Attention all England fans in the UK!

If you're one of the many millions of people that missed out on the chance to see England beat Croatia 4-1 last night, fear not.

You now have a chance to see extended highlights on terrestrial TV this evening, thanks to ITV1.

Mark Sharman, Director of ITV News and Sport said: "We’re pleased to have secured the highlights of last night’s 4-1 victory. We know there is a huge demand to watch England and we’re glad we can offer fans a chance to see the action."

ITV holds the rights to broadcast live coverage of all of England’s competitive home fixtures until 2012 beginning with England v Kazakhstan live on ITV1 on October 11.

The one hour highlights programme will be broadcast immediately after News at Ten at 10.35 pm tonight, so if you want to see England's greatest footballing victory since the 5-1 win over Germany seven years ago, follow your nose and check out ITV1 this evening.

You'd be a fool not to...

Armenia v Turkey: The start of something better

In a world where half the countries just want to get on with each other peacefully and the other half are quite happy being peaceful on their own, football can always be guaranteed to disrupt and maintain the status quo in equal quantities.

Take the qualifying competition for the FIFA 2010 World Cup. Among its hundreds of planned fixtures, you'll find the one between Sudan and Chad that's been postponed indefinitely because the two teams are on the brink of war and the one between North and South Korea who have had, let's say, an uneasy relationship over the years.

Yet last weekend, two teams came together that had never met in a full international match despite sharing a border with each other - a border that has remained closed since 1993 due to numerous political disagreements and a chapter in history that remains an open wound for millions of people to this day.

The match took place in Yerevan last Saturday, where Armenia played Turkey in a European Group 5 tie. Since the early part of the 20th century, relations between the two have been volatile following the alleged attempt by the Ottoman Empire's 'Young Turk' government to exterminate two million Turkish Armenians who'd been seeking greater independence.

By 1923, it's said that 1.5 million Armenians had perished in massacres, on death marches and in concentration camps. Turkey claims that up to half a million Turks and Armenians died in civil conflict and insists there was no genocide - a claim contradicted by Armenia and a growing number of other countries.

There's also the issue of Armenia's occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh, an area which officially falls within the boundaries of Azerbaijan which the Azerbaijanis (with Turkey's backing) oppose.

Both nations have maintained a resolute stand-off ever since the Armenia-Turkey border was closed by the latter fifteen years ago. Since then, Armenia has been forced to conduct its international trade via Georgia, which has recently been involved in a conflict of its own with Russia, as well as Iran.

It therefore seems an appropriate time for Armenia to be open towards a new era of open dialogue with their Turkish neighbours as the two countries seek a peaceful future together. That era appeared to begin on Saturday when Turkey's President, Abdullah Gul, attended the World Cup qualifier in Yerevan at the invitation of his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sargsyan.

It was the first time a Turkish head of state had visited Armenia, and understandably his transit from the airport to the Hrazdan Stadium was greeted by hundreds of protestors holding banners with messages such as "Turkey admit your guilt" and "1915 never again".

On arrival at the stadium, the two Presidents took their place in an executive box protected by bullet-proof glass where handshakes were exchanged in acknowledgment of the landmark event. They shared the stadium with 35,000 Armenian fans - most, if not all of whom booed the Turkish national anthem - and around 200 Turkish supporters who were segregated from the rest of the crowd and were heavily guarded by Armenian police.

The result of the game was largely a foregone conclusion - Turkey, ranked tenth in the world, beating 98th-placed Armenia 2-0 - but the fact that both Presidents had even met in the first place suggests something more significant had been achieved here. A first step had been made on the long road to a more peaceful relationship between Turkey and Armenia and the heads of both nations, plus observers from afar, seem grateful for that.

"I was happy to see that we were unanimous with the Armenian side on the need for mutual dialogue to remove barriers to improving bilateral ties" said President Gul. "I underlined that there is no problem that dialogue cannot solve" he added after talks with his counterpart.

