Matters away from the pitch have dominated Portuguese thoughts ahead of their opening Euro 2012 qualifier against Cyprus.

Portugal will be without both star midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo and coach Carlos Queiroz for the opening Group H game in Guimaraes, and the high-profile absences have cast a pall over preparations for a match which nevertheless should provide few problems for the hosts.

Ronaldo misses out after being sidelined for around three weeks with an ankle injury suffered in Real Madrid's Primera Division opener against Real Mallorca, while Queiroz is absent due to a ban following his alleged misbehaviour during an anti-doping testing session prior to the World Cup.

Agostinho Oliveira takes charge of the side in place of Queiroz, and will preside over a much-changed selection from that which failed to hit the heights at the World Cup earlier this summer.

Three Portuguese stalwarts will not be at Oliveira's disposal due to retirement, with midfielders Deco and Simao Sabrosa and defender Paulo Ferreira all making themselves unavailable for international duty.

While certainly disruptive and a concern for the qualifying campaign as a whole, the number of changes in personnel may not be so keenly felt against a Cyprus side of whom little is expected.

Cyprus have a miserable record on Portuguese soil, having shipped 15 goals and scored none in four previous meetings, and are coming off the back of a World Cup qualifying campaign which saw them register just two wins in 10 games.

The night's other Group H match pits two familiar foes together as Iceland host Norway in Reykjavik.

The two countries were also paired together in qualifying for this year's World Cup, and although both had contrasting campaigns overall, there was little to choose between the sides in their two meetings.

Norway finished as runners-up in their qualifying group but failed to progress to the play-offs, primarily due to costly dropped points against Iceland, who finished bottom of the pile but nevertheless managed to pick up draws in both matches against the Norwegians.

The two countries - with strong political and historical links - have shared the spoils in each of their last four meetings, but both coaches will be without key names in attack tomorrow night as they bid to buck that trend.

Iceland boss Olafur Johannesson has not selected new Stoke striker Eidur Gudjohnsen due to his lack of match fitness, while Norway's talismanic frontman John Carew has a niggling knee injury and will not be risked.