Euro Qualifying Group C: Norway And Turkey Chase Greece

As part of Goal.com's continuing coverage of all the big tournaments, we now take a look at Group C in the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers. There's still everything to play for, but the holders could all but wrap it up by Wednesday night...

Some regard Group C as one of the weakest groups in Euro 2008 qualifying. After all, it has no World Cup entrants of 2006.

But one must remember that this group contains none other than the current reigning European champions: Greece. What's more, Turkey - who finished third in the previous World Cup - can never be discounted.

However, it is Bosnia-Herzegovina that has proved to be the surprise package of the group. The Zuto Plavi have never qualified for a major tournament yet are in with a real chance of doing so.

Norway, too, sit level with Bosnia and Turkey; they missed out on the last tournament, and indeed have only ever qualified once, but are still in with a shout.

Hungary, meanwhile, have endured a torrid campaign, while Malta and Moldova scrap it at the bottom...

GREECE
Norway - Greece 12/9 19:00 (all times local)

They may have bid a fond farewell to Theodoros Zagorakis (pictured), but the Greeks are still in high spirits. They are top of their group with eighteen points and well on the way to returning to the tournament that they won in 2004.

Nonetheless, there is a downside. The whole country has been rocked by the recent fires that have resulted in 66 deaths so far, and even football has been affected: due to the tragic events in the south of the country, the League campaign has been postponed.

Thus, several home-grown players are without match fitness, and some of those that aren't may wish they were; AEK went down 6-1 on aggregate to Sevilla recently in the Champions League qualifiers, leaving the likes of Dellas and Liberopolous shaken.

But for all the recent turmoil on and off the pitch, Hellas must remember one thing: they are still top. Indeed, the spine of this team has seen them win six out of seven games so far, including all of their away matches.

Only a dreadful 4-1 defeat to Turkey soured proceedings, but they have bounced back since then, winning three qualifiers on the trot before losing only narrowly to Spain in a recent friendly.

What's more, the squad is generally looking strong. Manchester City's Georgos Samaras will be expected to lead the line, while Katsouranis goes from strength to strength at Benfica.

There are, however, injury problems, the most notable of which is the absence of Stelios Giannakopoulos, the Bolton Wanderers midfielder. He is currently languishing on the sidelines as he recovers from a hernia operation.

What's more, Nuremberg striker Angelos Charisteas is absent with a knee injury.

Be that as it may, now, they will hope to make it six points from six against Norway, whom they beat 1-0 in the group's second game. It was narrow, but it set them on the road to topping the group.

And there they have stayed. That given, it's almost certain that Greece will qualify. It's likely that, when they do make it to Austria and Switzerland, they will fail to defend their title....

But it was just as unlikely to see them win it last time...

Squad: Goalkeepers: Antonis Nikopolidis (Olympiakos Piraeus), Costas Chalkias (Aris)

Defenders: Giourkas Seitaridis (Atletico Madrid), Sotiris Kyrgiakos (Eintracht Frankfurt), Traianos Dellas (AEK Athens), Nikos Spyropoulos (Panionios), Loukas Vintra, Ioannis Goumas (both Panathinaikos), Michalis Kapsis (APOEL), Vassilis Torosidis, Paraskevas Antzas, Christos Patsatzoglou (all Olympiakos)

Midfielders: Angelos Basinas (Mallorca), Alexandros Tziolis, Georgos Karagounis (Panathinaikos), Costas Katsouranis (Benfica)

Strikers: Dimitris Salpigidis, Dimitris Papadopoulos (both Panathinaikos), Nikos Liberopoulos (AEK Athens), Fanis Gekas (Bayer Leverkusen), Georgos Samaras (Manchester City), Ioannis Amanatidis (Eintracht Frankfurt)

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
Hungary - Bosnia 8/9 16:00
Bosnia - Moldova 12/9 20:00

BiH are on cloud nine after that dramatic 3-2 win over Turkey in June; a close-fought 1-0 victory over Malta a few days later propelled the Plavo Zuti into second place.

As they prepare for an eminently winnable double header, coach Fuad Muzrovic has named a mostly strong, confident-looking squad for a trip to Hungary and a visit from Moldova.