President Sargsyan said that there was "a political will to decide the questions between our countries so that these problems are not passed onto the next generation."

Politicians from both sides are now expected to discuss ways of resolving the long-running conflict and strengthen economic ties between Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, Russia and Azerbaijan. A proposal has also been put forward to set up a commission of unbiased historians to examine the murders of Armenians in 1915.

With President Sargsyan invited to attend the return World Cup qualifier in Ankara next year, an uneasy and tentative air of goodwill now prevails over these two countries. No-one is expecting to put the events of the past to one side as they strive for better relations, but thanks to the involvement of football as a diplomatic conduit, the future may now be a little brighter for all concerned.

Euro 2008 - The (last) 'Need to Know'...

So this is it: we're about to embark on the Euro 2008 qualifying 'endgame'. This Saturday sees the first half of the final double-header of games that will confirm the final list of fourteen countries heading for Austria and Switzerland next year.

England are already heading for Austria of course, but sadly that's just to play a friendly match tomorrow. Yes folks, things have got so desperate for Steve McLaren's men that this might be the only chance they'll get to see an Alpine country before next Summer.

Anyway, before this Saturday's games and the crashing finalé that follows next Wednesday, here's our ever-handy guide to what you need to know regarding who could qualify, who already has qualified and who might fail *COUGHENGLAND*...

Saturday:
Finland v Azerbaijan; Poland v Belgium; Serbia v Kazakhstan; Portugal v Armenia;

Wednesday:
Portugal v Finland; Serbia v Poland

If Poland beat Belgium at the weekend, Poland are through to the Finals. A draw will mean Serbia and Finland will have to win both their remaining games to overhaul the Poles, and even then they'll still have Portugal to contend with. A defeat for Poland will mean they have to travel to Serbia on Wednesday and possibly pick up three points then. Sooner them than us...

A defeat for Serbia or Finland on Saturday would effectively end their chances of qualification, so we think the key match to look out for will be Portugal's home game against Armenia. A win for Portugal could seal their qualification and potentially see Poland through as well. Lots of permutations with this one, but the Poles and Portuguese are undoubtedly in the box seat as things stand.

Saturday:
Scotland v Italy

Wednesday:
Italy v Faroe Islands; France v Ukraine

If Scotland beat Italy on Saturday, party on! If Scotland lose, they're out. That's just about all you need to know, really.

Oh yeah, I suppose it could be a draw, technically speaking. If that's the case, Ukraine will need to beat France next week to see the Scots through. That said, a win for the Faeroes against Italy would also help. (I know - why did we even mention that?)

Saturday:
Norway v Turkey

Wednesday:
Malta v Norway; Turkey v Bosnia-Herzegovina

Since last we spoke, Bosnia-Herzegovina's chances have ended and Greece have qualified, so that leaves a straight head-to-head battle between Norway (now second in the group) and Turkey (third). As you'll see, the two teams play this weekend, and a win for the Norwegians will earn them qualification. A draw will almost certainly be insufficient for Turkey who will have to hope that Norway lose to Turkey next week. Unlikely, we think.

As you can see, the Czech Republic have joined Germany as qualifiers from Group D, so there's nothing more to add here, except to say that Wales play the Republic of Ireland this Saturday.

It'll be just like the old days of the British Championship again! (except England, Scotland and Northern Ireland won't be involved.) Ahem...

Saturday:
Macedonia v Croatia; Israel v Russia

Wednesday:
England v Croatia; Andorra v Russia

What more do we need to say? A win for Russia against Israel on Saturday and all us Anglophiles will have to look forward to next Summer will be a resurrection of the old England v Scotland fixture. Even then, it will only happen if (a) anyone can be bothered to arrange the fixture and (b) Scotland don't qualify for Euro 2008 either. Oh the misery of it all...

