Forwards back in Finland fold

Finland coach Roy Hodgson has welcomed back captain Jari Litmanen and striker Mikael Forssell for the UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying Group A trip to Azerbaijan on 28 March.

Vienna camp
Hodgson has picked a 24-man party which will initially travel to a five-day training camp in the Austrian capital Vienna between 21 and 26 March before leaving for Baku. Both Litmanen and Forssell are recovering from long-term injuries, and the Finland coach will hope both are back to full fitness as the pool leaders face the country propping up the section.

Rising stars
Hodgson, who is deprived of 1. FC Kaiserslautern midfielder Aki Riihilahti due to a long-standing calf injury, has included a number of fresh faces in his squad for the training camp with full-back Iiro Aalto and Roman Eremenko – younger brother of FC Saturn Moskovskaya Oblast midfielder Alexei Eremenko Jr - both still awaiting their first caps.

Finland squad
Goalkeepers: Jussi Jääskeläinen (Bolton Wanderers FC), Peter Enckelman (Blackburn Rovers FC), Niki Mäenpää (FC Den Bosch).

Defenders: Petri Pasanen (Werder Bremen), Sami Hyypiä (Liverpool FC), Hannu Tihinen (FC Zürich), Toni Kallio (BSC Young Boys), Toni Kuivasto (Djurgårdens IF), Iiro Aalto (HJK Helsinki), Ari Nyman (FC Thun), Veli Lampi (FC Zürich).

Midfielders: Joonas Kolkka (Feyenoord), Jari Ilola (IF Elfsborg), Markus Heikkinen (Luton Town FC), Mika Väyrynen (PSV Eindhoven), Peter Kopteff (FC Utrecht), Alexei Eremenko Jr (FC Saturn Moskovskaya Oblast), Jarkko Wiss (Tampere United), Mika Nurmela (HJK Helsinki), Teemu Tainio (Tottenham Hotspur FC), Roman Eremenko (AC Siena).

Forwards: Jari Litmanen (Malmö FF), Jonatan Johansson (Malmö FF), Shefki Kuqi (Crystal Palace FC), Mikael Forssell (Birmingham City FC), Roni Porokara (FC Honka).