There are problems, though. FK Moscow star Branislav Krunic has pulled out with injury, weakening the playmaking aspects of the team.

And Ivica Grlic of high-flying Bundesliga side MSV Duisburg has retired from international football in order to conserve his energy for club affairs.

Nonetheless, confidence is high, and the coach will accept nothing less from six points, considering Hungary's poor standing in the group and Moldova's minnow status.

But, it's just about one year ago to the day that Bosnians were humbled 3-1 at home by the Hungarians. Could history repeat itself, against the odds?

Squad: Goalkeepers: Adnan Gušo (CS Pandurii Lignitul Târgu Jiu), Zdenko Baotić (FK Željezničar), Denis Mujkić (NK Jedinstvo).

Defenders: Džemal Berberović (FC Kuban Krasnodar), Branimir Bajić (TuS Koblenz), Safet Nadarević (NK Zagreb), Dario Damjanović (HNK Hajduk Split), Ivan Radeljić (NK Slaven Belupo), Semjon Milošević (FK Sarajevo).

Midfielders: Mirko Hrgović (HNK Hajduk Split), Zajko Zeba (FC KamAZ Naberezhnye Chelny), Zvjezdan Misimović (1. FC Nürnberg), Elvir Rahimić (PFC CSKA Moskva), Darko Maletić (FK Partizan), Marko Božić (FC Fehérvá), Edin Husić (NK Cibalia).

Forwards: Vedad Ibišević (TSG Hoffenheim), Edin Džeko (VfL Wolsfburg), Adnan Čustović (R. Excelsior Mouscron), Mladen Bartolović (HNK Hajduk Split), Zlatan Muslimović (Atalanta BC), Senijad Ibričić (NK Zagreb), Dragan Blatnjak (FC Khimki).

NORWAY
Moldova - Norway 8/9 20:00
Norway - Greece 12/9 19:00

Norwegian football has been in the news lately following the retirement of one of its brightest starts. Ole Gunnar Solskjær, an eleven year veteran of Manchester United, retired last month after a long battle with a knee injury.

That not only hits the Red Devils, but also Norway. The national side benefitted from 23 Solskjær strikes over the course of his 23 caps, and now must do without him as two must-win ties approach.

The first is against Moldova. Norway have already beaten Moldova 2-0 at home, Steffen Iversen and Fredrik Stromstad - both of whom made the squad - on the scoresheet.

Here, though, they must take their injury-hit squad to Chişinău - not an easy place to travel - and battle out a result if the dream of overtaking Greece at the top is going to have any chance of coming true.

Then, of course, comes the test itself. Moldova cannot be underestimated, but Greece bring an indisputably more difficult game to Oslo. Norway, of course, lost the first fixture in Athens, and may find it difficult here due to pressure and injuries.

Christian Haestad has had to pull out due to injury, while Erik Hagen will only be eligible for this game after serving a suspension against Moldova.

It's crunch time for the boys in red. They didn't lose by much in Athens, but haven't the best of home records, having dropped points to Bosnia earlier in the campaign. Can they put nerves behind them and deliver in these ties?

Squad: Goalkeepers: Jan Kjell Larsen (Molde), Thomas Myhre (Charlton Athletic), Haakon Opdal (Brann)

Defenders: Erik Hagen (Zenit St. Petersburg), Brede Hangeland (FC Copenhagen), Marius Johnsen (Start), Frode Kippe (Lillestrom), Anders Rambekk (Lillestrom), John Arne Riise (Liverpool)

Midfielders: Martin Andresen (Brann), Christian Grindheim (Valerenga), Tommy Svindal Larsen (Odd Grenland), Peter Vaagan Moen (Brann), Morten Gamst Pedersen (Blackburn Rovers), Bjorn Helge Riise (Lillestrom), Jan Gunnar Solli (Rosenborg), Fredrik Stromstad (Start), Christian Grindheim (Valerenga)

Strikers: Daniel Braaten (Rosenborg Trondheim), John Carew (Lyon), Steffen Iversen (Rosenborg), Ole Martin Aarst (Tromso)

TURKEY
Malta - Turkey 8/9 19:30
Turkey - Hungary 12/9 19:30

As far as qualification campaigns go, Turkey have experienced the best and worst of it in this one. The unmatched joy of beating local rivals Greece 4-1 on their own patch soon turned to horror as, just months later, they lost 3-2 to Bosnia.

