Turkish trials and Welsh woe

Turkey's missing links
Coach Senol Günes revealed today that his side would be two men down for the trip to the Baltic state. Alpay misses out with flu; Bastürk has a back problem. Turkey's only other absentee is Sergen Yalçin, who was replaced in Günes's original squad by Tümer Metin.

Dutch retirement plan
Two men who will be involved in play-off action this weekend are Netherlands coach Dick Advocaat and centre-back Jaap Stam. However, both have said that the double-header against Scotland will be their final contribution to the national team should the Dutch fail to progress. "If we don't qualify then I'll quit," Advocaat stated. Stam concurred, saying: "I will definitely play at EURO 2004™ if Holland get there, but once that is over I think it will be the end of the international game for me."

Scots do it for charity
Opponents Scotland have already packed their bags. Scottish players spent an hour each at supermarkets in the Glasgow area yesterday, helping shoppers load their purchases in return for a donation to a children's charity. The event raised several thousand pounds.

More Welsh woe
There was bad news for Wales, though, on the day Mark Hughes's squad flew out to Moscow for the match against Russia. Experienced midfield player Mark Pembridge has become the latest player to succumb to injury. A calf strain will keep Pembridge out of the away leg, although he could return for the game in Cardiff next Wednesday. In addition, Robbie Savage missed training today, but the Welsh camp insisted this was only as a precaution.

Iversen's Norwegian dream
Meanwhile, Norway's Steffen Iversen has been talking up his team's prospects of victory against Spain. Iversen scored the only goal in a Norwegian win against Saturday's opponents at UEFA EURO 2000™, and is hoping for a similar outcome in Valencia. He told a Spanish newspaper: "Iker Casillas may be a great keeper, but I think I can score a similar goal to the one I got against José Molina. It would be brilliant if I could score again, although the important thing is that we win. Spain may be a strong side, but I'm sure we can beat them."