Group B preview: Slovakia seek redemption

Slovakia and the Republic of Ireland were both beaten in Group B on Friday night, and will look to recover their composure as they meet in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying. The pair are level with Russia on six points at the top of a tough section, with Dick Advocaat's side seeking to avoid a slip-up in Skopje elsewhere on Tuesday.

Slovakia v Republic of Ireland, Zilina
Slovakia were brought down to earth with a bump on Friday, losing 3-1 in Armenia having opened their campaign with successive victories. They were dealt a further blow when Martin Škrtel received a yellow card which rules him out of the visit of Ireland. Miroslav Stoch is also struggling with an injury picked up in Yerevan. "Bad news but we have to accept it," said coach Vladimír Weiss. "We lost [on Friday] because seven, maybe eight, of our players produced below-par performances." Ján Ďurica is likely to replace Škrtel.

Giovanni Trapattoni has decisions of his own to make after the withdrawal of striker Kevin Doyle with a knee injury. Doyle was forced off 71 minutes into the 3-2 defeat by Russia and is likely to be replaced by Shane Long, a scorer off the bench in Dublin. "Kevin Doyle is very hard to replace but if I get the call I'm confident I can do the job," said Long. Defender Richard Dunne is expected to recover from a knee injury.

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia v Russia, Skopje
FYROM will be looking for a second win in two games when they host a Russia side fresh from "possibly the best match in our recent history" according to the visitors' captain Andrey Arshavin. While FYROM were winning 2-0 in Andorra, Advocaat's men prevailed 3-2 away against the Republic of Ireland to continue their recovery from their opening loss to Slovakia.

Level with Slovakia and Ireland on six points, Russia travel with a fully fit squad. In contrast the home side will be missing captain Goran Pandev, midfielder Darko Tasevski and left-back Goran Popov, though the latter will be replaced by fit-again Aleksandar Lazevski. Mirsad Jonuz, whose team lie fifth in the group on four points, said: "Russia are very difficult opponents who are even stronger than when they easily beat us in Skopje four years ago. I will be thrilled to get something from the game."

Armenia v Andorra, Yerevan
Vardan Minasyan's hopes of building on his side's impressive victory against Slovakia have been hampered by the absence of four players. Karlen Mkrtchyan misses out through suspension, while Davit Manoyan, Edgar Malakyan and Agvan Mkrtchyan are injured. "The win against Slovakia used up a lot of energy," said goalscorer Yura Movsisyan. "We won't underestimate Andorra, who are tough opponents. They defend in numbers but we'll do our best to win a second successive qualifier."

Group B table