Play-off prospects of Euro 2004 hopefuls

The remaining five places in the finals of Euro 2004 will be taken by the winners of the play-off matches between the 10 teams that finished runners-up in their qualifying groups.

Holland and Spain are the traditional heavyweights who are taking part in the play-offs and will be expected to go through but there is no doubting that all potential opponents – even minnows Latvia and Wales – pose serious danger.

Here are the prospects of the 10 nations looking to join the 10 who have already qualified to join tournament hosts Portugal.

SLOVENIA

One of the less-heralded footballing nations, they have proved to have a real pedigree in play-offs.

Slovenia was one of the states created by the disintegration of Yugoslavia and have punched above their weight ever since, qualifying via the play-offs for both Euro 2000 and last year’s World Cup.

On both occasions they beat supposedly superior opposition, eclipsing Ukraine to qualify for Euro 2000 and then Romania to reach the World Cup and will hope to do the same under coach Bojan Prasnikar, who replaced Srecko Katanec last year.

Zlatko Zahovic, who missed their 2-2 draw with Cyprus on Saturday, is Slovenia’s talisman while Aleksandrs Knavs gives them quality in defence.

It must be said, though, that Slovenia have benefited from UEFA’s decision to force Israel to play all of their home games on neutral soil for security reasons.

NORWAY

Norway barely made it into the draw at the expense of Romania and Bosnia-Herzegovina behind fellow Scandinavians Denmark and they looked laboured in qualifying.

Still relying on the direct style pioneered by Egil Olsen and continued by current coach Nils Semb, they are not always pretty to watch.

The Norwegians will need to raise their game if they are to book a place with much depending on the likes of Siena striker Tore Andre Flo – the lone scorer in their final group game against Luxembourg.

HOLLAND

The Oranje are facing the nightmare prospect of failing to qualify for a second consecutive major tournament after missing out on last year’s World Cup.

Their noisy but largely good-natured supporters will be sorely missed if Dick Advocaat’s team slip up the play-offs and there are worrying signs of team disharmony – historically a problem for the Dutch.

Advocaat has suggested Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy will play a peripheral part – if any – in the play-offs. Although they have many quality players, there has been a decline in recent years with Rafael van der Vaart one of few young players to break through.

LATVIA

A sensational 1-0 win over group winners Sweden in Stockholm on the final day saw Latvia deny Poland and Hungary a play-off spot.

The Baltic outfit are perhaps the biggest outsiders of all but, after getting so far, they will have nothing to lose in the play-offs.

Coach Aleksandrs Starkov has worked miracles while Maris Verpakovskis and Vits Rimkus have formed a solid strike partnership.

And he will need similar efforts from Aleksandrs Kolinko, his goalkeeper, in the two ties.

SCOTLAND

Berti Vogts has put his faith in youth and his policy will be vindicated if the Scots can book a place in next summer’s finals after a poor start to qualification.

The likes of Jamie McFadden and Darren Fletcher, the scorer of the winning goal against Lithuania which catapulted them into the play-offs, bode well for the future as Vogts hopes he gets the chance to become the first Scotland manager to lead the Tartan Army beyond the first phase of a major tournament.

First he must negotiate the play-offs and Vogts will need to call on the experience that made him a World Cup winner with West Germany in 1974 and coach of the united Germany in the victorious Euro 96 campaign.

SPAIN

In charge of arguably the biggest underachievers in world football, Spain boss Inaki Saez knows that defeat will be unfathomable for the country that likes to think it has the best domestic league in the world.

The likes of Javier Clemente and Jose Antonio Camacho have been harshly judged for failing to win major tournaments – Saez can only wonder what is in store for him if he is unable to deliver the bare minimum.

Spain felt hard done by in their World Cup exit in 2002 to co-hosts South Korea when a series of refereeing decisions went against them, but the result continued a tradition of losing in big tournaments.

However, with the likes of Raul, Ivan Helguera and Juan Carlos Valeron at his fingertips, Saez knows that he has plenty of weaponry at his disposal and qualification would give him time to put right the faults.

TURKEY

One of the emerging powers of the world game, Turkey, after finishing third in last year’s World Cup, can consider themselves the best team in the play-offs although England pipped them to top spot.

A hostile atmosphere in Istanbul doubtless awaits their play-off opponents and the Turks are renowned for their combative qualities on the pitch.

Senol Gunes has several established stars such as Hakan Sukur, Emre Belozoglu and Rustu Recber at his disposal but youngsters like Tuncay Senli and Ilhan Mansiz suggest a sustained period of success beckons.

CROATIA

Another team that rose from the ashes of the former Yugoslavia, Croatia have also belied their meagre population to prove formidable opponents in their young history.

The fledgling state has qualified for three of the last four major tournaments and in 1998 finished third in the World Cup and, had it not been for a glaring mistake by Zvonimir Boban, might well have beaten eventual winners France in the semi-finals.

One worry for coach Otto Baric is that many pioneers of Croatian football are now past their sell-by date and there is a dearth of young talent coming through.

Whoever draws Croatia would do well to keep under wraps two players.

Milan Rapaic, who plays behind the strikers, is their most creative player while Ivica Olic is a proven goalscorer.

WALES

Coach Mark Hughes has squeezed every last drop out of Wales but there have been signs that the Dragons are running out of steam.

If the Welsh are to qualify for the finals of a major tournament for the first time since the 1958 World Cup in Sweden – Brazil beat them in the quarter-finals with a goal from Pele before capturing their first world title – they will have to rekindle the spirit that saw them beat Italy in Cardiff last year.

Class is thin on the ground – attacking players Ryan Giggs and Craig Bellamy are perhaps the only players with true European star quality – but the Welsh will doubtless make up for that with plenty of spirit.

RUSSIA

Once mainstays of world football, Russia have had a relatively lean time since the demise of the Soviet Union but indications are that the country that is geographically the biggest in the world is back on song.

The Russians are beginning to turn themselves around although coaching changes have made for a sometimes unsettled atmosphere during qualification.

Qualification for the finals would be another sign that Russia are getting their act together and coach Georgi Yartsev seems to have finally got the players singing from the same hymn sheet.

Russia have experience in midfield with Aleksandr Mostovoi while Viktor Onopko gives assurance to the defence. Igor Titov is a goalscorer who also creates havoc in the final third with his passing ability.