PORTUGAL MISSING 5 PLAYERS FOR EURO 2008 ENCOUNTER WITH ARMENIA
The Associated Press
International Herald Tribune
Nov 16 2007
France
LISBON, Portugal: Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is without half of
his best players for a Euro 2008 qualifier against Armenia on Saturday
and will have to field a side that has never played together before.
The Portuguese can advance to their third straight international
tournament if they win and if other Group A results go their way.
Scolari, who led the Portuguese to the final of Euro 2004 and the
semifinals of last year’s World Cup, is missing five of his regular
players for the home game.
The defense has been hit the worst by injury. The Chelsea duo of
Ricardo Carvalho (back) and Paulo Ferreira (ankle) are out, as is
Valencia’s Miguel Monteiro (thigh).
Carvalho’s absence opens the way for Brazilian-born Pepe to make his
Portugal debut. The Real Madrid central defender, who took Portuguese
nationality earlier this year, will likely line up alongside Porto’s
Bruno Alves.
Jose Bosingwa is expected to play at right-back, with Marco Caneira
on the left.
"The players who are available will be giving all they’ve got,"
Caneira said Thursday. "We don’t lack quality players."
Midfielder Deco’s absence leaves Portugal without a central playmaker.
Scolari has plenty of classy wingers in Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani,
Simao Sabrosa and Ricardo Quaresma, but none would slot easily into
the gap left by the FC Barcelona star.
The Brazilian coach is expected to use Ronaldo and Sabrosa on the
flanks and encourage defensive midfielders Maniche and Miguel Veloso
to move into more attacking positions.
Scolari will be watching from the stands as he serves the last
game of a two-month touchline ban for scuffling with defender
Ivica Dragutinovic at the end of Portugal’s 1-1 draw with Serbia
in September.
Portugal is second in Group A, one point behind Poland and three
ahead of Serbia and Finland. It can clinch its berth Saturday if it
beats Armenia, and Serbia and Finland fail to win.
It will advance if it gets at least four points from its last two
games, including its last match against visiting Finland, but could
advance with less depending on other results.
Armenia is sixth in the group with nine points.
Armenia will be looking for a new foreign coach next year. Armenia
coach Jan Porterfield died of cancer in September. "We are in talks
with several foreign coaches. We are speaking about well-known coaches
in the soccer world," said Ruben Airapetian, head of the Armenian
soccer federation.