Saturday:
Northern Ireland v Denmark; Spain v Sweden

Wednesday:
Spain v Northern Ireland; Denmark v Iceland; Sweden v Latvia

Good news! Northern Ireland can still qualify! All they need to do is beat Denmark and Spain, then hope Spain lose against Sweden - what could be easier! Shame on all you doubters...

A draw between the top two on Saturday will ensure qualification for them both if Northern Ireland and Denmark draw or slip up next week while the Danes have a better chance of qualifying if they win both their remaining games, but that'll still depend on Spain slipping up. It has been known, as Lawrie Sanchez will tell you...

Saturday:
Bulgaria v Romania; Netherlands v Luxembourg

Wednesday:
Slovenia v Bulgaria; Belarus v Netherlands

Romania are home and dry, so it's between the Netherlands and Bulgaria to grab the final qualifying spot in the group, but don't worry - it's all been sorted out. A win for the Dutch against Luxembourg at the weekend will snuff out Bulgaria's chances. We dare you to bet against it...

While we're on the subject of qualifiers…

…I found out this weekend that the World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign was underway. Does that not strike you as remarkable? Here we are barely 15 months on from the end of the 2006 finals and already the next campaign is off and running. I'd barely thrown away my Texaco World Cup coin collection (incomplete and featuring duplicates of David Beckham and Rio Ferdinand) when I heard the news.

What's even stranger is that this weekend wasn't the start of the qualifying competition - just the start of the South American and African section. Over in Asia, matches started last week and in Oceania (a region which sounds like something out of a J.M. Barrie novel that no-one ever refers to by name in the area) they've been playing since August. Two months ago.

It's given us a bit of a wake-up call in no uncertain times as it does of course mean we've got to cover the event from start to finish. So here goes then - for your delight and delectation, this is the story so far in the 2010 World Cup qualifying competition:

OCEANIA
So back we go to Samoa where this whole sorry affair started with the 2007 South Pacific Games - a competition which acted as the first round of qualifying for the Oceania section. Ten teams competed and the three that qualified for round two were Fiji, New Caledonia and Vanuatu. They'll join New Zealand in a group of four which in itself is a competition with its own title - the OFC Nations Cup. Never let it be said that the Oceanians don't have a sense of occasion…

Among the more eye-opening results in round one were the Solomon Islands beating American Samoa 12-1, Fiji beating Tuvalu 16-0 and Vanuatu handing out a 15-0 thrashing of their own to American Samoa. Donations to the American Samoan Football Federation can be made after this article…

So anyway, a series of two-legged matches will ensue in round two and the top two will play off for the right to play the fifth-best team in the Asian section. With Australia now out of the equation, put your money on New Zealand to be that team…

SOUTH AMERICA
First out of the traps this weekend were Uruguay who put five past Bolivia, so they lead the single qualification group at this early stage. In hot pursuit are Argentina following their 2-0 win over Chile, and Venezuela who earned a commendable 1-0 away win against Ecuador. In other action, Peru and Paraguay drew 0-0 as did Colombia and Brazil.

Playing today are Venezuela and Argentina, while the pick of the games tomorrow feature Uruguay playing Paraguay and Brazil playing Ecuador.

ASIA
Round one in Asia started last week and here you'll find a whole bunch of home-and-away ties featuring many of the lesser lights in the area alongside some of the big names from this year's Asian Cup.

Out of the games that have been played so far, Thailand have already played both legs against Macau, winning 13-2 on aggregate while the United Arab Emirates squeezed through with a 1-0 win in Vietnam and Uzbekistan thrashed Chinese Taipei 9-0 in their respective first legs.

More games follow throughout October including Asian champions Iraq playing Pakistan and China playing Myanmar. Watch this space to find out more…

AFRICA
Just one game has been played so far in the African section. Madagascar beat Comoros 6-2 thereby setting the ball rolling (so to speak) on the first round where the first heap of chaff will be deprived of its wheat.

The big guns enter the fray well off into the future in the next round, but in round one Sierra Leone will need to fend off the attentions of Guinea-Bissau, so it's not all hum-drum this early on, oh no.