Now, they're fourth on goal difference behind Norway and Bosnia - albeit with a game in hand over both. By Wednesday night, then, they could be back in the qualification zone after feeling the depression of being out of the runnings.

Of course, the Crescent Stars are no strangers to highs and lows. They may have finished third in World Cup 2004, but failed to even qualify for Euro 2004, losing to Latvia in the playoffs, while they also failed to grace WC2006 with their presence.

And this campaign is, as we know, not exactly going to plan.

Nonetheless, Fatih Terim has called together a dependable-looking squad here, mostly comprising domestic players who are fit and ready to compete after starting their domestic season.

Hakan Sukur, the talismanic forward, recently broke a league scoring record for Galatasaray, and will be itching to replicate the feat on the international stage.

And there is another reason to celebrate. Turkey are back on home soil now, having been made to play three "home" games at neutral venue following earlier crowd trouble.

Nonetheless, the Turks were unbeaten in their adopted home of Frankfurt, racking up two wins and a draw.

Back in Istanbul, they could run riot over Hungary. But Turkey know not to take anything for granted. They've dropped too many points already to make that mistake...

Squad: Goalkeepers: Hakan Arıkan (Beşiktaş), Volkan Demirel (Fenerbahçe), Rüştü Reçber (Beşiktaş).

Defenders: Hakan Kadir Balta (Vestel Manisaspor), Servet Çetin (Galatasaray), Sabri Sarıoğlu (Galatasaray), İbrahim Toraman (Beşiktaş ), İbrahim Üzülmez (Beşiktaş), Hayrettin Yerlikaya (Sivasspor), Gökhan Zan (Beşiktaş).

Midfielders: Ayhan Akman (Galatasaray), Hamit Altıntop (Bayern München), Mehmet Aurelio (Fenerbahçe), Deniz Barış (Fenerbahçe), Emre Belözoğlu (Newcastle United), Hüseyin Çimşir (Trabzonspor), Gökdeniz Karadeniz (Trabzonspor), Serdar Özkan (Beşiktaş), Nuri Şahin (Feyenoord), Tuncay Şanlı (Middlesbrough), Mehmet Topuz (Kayserispor), Arda Turan (Galatasaray).

Strikers: Halil Altıntop (Schalke 04), Nihat Kahveci (Villarreal), Hakan Şükür (Galatasaray), Gökhan Ünal (Kayserispor).

HUNGARY
Hungary - Bosnia 8/9 16:00
Turkey - Hungary 129/9 19:30

It has been a qualification campaign to forget for Hungary, who have just two wins and six points to show for their seven ties so far.

What's more, they've been awful at the back, shipping fourteen goals - just one fewer than Malta and Moldova - to make an average of two concessions per game.

Twice they've let in four against Norway, and also suffered at the hands of Malta early in the campaign.

Oddly enough, though, they've racked up some excellent performances. They recently beat an admittedly-unfit Italy side on home soil in a friendly, while they showed some attacking flair to beat Moldova.

And that could spur them on to ruffle some feathers here: their own challenge might be dead and buried, but they can upset the big boys and dictate the course of qualification for others.

Of course, they might already have done so. They thrashed Bosnia in Zenica last year before losing only narrowly to Turkey in Budapest; both of these results could count in spades for their respective teams as the campaign draws to a close.

That will be of little consolation to the Magical Magyars, though, who must regard their glory days as so far away.

Squad: Goalkeepers: Marton Fulop (Leicester), Janos Balogh (Debrecen), Szabolcs Balajcza (Ujpest)

Defenders: Zoltan Szelesi(Strasbourg), Csaba Csizmadia (Mattersburg), Tamas Vasko (Bristol City), Roland Juhasz (Anderlecht), Vilmos Vanczak (Sion)

Midfielders: Adam Vass (Brescia), Balazs Toth (Genk), Leandro (Debrecen), Daniel Tozser (AEK Athens), Attila Filkor (Inter Milan), Tamas Hajnal (Karlsruhe), Akos Buzsaky (Plymouth), Balazs Dzsudzsak (Debrecen), Peter Halmosi (Plymouth)

Strikers: Zoltan Gera (West Bromwich Albion), Gabor Bori (MTK Budapest), Tamas Priskin (Watford), Peter Rajczi (Ujpest), Robert Feczesin (Brescia)

MALTA
Malta - Turkey 8/9 19:30

Malta are sometimes regarded as European whipping boys to be mentioned in the same breath as San Marino or the Faroe Islands.

