Spain coach Inaki Saez wants his team to be aggressive tomorrow. Giving his players the same advice would probably make Netherlands manager Dick Advocaat cringe.
Spain plays Norway in one of five 2004 European Championship playoff pairings, while the squabbling Dutch face Scotland.
PHOTO: EPA
"Everyone has to be certain that we are going to have 11 tigers on the pitch on Saturday night," Saez said.
In other matchups, Russia plays Wales, Croatia meets Slovenia and Latvia takes on Turkey. The second legs are Nov. 19, with the survivors moving into the 16-team European Championship next year in Portugal.
Host Portugal and the 10 other nations have already qualified.
"It's all or nothing," Advocaat said. "I know that and so do the players. We all really want to go to Portugal. It must happen on Saturday and Wednesday."
Spain, always filled with some of the world's best players, has underachieved in major tournaments. There were problems in qualifying, too -- Saez's team finished second to unheralded Greece following a two-game blip.
Not reaching a tournament held next door would add more embarrassment.
"I have confidence in this team, but we have to play the way we know how to, realizing it will be difficult and that there will be nerves out there," Saez said.
With the second leg in Oslo -- where potentially chilly conditions could hamper play -- Spain is looking to take the initiative Saturday in Valencia.
"We have to score first because Norway don't know how to play with the score against them," Saez said. "Everyone should know it is going to be an uncomfortable match for us. I watched a recent Norway-Denmark game, and Norway based their play on effort and strength."
Norway is without injured Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Another forward, John Carew, has refused to play under coach Nils Johan Semb following a bust-up with teammate John Arne Riise.
Siena's Tore Andre Flo will start up front.
"A draw would be a great result for us," Semb said. "It would give us a great chance for the return leg. And a 1-1 draw would certainly be better than a goalless one."
Infighting is never too far away with the Dutch, another gifted squad. Last December, Edgar Davids and Mark van Bommel clashed in the locker room. Manchester United's Ruud van Nistelrooy was suspended for kicking a water bottle last month during a game against the Czech Republic. Van Nistelrooy was named to the squad against Scotland.
The Netherlands didn't qualify for last year's World Cup, and former star Johan Cruyff said the current crop would become a generation of losers if they didn't advance.
Scotland coach Berti Vogts has played along, putting the pressure on the Dutch ever since the draw was announced.
"All those players of quality, who are with many of the top clubs, and yet they are in the playoffs, so Saturday is a must-win game for them," Vogts said. "We will be looking to cause a sensation. All the pressure is on the Dutch."
Scotland captain Paul Lambert is out with an ankle injury, one of several withdrawals Vogts has to deal with. Saturday's game is in Glasgow.
"We have got to go in with the Scottish spirit and get wired in," forward Stevie Crawford said. "The spirit we have got in the squad in the moment is good, so we will all go for it."
Wales, which hasn't reached a major tournament since playing in the World Cup in 1958, also has injury problems. Speedy Newcastle striker Craig Bellamy (knee) and defender Rhys Weston (ankle) are sidelined. Spurs winger Simon Davies (groin) and Fulham defender Mark Pembridge (calf) might be back for the second leg in Cardiff.
The good news for manager Mark Hughes is that gritty midfielder Robbie Savage has recovered from an Achilles problem and Manchester United's Ryan Giggs is hot. Giggs scored both goals in a 2-1 win over Liverpool on Sunday.
Wales, a runner-up to Italy in Group 9, had three losses and a draw in its last four qualifiers.
"People say Wales were transformed under Mark Hughes, but if we do not qualify, it will be all about us not making it again, and we do not want to be labeled like that," he said. "But we feel we are good enough, and we will be heroes. If we do not qualify, it will be a crying shame."
Russia, second to Switzerland, scored 15 goals in four home wins. Forward Dmitry Bulykin isn't short of confidence.
Latvia finished second to Sweden and Hungary. Turkey, a semifinalist in the World Cup, was second to England.
New Taipei Kings guard Jeremy Lin on Friday was named the Taiwan Professional Basketball League’s (TPBL) Player of the Month, the first domestic player to win the award, while the Hsinchu Toplus Lioneers are to welcome their third head coach in less than a year. Lin averaged 22 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists over five games in October and last month, helping the Kings to second in the standings with a 4-2 record as of Friday. The Kings last night defeated the Lioneers 96-78 to move level with the top-of-the-table Formosa Dreamers (5-2), while in the night game, the New Taipei
‘REMARKABLE’: Gaelic football is a traditional Irish sport that blends the skills of soccer and rugby, and hurling is an ancient sport played with a wooden stick and ‘sliotar’ The Taiwan Celts Gaelic Football Club marked a milestone achievement at the Asian Gaelic Games in Bangkok on Nov. 23 and 24, with two sides advancing to the knockout stages and competing at hurling for the first time. The event brought together 68 teams from 16 clubs across Asia, with more than 800 players in men’s and women’s tournaments. Gaelic football is a traditional Irish team sport that blends the skills of soccer, rugby union and basketball. Hurling is an ancient Irish sport played with a wooden stick, called a hurley, and a small ball, or sliotar. The Taiwan Celts’ women’s team reached
LIVERPOOL WIN: The 50th Champions League goal by Mohamed Salah helped the leaders of the Premier League to keep their perfect record intact Real Madrid’s big stars on Tuesday turned on the style to revive the Spanish giant’s faltering UEFA Champions League title defense. Galacticos Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham all scored in a thrilling 3-2 win against Serie A leaders Atalanta BC. However, Madrid still had to ride their luck as Mateo Retegui fired over from in front of goal in stoppage-time when handed a golden chance to level the game. It was only Madrid’s third win in the competition’s revamped league phase and leaves the 15-time champions in the unseeded playoff positions in 18th place. “It’s a very important win. Not everyone wins
TO NO AVAIL: The Denver Nuggets’ Serbian center Nikola Jokic surpassed his 53-point performance in the 2023 Western Conference semi-finals against Phoenix The Washington Wizards withstood a 56-point explosion from Denver star Nikola Jokic to beat the Nuggets 122-113 on Saturday and snap their 16-game NBA losing streak. Jokic, who won his third NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award last season, posted a career scoring high — surpassing a 53-point performance in game four of the 2023 Western Conference semi-finals against Phoenix and a 50-point regular-season best against Sacramento in 2021. The Serbian big man added 16 rebounds and eight assists, but it was all to no avail as Washington, buoyed by 39 points from Jordan Poole, won for the first time
RSS