And that's about all for now - join us again in a month's time where we'll have another update for you. Thank us later if you like...

Euro 2008 - The 'Need to Know'...

Another weekend of international action passes us by and with it we get another step closer to finding out who will join the co-hosts Austria and Switzerland at Euro 2008. As you'll no doubt be aware, we're in the middle of another of those double-headers - the second half of which takes place on Wednesday - so let's assess what happened on Saturday and what might happen in two days time.

Poland extended their lead at the top of Group A to four points thanks to a 3-1 home win against Kazakhstan while Portugal returned to second spot with a 2-0 win in Azerbaijan. Finland dropped to third after their 0-0 draw in Belgium, so that means Poland now need a couple of draws in their last two games to virtually seal their place in the finals. If Finland lose either of their remaining pair of games, Poland will qualify by default. Serbia lost ground on the top three following their 3-2 away defeat to Belgium.

Wednesday night sees Portugal travel to Kazakhstan and Serbia travel to Azerbaijan. A win for Scolari's men will narrow Poland's lead to a single point going into the last round of games while Serbia can take third spot ahead of Finland if they win. Portugal need to win all of their last three games to ensure Finland miss out on qualification, but somewhat intriguingly the last round of matches see the two teams play each other in Portugal.

What can you say about the Scots that hasn't already been said? Another impressive victory at home to Ukraine means that Scotland now need just four points from the remaining six to take their place in Austria and Switzerland. Italy and France both kept up the pressure with wins of their own at the weekend, the former winning 2-0 at home to Georgia while the latter ended a tubulent trip by beating the Faroe Islands 6-0.

Next up for Scotland is a visit to Georgia this week while France play host to Lithuania. Both teams have already won the first meeting with their opponents, so if history repeats itself, we should see France leapfrog Italy into second spot while the Scots extend their lead to two points. If Alex McLeish's men only draw in Georgia (unlikely if you ask us), it'll mean they face Italy on November 17th needing to win to make sure of qualification. Don't even think about it...

Defending champions Greece opened up a four-point gap at the top of Group C after beating Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-2 at the weekend. Second-placed Turkey lost ground following their surprising 1-1 draw with Moldova while Norway sat out the weekend's games.

This week, Turkey can cut that lead to one point again by beating visitors Greece while Norway will be hoping to revenge their 2-1 home defeat to Bosnia-Herzegovina back in March in the reverse fixture.

The big news from Group D is that we have our first qualifier of the competition. Germany's 0-0 draw in Ireland on Saturday means the Germans can now book their hotel over the border for next summer and probably get their towels ready by the pool too.

The Czech Republic didn't play but they'll travel to Germany on Wednesday knowing that anything other than a victory for the Irish at home to Cyprus at the same time will see them through as well. Frankly it's all a bit of a formality as the Czechs face Slovakia in their last game at home so if they don't qualify this week it'll almost certainly happen next month.

Anyone wanting to put a bet on England winning five successive qualifiers 3-0 back in March would have (a) been rushed off to the nearest mental institution and (b) earned a pretty penny at the weekend when Estonia became the latest team to be beaten by that scoreline against Steve McLaren's men. It means England retain second spot in the table while Croatia do likewise at the top following a narrow 1-0 win over Israel.

The crunch match, of course, will be this week's game between England and Russia in Moscow. A win for the hosts will mean England have to beat Croatia at home on November 21st while Russia may need maximum points from their trips to Israel and Andorra. As for Croatia, they can practically wrap up qualification if they beat Macedonia away on Wednesday.

Spain seem to have remembered what their intentions were - at last - with a second successive win, this time 3-1 away to Denmark. That means Northern Ireland must repeat their earlier victory over the Spaniards in November AND beat Sweden and Denmark before they get there to deny Spain a place in the Finals. And it all looked so good for the Irish...

