Starkovs selects provisional party

By Pavle Gognidze

Striker Girts Karlsons is the most notable absentee in the
29-man party named by Latvia coach Aleksandrs Starkovs from which he will draw his 23-strong squad for UEFA EURO 2004™.

Seven forwards
Starkovs will confirm his lineup for Portugal on the 2 June deadline, four days before his team's only remaining warm-up match against Azerbaijan. With seven forwards in the initial squad, including injury-hit Southampton FC striker Marians Pahars, there is no room for FC Shinnik Yaroslavl attacker Karlsons.

Teenage pair
In midfield, Skonto FC's teenage pair of Kristaps Blanks and Igor Semjonovs are hoping to impress enough to be included in the final 23, whose first match in Portugal will be against the Czech Republic in Group D on 15 June.

Latvia squad
Kolinko, Piedels, Pavlovs, Vanins, Isakovs, Zemlinskis, Blagonadezdins, Zakresevskis, Smirnovs, Korablevs, Zirnis, Stepanovs, Lobanevs, Semjonovs, Blanks, Kolesnicenko, Astafjevs, Rubins, Bleidelis, Laizans, Pucinskis, Stolcers, Miholaps, Kalnins, Verpakovskis, Pahars, Prohorenkovs, Dobrecovs, Rimkus.