This week's UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying round will feature a number of clashes that could be decisive in determining who will be in Austria and Switzerland for the big event next year. Group A: Could Poland hold on? Leaders Poland (19) will have to work hard in order to maintain their position this week, as the Poles will face their closest rivals Finland (17) and Portugal (15) away from home on Saturday and Wednesday respectively. In contrary, group favorites Portugal, who have a game in hand, will meet Serbia (14) at home on Wednesday after hosting Poland, and the star-studded Portuguese team will strive to collect six points this week. Group B: Italy vs. France encounter This is undoubtedly the match of the day in Europe as the tense pre-match mood added more heat to the state of enmity, aroused between the two powerhouses following the infamous Marco Materazzi vs. Zinedine Zidane quarrel in the 2006 World Cup final. France coach Raymond Domenech will watch the game from the stands after being judged by UEFA as bringing the game into disrepute, following his blistering comments on the Italian game. Les Bleus(18) comfortably registered an avenging 3-1 victory in Paris last September, but the Azzurri(16) can make up for their defeat if they can win this one, knowing that three points could see them snatch the group summit from their bitter rivals. Apart from the San Siro battle, another contender is ready to cause an upset, as Scotland (15) will host Lithuania (7), in an attempt to deputize on any slip up by France or Italy. Group C: Holders lead the way Holders Greece are comfortably on 18 points at the top, followed by Norway, Turkey and Bosnia, who are all tied at 13, but the Greek will sit out this weekend before visiting Norway in midweek. Turkey, who possess the advantage of having a game in hand, will look forward to closing the gap on Greece if they can secure wins against Malta away and Hungary at home on Wednesday.
Last chance for England Group D: Germany firm favorites Germany are obviously favorites to be the first team securing a place in the Euro 2008 finals, the unbeaten Nationalmannschaft have 19 points from six games, comfortably dominating closest rivals Czech Republic(14) and Ireland(13). If the Germans could beat Wales in Cardiff this weekend, they will move a step closer to the finals, as they will watch the Czechs and the Irish tackle each other in Prague in midweek. Group E: Wide open 4-way tussle The top two places for this group are up for grabs, with three points separating top spot from fourth place, which is surprisingly occupied by group favorites England. Croatia and Israel share the summit on 17 points, but the latter played one more game, Russia come third on 15, while England remain in tail of the trio with 14 points. The English have two must-win games when they host Israel on Saturday before entertaining the Russians in midweek, meaning the last chance from Steve McClaren's boys to be back in business. Influential duo John Terry and Steven Gerrard will be treated with pain-killing injections in order to have them ready for this week's action, but Chelsea ace Frank Lampard is battling against fitness to face Russia. Group F: Could Northern Ireland keep the good work? The highlight of Group F is the surprise emergence of Northern Ireland (16) between the likes of Sweden (18) and Spain (15), who were both defeated by the Irish thanks to some heroics from the qualifiers top scorer David Healy. The European surprise package will play away from home on both occasions this week, as they will vis