Sweden are temporarily level on points with Spain at the top of the group, so a win against Northern Ireland on Wednesday will keep their necks in front again while the Spanish take a back seat on the night.

Finally in Group G it was all change at the top as Romania pulled off a surprise win to overtake opponents the Netherlands 1-0 at the weekend. Dorin Goian's goal means the Dutch now have Bulgaria breathing down their necks and only two points behind them in third.

This group looks set to go right down to the wire so keep an eye on those remaining fixtures. If Romania beat Luxembourg this week and beat Bulgaria at home November 17th, they'll be in the Finals. The Netherlands, however, have an easier run-in with Slovenia, Luxembourg and Belarus standing in their way. With that in mind, Bulgaria will hoping not to drop any points at all in their remaining games (two of them coming against Albania and Slovenia) which will of course require a win against group leaders Romania.

"Mr. Robinson - you're trying to excuse me..."

Consider this: England manager Steve McLaren is about to announce his starting line-ups for the upcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia, and if yesterday's edition of The Guardian is anything to go by, he's set to stick with Paul Robinson in goal.

So what's your first reaction to hearing that? "Has McLaren gone crazy?" "Is he out of his mind?"

I must be honest, mine was a somewhat watered-down version of those comments but when you read about the reasoning behind the decision, it gives you cause to think.

McLaren realises that all players tend to go through a bad patch at some time or another. Strikers stop scoring goals and goalkeepers start making mistakes. It's just something that happens. Yet in order to restore the confidence in a player like Robinson and get him back to his former self, McLaren feels it's important to show understanding and faith in times of crisis. As a result, McLaren intends to stand by his man for the two upcoming qualifiers despite the murmurs of dissatisfaction coming from certain quarters.

Putting yourself in Robinson's shoes for a moment, you can imagine how heartening it must be to know that your manager hasn't just thrown you on the scrapheap after making a few mistakes in recent games. Your determination to do well (or at least better) would swell and any thoughts of diminishing capability would be cast aside going into the crucial games England are about to play.

Well done, then, Mr. McLaren. You've decided to get the best out of your goalkeeper by sticking with him rather than dropping him.

Is this the right thing to do, though? Putting your England fan's hat back on again (you can kick off Robinson's shoes at this point), wouldn't you rather see the Spurs keeper work through his current inconsistent spell at Spurs, or at best on the England training field rather than in an important qualifying match?

Another mistake like the one Robinson made in the game against Croatia last year could seriously jeopardise England's chances of making it to Austria and Switzerland in 2008. So is McLaren taking a big risk picking Paul Robinson for the starting XI on Saturday and next Wednesday and if he opted for an alternative goalkeeper, would they be any better? What are the alternatives?

Euro 2008 Qualifiers - quick guide

And so the Euro 2008 bandwagon rolls into town again, just four days since the last set of fixtures were played. The finishing line now looks not so far away and things are starting to get really serious. If you're unsure of where we stand in each of the groups, here's our quick guide to help you get a better understanding of those crucial games later on today.

Group A sees about as strong a four-horse-race as you can expect to find. Poland have 20 points in the bag at the top of the group but are without a win in two. They'll therefore be looking for a change of form as they travel to second-placed Finland this evening.

Portugal have also drawn their previous two games and they face their nearest opponents Serbia at home. Both teams have a game in hand over the leading two, and a draw would easy the pressure on Poland while having the opposite effect on Finland.

Arguably the biggest game of the evening sees Scotland take on France in Paris in Group B. Scotland incredibly find themselves in one of the two qualifying places with world champions Italy just a point behind in third.

If Alex McLeish's men can repeat their famous victory over the French back in October 2006, they'd have to consider themselves a racing certainty to reach the finals in Austria and Switzerland next year. After the goalless draw between France and Italy at the weekend, there's surely all to play for...

If Scotland lose, they'll be looking over their shoulder to see how Italy get on in their fixture against Ukraine. The Italians won the first encounter 2-0 at home and unfortunately for the Scots Ukraine struggled to even beat lowly Georgia at the weekend.