Now, though, the islanders have turned some heads after what has been something of a successful campaign.

They've still never qualified for a major tournament, but Malta are off bottom spot thanks to a superb win over Hungary early in qualifying.

That result, plus a hard-fought draw in difficult conditions away to Moldvoa has left some thinking that Malta have now turned a corner.

Yet they are still considered underdogs for the visit of Turkey. They will try their best to make it difficult for the visitors - after all, Greece neededa second half penalty to sink the Knights of St. John in Ta'Qali - and could yet surprise once again.

Hopes are hinged on Andre Schembri, plying his trade in Germany with BTSV Eintracht, and Coventry's Michael Mifsud, the rest of the squad being almost entirely locally-based.

Malta's previous clash with Turkey in qualifying ended 2-0 to the "home" side in Frankfurt.

Squad: Goalkeepers: Omar Borg (Birkirkara), Justin Haber (Haidari), Andrew Hogg (Valletta), Mario Muscat (Hibernians)

Defenders: Ian Azzopardi, Roderick Briffa, Brian Said (all Sliema Wanderers), Luke Dimech (Macclesfield Town), Josef Mifsud, Kenneth Scicluna (both Valletta), Peter Pullicino, Steve Wellman (both Marsaxlokk), Aaron Xuereb (Hibernians)

Midfielders: Gilbert Agius (Valletta), Roderick Bajada (Sliema Wanderers), Cleaven Frendo, Jamie Pace, Kevin Sammut (all Marsaxlokk), George Mallia (Birkirkara)

Strikers: Etienne Barbara, Ivan Woods (both Sliema Wanderers), Andrew Cohen, Terence Scerri (both Hibernians), Michael Mifsud (Coventry City), Andre Schembri (Eintracht Braunschweig)

MOLDOVA
Moldova - Norway 8/9 20:00
Bosnia - Moldova 12/9 20:00

Mathematically speaking, Moldova can still qualify for Euro 2008. It's safe to say, though, that they won't.

The Moldovans have managed just two points so far, garnered from home draws with Bosnia and Malta, and are considered severe underdogs as they prepare to welcome Norway.

Nonetheless, Chisinau is an imposing place to come to, and the pressure is all on the visitors. That could work in the Republic side's favour.

Most players are domestically based, Sheriff of Tiraspol - champions for the last seven seasons running - contributing one player in each position.

There is the odd traveler, though, but one foreign star - Spartak Moscow midfielder Serghei Covalciuc - recently had to withdraw through injury.

Moldova were easily beaten 2-0 by Norway back in Oslo but will hope to hold the visitors to a point here, while repeating the earlier draw to Bosnia away from home would be a mighty achievement for this side.

Squad: Goalkeepers: Serghei Pascenco (FC Sheriff), Nicolai Calancea (CSF Zimbru Chisinau).

Defenders: Semion Bulgaru (FC Sheriff), Alexandru Epureanu (FC Moskva), Ghenadie Olexic (FC Amkar Perm), Victor Golovatenco (FC Tiraspol), Alexei Savinov (CSF Zimbru Chisinau), Serghei Lascencov (FC Karpaty Lviv).

Midfielders: Alexandru Gatcan (FC Rubin Kazan), Radu Rebeja (FC Moskva), Vitalie Bordian (FC Metalist Kharkiv), Igor Tsigirlas (FK Ventspils), Victor Comlenoc (FC SKA Rostov-na-Donu), Serghei Namasco (FC Tiraspol), Nicolae Josan (FC Iskra-Stali), Denis Zmeu (SC Vaslui), Andrei Corneencov (FC Sheriff).

Forwards: Serghei Rogaciov (FK Aktobe), Viorel Frunza (unattached), Igor Bugaiov (FC Chornomorets Odesa), Anatolie Doros (FK Standart Baku), Alexandru Suvorov (FC Sheriff).

Ewan Macdonald