Euro 2012 Qualifying Preview
International football is back with an action-packed weekend of Euro 2012 qualifiers, get all the pre-match info right here!
Group A
Belgium vs Germany
Back in action after their promising World Cup in South Africa, Germany will be hoping their young superstars can start off their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign in a similar vein of form against Belgium.
Rene Adler, Heiko Westermann, and Christian Trasch return to the German squad to replace the injured Arne Freidrich, Jerome Boateng and Piotr Trochowski, while Belgium will have to rely on the talented Eden Hazard, Steven Defour, and Moussa Dembele to overturn their awful record against Germany.
Kazakhstan vs Turkey
Turkey will look to repeat the big wins they recorded over Kazakhstan in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers when the two meet again on Friday.
The Turkish side won 4-0 and 6-0 back then and under new coach Guus Hiddink they will be confident of taking all three points again against a side ranked a lowly 126th in the world.
Group B
Armenia vs Republic of Ireland
The Republic of Ireland will look to put the controversy of their World Cup play-off firmly behind them as they open their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign with a win over Armenia.
Giovanni Trapattoni should be able to call on Robbie Keane and experienced defender Richard Dunne, who have both recovered from injury, while Armenia will simply hope to improve on their World Cup qualifying campaign where they finished bottom of their group.
Andorra vs Russia
Dick Advocaat has promised not to underestimate Andorra when they host his Russian side in their opening qualifier.
However, the Dutch manager will be hoping that Everton's Diniyar Bilyaletdinov and Arsenal's Andrey Arshavin can provide enough quality to continue Russia's 100 percent record against the Andorrans.
Slovakia vs Macedonia
Slovakia are on a high after their displays in South Africa, but face a tricky test against Macedonia in their opening group B game.
However, with the talents of Martin Skrtel and Marek Hamsik the Slovaks will be confident of overcoming the Macedonians - who usually struggle away from home - and taking three points in what should be a closely fought group.
Group C
Estonia vs Italy
Cesare Prandelli will take charge of his first game as he looks to repair the reputation of Italian football after a shocking World Cup which saw the reigning champions finish bottom of their group.
Antonio Cassano returns to the Italy squad after his absence under the previous regime, and should start up front in place of the mis-firing Alberto Gilardino.
Meanwhile Estonia manager Tarmo Ruutli will be looking to continue his winning streak after his side beat the Faroe Islands last week in their opening qualifying game.
Faroe Islands vs Serbia
Serbia disappointed in South Africa, failing to progress beyond the group stages, but will begin their Euro mission with a straightforward game against the Faroe Islands.
Following on from their disappointing loss to Estonia, the Faroe Islands will be out to avoid a heavy defeat against a side containing the talents of Milos Krasic and Liverpool's Milan Jovanovic.
Slovenia vs Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland find themselves in a tough group alongside Italy, Serbia and also Slovenia who will give them a tough test in their first qualifying game.
Goalkeeper Maik Taylor insists that his side are looking to take all three points, but in reality a draw would be a good result against one of the World Cup's surprise packages.
Group D
Romania vs Albania
Romania go into their opening Euro 2012 fixture as heavy favourites against minnows albania.
The Romanians, who appeared in the 2008 tournament, will look to ex-Chelsea man Adrian Mutu as their spearhead in attack and should have enough quality to start their 2012 campaign off with a win.
Luxembourg vs Bosnia Herzegovina
Bosnia are the dark horses of group D and assuming they can take maximum points from their opening fixture against Luxembourg they have a real chance of qualifying.
Zvjezdan Misimovic and Lyon's Miralem Pjanic are the main men for Bosnia and they should be able to break down a Luxembourg defence that conceded five against Wales in their last friendly.
France vs Belarus
French football reached a new low in South Africa, but new coach Laurent Blanc is hoping he can restore his country's reputation as he takes charge of his first competitive match.
The enforced suspension of stars Patrice Evra, Franck Ribery and Nicolas Anelka means that only nine of the mutinous World Cup squad will feature against Belarus, while the absence of Samir Nasri, Djbril Cisse, and Lassana Diarra through injury could give Belarus a real chance at an upset.
Group E
Sweden vs Hungary
Both sides will be eager to get off to a winning start after missing out on the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and the opening tie between Sweden and Hungary is a tough game to call.