If any Scotland fans out there fancy a continued spell of nail-biting, pray for a draw in both matches...

Defending champions Greece seem to have found form again but tonight's away match against Norway could give us an indication of whether they mean business as they defend their title.

Elsewhere the chasing pack will be looking to put pressure on the top two as Turkey play hosts to fifth-placed Hungary while Bosnia-Herzegovina take on winless Moldova, currently bottom of the group. A slip up for either of those two could spell the end of their hopes as the campaign nears its end.

Germany are as good as qualified now after a slightly unconvincing 2-0 defeat of Wales at the weekend. They take a well-earned rest this evening while the Czech Republic and Ireland battle it out for the second qualifying spot in the group.

Defeat for the Irish tonight would virtually end their hopes of qualifying and a repeat of their 1-1 draw last October would be of little use either. If they're looking for positives to cling onto, they can turn to the Czechs under-exuberant performance against San Marino at the weekend, but the Irish struggled to contain Slovakia too, so the writing might be on the wall for Steve Staunton's men tonight.

Without question tonight's big game is the crunch match between England and Russia at Wembley. England are making up for lost time but are hitting form at just the right moment with three successive 3-0 wins. A repeat tonight would be a great achievement, but the Russians are still unbeaten in the group so a draw might be a more realistic target.

Croatia should continue their fine run with an away tie against Andorra, while Israel miss out on the action having seen their chances of qualifying all but diminish following Saturday's match against England.

Denmark have a game in hand tonight and they'll need to win it to stay even remotely in touch with the Group F leaders. They're at home to Liechtenstein, so a morale boosting victory could be the order of the day for them.

Spain's disastrous qualifying campaign could also regain some momentum at home to Latvia, but they'll be wary of what their visitors did to Northern Ireland at the weekend, and with Xabi Alonso sitting out the game with a suspension, all may not be as straight-forward as they'd like.

Northern Ireland, meanwhile, could make their second-placed position in the group more secure as they travel to sixth-placed Iceland. Three points for them would be most welcome, especially as they face group leaders Sweden in the next round of games a month from now.

Bulgaria can get their qualifying campaign back on track tonight as they play Luxembourg at home but the crunch match for them will be the home fixture against Romania in November. Any defeat from now on will mean curtains for the Bulgarians.

With Romania sitting out tonight's fixtures, the Netherlands have the chance to go top of the group if they can win by at least four goals away to fourth-placed Albania. It'll be a tough ask, especially as the Dutch only just scraped a 2-1 win at home back in October last year, but a similar score tonight will make sure Bulgaria stay in third place in the group until at least next month.

Euro 2008: Confused? You will be...

I have to admit to feeling slightly confused. Some of yesterday's Euro 2008 qualifiers had an air of unrealism about them which has left me in an ever-so-slightly bewildered state. Let me explain...

First of all, England won convincingly. Yes I know - hard to believe, but at last we saw the sort of comfortable victory against a so-called lesser side that England fans haven't seen for a long time.

The absence of players like Rooney, Lampard, Beckham and Hargreaves appeared to give the green light to those individuals who seldom earn a place in the starting XI, or even in the squad. Heskey played with great maturity and experience, Barry played like a man insistent on being a regular, Wright-Philips played like a man given a sense of purpose and Micah Richards once again played like someone who could make Sol Campbell's return to fitness a redundant exercise.

Not quite the sort of thing you expect as a battle-weary English football supporter, but more confusion was to come. Wales played hosts to Germany in Group D. Here, the Germans won the game 2-0. So far, so unsurprising, but what I couldn't figure out for the life of me was why Wales didn't lose by more.

From what I saw of the game, the Welsh played with as much vigour and poise as a pensioner after his fifteenth cup of Horlicks. Germany should have been all over them and looking for a victory not dissimilar to their 13-0 beating of San Marino this time last year. What happened? Were they as disinterested as the Welsh last night?

