Published 3/23/2007 12:52:10 PM by Staff from ESPN SoccerNet

Qualifying for Euro 2008 gets back into action this weekend with several interesting and important games on tap.

France forced to experiment in Lithuania
World Cup runners-up France will be forced to experiment when they visit Lithuania in a Euro 2008 Group B qualifier on Saturday. Coach Raymond Domenech, whose team have worried their fans since losing to Italy on penalties in last year's World Cup final, are without midfielder and captain Patrick Vieira as well as forwards Thierry Henry, Franck Ribery and Louis Saha through injuries for the game in Kaunas.

France have lost two of their last four matches, which has not happened to them since defeats by Senegal and Denmark at the 2002 World Cup finals. They were beaten 1-0 by Argentina in a friendly at the Stade de France last month after slumping to a 1-0 defeat in Scotland in a Euro 2008 qualifier last October.

In Vieira's absence, the skipper's armband should fall to Barcelona centre back Lilian Thuram, making his return in central defence alongside Arsenal's William Gallas. Thuram and Gallas both missed the Argentina game through injuries.

With Domenech facing a selection headache up front, Olympique Lyon's 19-year old striker Karim Benzema and Bolton's Nicolas Anelka could both feature in the starting line-up.

France and Scotland are level on nine points in Group B. Italy are next on seven points and Ukraine have six but with a game in hand. Lithuania lie fifth on four points, also with a game in hand.

'This match is a turning point,' Domenech told reporters. 'We are in the same situation as during the World Cup qualifiers. We cannot afford to drop more points. It is a decisive game. It is not a final but it looks like one.'

Lithuania coach Algimantas Liubinskas said his team were not in such a good shape as in September, when they managed a 1-1 draw with world champions Italy.

Liubinskas is likely to have to make do without Hearts striker Edgaras Jankauskas, who is hampered by a sore groin. However, the Lithuania coach said his players would not concentrate on defending and would use every opportunity to counter-attack. 'Our tactic is not going to be a passive one, no way,' he said. 'Of course, we will have to defend first of all but we will try to set up counter-attacks whenever the French allow us to do that,' Liubinskas told reporters.

Israel teens tipped to torment England
Israel's teenage strikers have been backed to shoot down England's European Championship dream. With first-choice forward Roberto Colautti suspended, Chelsea's Ben Sahar, 17, and Nigeria-born Toto Tamuz, 18, could be unleashed on Steve McClaren's men in Saturday's Euro 2008 qualifier in Tel Aviv.

Bolton's Israel midfielder Idan Tal, who is also banned for the game, believes the pair have the ability to earn their country all three points in the crucial Group E encounter. Sahar is only 17 but is already a household name in Israel,' Tal told Bolton's official website. He is getting the best grounding of all at Chelsea and he brings a nice blend of exuberance and zest to the national team. Many pundits in Israel call him Israel's Wayne Rooney, but that is putting too much pressure on the boy.

The other striker that everyone is talking about is Toto Tamuz. Toto is only 18 and has just come off the bench in our last three Euro qualifiers. He has just been granted Israeli citizenship and is available to play on Saturday, when many thought he was going to miss out. He is elusive and very strong. He is still very young and, again, the Israeli public have to be patient with him. 'Toto has fantastic natural ability to be a world-class striker in years to come.'

As well as Sahar - who has made three substitute appearances for Chelsea this season - and Tamuz, of Beitar Jerusalem, Israel possess a number of other young players to supplement the experience in their squad. Tal believes they can form a good blend with the likes of Bolton team-mate Tal Ben Haim and West Ham midfielder Yossi Benayoun, who will captain Israel on Saturday.

Friendships put aside as Czechs face Germans
The Czech Republic face Germany on Saturday in a top-of-the-table Group D European qualifying clash featuring two goalkeepers desperate to stop their club mates from scoring.

Chelea's Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech will come up against his London club mate Michael Ballack, the German skipper, while German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann will be trying to thwart his Arsenal club mate Tomas Rosicky from scoring for the Czechs.

Five of the likely Czech starting line-up have Bundesliga experience and there are close ties all over the pitch in a match between the neighbouring countries who both have 10 points from their opening four matches.

Rosicky used to room with German Christoph Metzelder when they were at Borussia Dortmund together, while Hamburg SV team mates David Jarolim and Piotr Trochowski will face each other too.

Cech, for one, is eager for his side to win so he can end one of the few personal losing streaks he has had to suffer in his recent career. 'I have played the Germans three times and always lost. I believe the card could finally start turning now,' he says.

Cech, now fit again after recovering from a fractured skull suffered last October, did not play in the Czechs' 2-1 victory over Germany at the 2004 European championship and will need to be at his best as the Czechs have failed to keep a clean sheet against Germany in their last 22 matches.

Coach Karel Brueckner may opt for a 4-5-1 formation to disrupt Germany's offensive midfield, with just Jan Koller up front. Koller, another former Borussia Dortmund player, will rely on a supply of balls from Rosicky, his former Borussia team mate, while Milan Baros is likely to start on the bench and try to repeat his 2004 trick when he scored the winner as a second half substitute against Germany in Euro 2004.

'If there is any weak point in the German team, it could be the defence where they miss right back Arne Friedrich,' said defensive midfielder Tomas Galasek, who plays in Germany for Nuremberg.

Germany have a problem up front as Miroslav Klose, the top scorer in last year's World Cup, is suspended. Mario Gomez, who leads the scoring charts in the Bundesliga with 13 goals and would have been an ideal replacement, is also ruled out because of injury.

That leaves Lukas Podolski and Kevin Kuranyi, who have 37 international goals between them, as the likely strike partnership, with up-and-coming forwards like Stefan Kiessling, Jan Schlaudraff and Trochowski waiting for chances from the bench.

Print