WCQ Preview: Europe - Group 1

Saturday 6th September:

Albania -v- Sweden 20:45 BST

Hungary -v- Denmark 19:45 BST

Malta -v- Portugal 20:00 BST

Albania - Sweden

Albania host Sweden in Tirana on Saturday evening in what will be Arie Haan’s first competitive game in charge of the side.

The Dutch legend is of considerable World Cup pedigree himself, having featured in the final of the competition twice, when the Netherlands were defeated on both occasions in 1974 and 1978 respectively.

Haan has had somewhat of a nomadic managerial existence since then; the Albanian job is his fifteenth coaching appointment.

At his disposal this time around are some talented footballers plying their trade with a number of good European clubs. Lorik Cana is currently captain of Marseille and presents a formidable opponent in midfield, while national team captain, Altin Lala of Hannover 96, is a veteran of 63 caps.

Erjon Bogdani of Chievo has been recalled to the panel following his absence in the recent 2-0 friendly win against Liechtenstein.

Albania certainly have the capabilities to cause some upsets in this group, provided that their home form is consistent, despite their 102nd place in the world rankings.

They managed to accrue 11 points in the Euro 2008 qualification campaign, earning two wins against Luxembourg.

Henrik Larsson has been confirmed as the new Sweden captain after Fredrik Ljungberg announced his international retirement in the wake of the disappointing Euro 2008 campaign. The Helsingborgs forward will mark the occasion of his 100th cap with the armband festooned on his bicep in Tirana.

Last time out, the Swedes lost out to France by three goals to two in a friendly match. In that game, Lars Lagerback’s side were without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but will welcome back the talismanic Internazionale striker on Saturday.

Two players who will not be making the trip to Tirana are Andres Svensson and Christian Wilhelmsson; the midfield pair have been withdrawn due to injury.

The Swedes have traditionally fared well in qualification campaigns, and have not missed out on an international tournament since France 98’. Their best finish at a finals came in 1958, when they lost out to Brazil on home-soil in the final.

In more recent times, Henrik Larsson will remember fondly the USA World Cup in 1994, when the Swedes finished third and he plundered a goal in the bronze medal match.

Hungary - Denmark

Another Dutch manager takes charge of a home side in Group 1 on Saturday in the shape of Erwin Koeman at the helm of Hungary.

Results have been encouraging for Hungary with Koeman at the helm; they are hitherto undefeated in three encounters, registering an impressive 3-2 win over Greece in May, and drawing with a formidable Croatia side just prior to Euro 2008. More recently, they drew with Montenegro in a thrilling 3-3 draw in Budapest.

Hungary are ranked at 50 in the FIFA list, only 14 places behind their opponents this Saturday, and will look to initiate their World Cup qualification campaign with a win.

The threat for the Hungarian side will come in the shape of captain Zoltan Gera of Fulham while hot prospect Gergely Rudolf of Debrecen made his debut in the Montenegro draw.

Pal Dardai of Hertha Berlin has over half a century of caps to his name and at the age of 32, will be eager to feature in an international tournament before his career winds down.

This game will be viewed as imminently winnable by Koeman and his staff, as the Danes have not been firing on all cylinders of late.

Morten Olsen has been at the helm of the Danish national side for eight years, but is currently undergoing one of his least successful spells in charge.

Denmark disappointingly missed out on Euro 2008; they were not helped by the walkover that Sweden received in Copenhagen after the home side battled level from three goals down.

Revenge will eventually be in order for the traditional rivals of Scandinavian football, but there is a substantial amount of work to be done on Saturday.

Nicklas Bendtner will present the front-running threat for the Danes, while Christian Poulsen and Dan Agger will provide a strong central backbone for the side. Jon Dahl Tomasson has been a mainstay of the national side for more than a decade, and has been rewarded with the captain’s armband for this campaign.

Malta - Portugal

Carlos Queiroz has been eager to stamp his own brand on the Portuguese set-up after the exit of Luiz Felipe Scolari, and has recalled a pair of veteran midfielders to the panel. Maniche has been given a new lease of life at Atletico Madrid this season and comes back to the international fold, while Pedro Mendes would have been surprised as any to have received the call to duty for the first time in almost six years.

Portugal’s frailties in defence were exposed against an imposing German side in the Euro 2008 quarter final and undermined the attacking capabilities in the side.

In the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo and new Internazionale winger Ricardo Quaresma, Yannick Djalo of Sporting Lisbon will have an opportunity to showcase his credentials for the first time in a national team shirt.

The strike-line still looks lightweight, but, with such threats on each wing, Portugal should have no trouble disposing of the Maltese challenge.

Malta ended their losing international streak with the scalp of Hungary during Euro 2008 qualifying, and the Magyars will no doubt be seeking vengeance along the way this time around.

On Saturday however, the Islanders face a daunting prospect in the shape of Portugal. Malta will be looking to Michael Mifsud to pilfer a goal if possible en-route to an unlikely upset.

In their last match, the 133rd best team in the world lost out to Estonia. If they are going to lift themselves from the wooden spoon reckoning, a lot of work remains to be done.