Safe hands support Latvia

By Mihails Korolevs & Pavle Gognidze

With Latvia being very much the underdogs in their UEFA EURO 2004™ play-off against Turkey, it promises to be a busy few days for goalkeeper Aleksandrs Kolinko.

Star performer
The FC Rostov player helped his country achieve some miraculous results in their Group 4 qualifying campaign, where they finished second behind Sweden, but coach Aleksandrs Starkovs will need more of the same when Senol Günes's side visit the Latvian capital Riga for Saturday's first leg.

Big task
Former Skonto FC and Crystal Palace FC custodian Kolinko is in no doubt as to the enormity of the task ahead. "These games are more than simply important for all the players and the history of Latvian football," he said. "Nothing like this has happened to our country before."

No difference
It is Latvia's first appearance in the play-offs for a major tournament, although the 28-year-old insists this has made no difference to the way the squad has prepared for the game.

Business as usual
"If someone tells you that our preparations for Turkey are different from usual, he's most likely making it up," said Kolinko. "This does not mean I don't care what happens, but I am not trying to get into some sort of special mental state before the match."

'Time for a joke'
This relaxed way of thinking is one of the themes of the Latvian camp ahead of the biggest game in the nation's history. "The mood is good," said Kolinko. "We have a good team spirit and there's always time for a joke. But it does not mean we will lack seriousness on the pitch on Saturday.

Mission impossible
"Maybe this simple attitude is one of our strengths. We had this seemingly impossible task of beating Sweden away from home [in our final qualifying game], when they had not lost there for a few years, but we just went there and did it."

Will to win
For the goalkeeper, this state of mind demands only one thing. "I have one task - to play well," he said. "I think there will be a lot of work to do. Their attack is very strong. Their technique is perhaps their great advantage. We can counter that with our will to win, organisation and determination."

Nothing to fear
Conventional wisdom says that Kolinko and company do not have much of a chance against a Turkey team who impressed at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and were only narrowly edged out of an automatic qualifying slot by England. However, the player is far from overawed by the opposition. "Turkey were third in the World Cup," he said. "On the other hand, I have played against Brazil who are world champions. Turkey are not so scary."

Pressure off
Indeed, with Kolinko's laid-back assurance representing the prevailing mood in the Latvia squad, perhaps it is Turkey who have reason to be afraid. By reaching the play-offs, Latvia have already exceeded expectations and now their only obligation is to do themselves justice.

'This is our chance'
"We have made history already, but for any professional, what has gone before is in the past," said Kolinko. "We need to look forward, and our goal now is to beat Turkey. We can be successful. No one is expecting us to win, while Turkey are under pressure to make it to Portugal. We have nothing to lose and this is our chance."