they play. The Irish have defied UEFA and called off its home game against Yugoslavia so that either Macedonia or Croatia, who meet in Skopje, will go top. A tie can put both above the Irish and Yugos, who "host" Malta in Salonica, Greece on Tuesday, the day before Ireland hosts Macedonia. Group 9 Victories over second place Estonia and then third place Scotland would virtually put the Czechs in the finals. It would mean 21 points from seven games and maybe a lead of 10 or 11 point
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