Welsh stars must play game of their lives to win

WALES coach Mark Hughes has called for his top players to have the game of their lives in their Euro 2004 play-off against Russia today and not to allow such a golden chance to slip away.

Russia certainly have size and past pedigree on their side the Soviet Union won the inaugural European Championship in 1960 but Hughes believes top quality performances from his major stars will give Wales a fighting chance.

Before taking his squad on a walkabout in Red Square, Hughes said: "This is a case of going out and giving our all. There will be no holding back because these are the sort of games that can, for the players that are here, shape their careers. It is important that they grasp the opportunity.

"We are in a situation now when everybody has to have a big game. We have big names in our side and every one of them will need to play to the best of their ability, and display it at the highest level because that is where they will be performing here."

No player's form is more important than that of Ryan Giggs. Criticised in the past for missing international matches, he is now hammered if he fails to reach his own high standards in every match he plays for Wales.

Hughes added: "Yes, Ryan does get some criticism. But Ryan is playing very well, he had a good weekend, scoring twice in his last game, and he has been buzzing in training, that is always a good sign.

"We need all our players performing at the best of their ability to get the result that we want."

Hughes has a squad severely weakened by injuries to Craig Bellamy, Mark Pembridge, Simon Davies, Robert Page and Rhys Weston. On the positive side, captain Gary Speed is likely to return to midfield alongside Robbie Savage and Darren Barnard is a potential starter at left-back.

Hughes just hopes and prays his men can survive against a Russian side famed for blitzing teams into submission in the opening stages at the Lokomotiv Stadium.

Russia coach Georgi Yartsev has problems of his own, with key defender Vadim Evseev travelling to Germany to be present as his daughter undergoes heart surgery. Yartsev also has injury doubts over Alexei Smertin, Igor Titov and Andrei Karyaka.

Meanwhile Scotland manager Berti Vogts is hoping his young stars can rise to the occasion against Holland in the Euro 2004 play-off today.

Darren Fletcher has yet to start a game for his country having come on twice as a substitute, in a friendly in Norway in August and at home to Lithuania in the final group game.

That was a match the Scots had to win to have any chance of staying in the competition, and with the score at 0-0 and time rapidly running out the 19-year-old came off the bench to net the only goal of the game.

Fletcher has also clocked up Premiership and Champions League experience at Manchester United and without giving anything away, Vogts was more than clear he felt the youngster was good enough to start.

"He is ready for Manchester United and he is ready for Scotland. He came in against Lithuania and scored the play-off goal. Always he is ready."

Vogts has added another "unknown" to his squad in Motherwell midfielder Stephen Pearson whose has been performing well over the last year.

Dutch boss Advocaat can call on the likes of Patrick Kluivert, who at 27 has already 40 international goals to his name, Jaap Stam, and Ruud van Nistelrooy, who has been the subject of most of the pre-match headlines when it was claimed he would be left on the substitutes' bench.

But Vogts insisted the opposition had hardly been mentioned in the build up to the game.

He said: "My only focus has been on my team. They have great players, that's true, but I don't speak too much about my opponents. That's not my style.

"I have to give my players confidence. That's most important."