However, the Swedes are coming off the back of four straight friendly wins and could use this confidence to overcome Hungary, who have only managed three losses and a draw in their recent friendly encounters.
Moldova vs Finland
Two of group E's minnows go head-to-head for three points in what should be a closely fought opening qualifier.
Moldova could just have the edge due to home advantage, but may struggle to break down a resolute Finnish defence which kept an attack-minded Belgium at bay in their last friendly game.
San Marino vs Netherlands
The Netherlands will be keen to move on from the heartbreak of losing the World Cup final in Spain, and could not have asked for a better opportunity as they take on San Marino in their opening Euro 2012 qualifier.
Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben will both be absent through injury, but with the recall of Ruud Van Nistelrooy the Dutch should have enough attacking quality to take all three points.
Group F
Greece vs Georgia
Greece will begin life after Otto Rehhagel when they take on Georgia in their opening Euro 2012 qualifier.
New coach Fernando Santos will be hoping that he can continue the Greek's impressive five-game unbeaten streak against Georgia, but his opposing manager Temuri Ketsbaia has promised to fight for all three points in Piraeus.
Israel 3-1 Malta
Israel got their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign off to a flier as they swept aside Malta at the Ramat Gan Stadium in Tel Aviv on Thursday night.
30-year-old Chelsea star Yossi Benayoun was the star of the show, scoring three goals and lifting his side to the top of group F.
Latvia vs Croatia
Croatia will be eager to put the disappointment of not qualifying for South Africa behind them, and manager Slaven Bilic has vowed to get for maximum points from their opening games.
Play-makers Niko Kranjcar and Luka Modric will be vital for the Croatians as they look to open up the Latvias who are on a five-game unbeaten streak under coach Aleksandrs Starkovs.
Group G
England vs Bulgaria
With the World Cup debacle still smarting England's football community, the opening Euro 2012 qualifier offers a chance of redemption for Capello and his men.
The result is by no means a formality however, as star players Frank Lampard, John Terry, Peter Crouch and Rio Ferdinand have all ruled themselves out, and a tricky Bulgaria side featuring the likes of Stiliyan Petrov, Martin Petrov, and Valeri Bojinov will have every chance of claiming their first win over the Three Lions.
Montenegro vs Wales
Wales head into their first Euro 2012 qualifier after a promising 5-1 friendly win over Luxembourg and will be hoping to reverse the result of the last meeting between the two sides.
That game, in 2009, ended 2-1 to Montenegro and should provide enough motivation for star players Craig Bellamy and Gareth Bale who have been in fantastic form for their clubs.
Fiorentina striker Stevan Jovetic is out for Montenegro with a cruciate ligament injury, but Roma's Mirko Vucinic is fit and should start up front.
Group H
Portugal vs Cyprus
The big news for Portugal ahead of their opening Euro 2012 qualifier is the absence of coach Carlos Queiroz, who has received a six-month ban for misconduct towards drug testers. Add to this the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo is out with an ankle injury and Portugal look to be in some trouble.
However, the Iberian side have a wealth of attacking talent to compensate and Cyrus boss Angelos Anastasiadais will need a big performance from his players, including Greek defender Sawas Poursaitidis who is now a Cypriot citizen, if he wants to avoid a thrashing.
Iceland vs Norway
Another team that could qualify for Euro 2012 given a good run of form is Norway, who face Iceland in their opening fixture.
However, it is vital that they take all three points against the Icelanders as Portugal and Denmark will provide stiff competition.
Group I
Lithuania vs Scotland
Craig Levein's Scotland will start their Euro qualifying campaign with a tricky tie away in Lithuania.
Veteran defender David Weir should start for the Scots and in doing so will become the oldest player to have played in the championships at 40. Steven Naismith and striker Kenny Miller will start up front and will look to break down the Lithuanian defense.
Liechtenstein vs Spain
European and now world champions Spain are undoubtedly the top force in international football and the odds are firmly stacked against their opening opponents Liechtenstein.
Fernando Torres, Andres Iniesta, and Pepe Reina return to a squad brimming with quality, although veteran defender Carlos Puyol is likely to miss out with a thigh problem.
Liechtenstein coach Hans-Peter Zaugg will have to hope that the experience of Peter Jehle and Franz Burgmeier can help his side avoid a heavy defeat against the Spanish.
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