Speaking of San Marino, their opponents yesterday were the Czech Republic. So let's set the scene: it's San Marino, going into the match with a record of seven defeats out of seven and one goal scored compared to 37 conceded, up against the Czechs who had lost only one of their previous seven qualifiers and had a goal difference of +11. That's the Czech Republic side currently ranked ninth in the world by FIFA and semi-finalists from Euro 2004.

So how did they do against San Marino (population: 29,000)? Did they win 5-0? 6-0? Surely 8-0? No - just a meagre 3-0 win for the mighty Czech Republic. Staggering. Surely the minnows of this world haven't suddenly become tactical supremos to deny such thrashings occurring, have they?

And what else left me perplexed? Northern Ireland lost to Latvia 1-0 but remained second in Group F because third-placed Spain could only draw 1-1 with Iceland. Somebody pinch me...

The Ukrainians, World Cup quarter-finalists last year, could only scrape a 1-1 draw against Georgia, Turkey could only draw 2-2 away to Malta, and here's the one that tops the lot - world Champions Italy remain third in Group B behind Scotland after a 0-0 draw against France. The Scots, to their credit, continued to show the sort of form which may very well see them qualify for the finals of Euro 2008 with a 3-1 win over Lithuania.

All in all then, I have the distinct feeling that nothing makes sense anymore. Maybe Wednesday night's games will restore some normality once again, but on the other hand, perhaps not...

Euro 2008 Qualifiers - Quick Preview

Tonight sees yet more Euro 2008 qualifiers taking place, so if you want to know who's playing who and what's at stake for each match, check out our handy 2-minute guide to all the action…

Group A

Who's playing?
Armenia v Poland
Finland v Belgium
Kazakhstan v Azerbaijan

What do I need to know?
Poland could extend their lead over Portugal at the top of the group to a whopping eight points if they win. Finland will join Portugal and Serbia on 14 points if they win.

Group B

Who's playing?
France v Georgia
Lithuania v Italy
Faroe Islands v Scotland

What do I need to know?
If France beat Georgia, they'll go five points clear at the top. If Italy beat Lithuania, they'll go top by one clear point. If Scotland win by a high margin and France lose by a large margin, Scotland will go top. Chances are, France, Italy and Scotland will all win which will result in France staying top, Italy staying second and Scotland will leapfrog Ukraine to go third.

Group C

Who's playing?
Greece v Moldova
Bosnia-Herzegovina v Malta
Norway v Hungary

What do I need to know?
Greece are likely to beat bottom-placed Moldova which will take them five points clear of 2nd-place Turkey. If fourth-place Norway beat Hungary, they'll swap places with Bosnia-Herzegovina in third. Bosnia are going nowhere even if they win.

Group D

Who's playing?
Germany v Slovakia

What do I need to know?
Germany will go five points clear of the Czech Republic at the top of the group if they beat Slovakia, which we expect them to.

Group E

Who's playing?
Croatia v Russia
Andorra v Israel
Estonia v England

What do I need to know?
The top four are all in action today, separated by five points. If Croatia and Russia draw and Israel beat Andorra by four goals, Israel should go top. Whoever wins out of Croatia and Russia will top the group. England need to win by about three to stand any chance of even going third.

Group F

Who's playing?
Sweden v Iceland
Liechtenstein v Spain
Latvia v Denmark

What do I need to know?
Northern Ireland get the night off , but that could allow Sweden to go top if they beat Iceland. If Sweden slip up and Spain win, Spain will go top. Quite frankly, it looks like Northern Ireland will wake up tomorrow morning in third place.

Group G

Who's playing?
Romania v Slovenia
Bulgaria v Belarus
Luxembourg v Albania

What do I need to know?
Romania are level on points with Holland at the top of the group, so a win against next-to-bottom Slovenia will create some breathing space. If Romania slip up and Bulgaria beat Belarus, the Romanians will go top.