The craziness that is Euro 2012 qualifying restarts on Friday. Starting a 11 a.m. Eastern, 21 matches will take place over the course of seven hours, with two more following on Saturday. After the third round is over, we should have more definition to a tournament that currently see the likes of Albania and Norway leading their groups.
Euro 2010 Qualifying: Your Must-Follow Matches For October 8-9
That’s part of the fun of these early rounds. Good results in a team’s initial matches can embolden long shots, and while few of us truly believe that Albania’s going to make a run to Poland/Ukraine, their four points through two matches provides some drama to a Bosnia and Herzegovina match that would otherwise be overlooked.
Come to think of it, the match in Tirana is bad example - it’s still going to be overlooked - but with Scotland leading Group I going into Friday’s slate, their trip to Prague carries with it the long-held hopes that the Tartan Army is ready to march again.
Alas, most of Friday’s matches fail to carry such intrigue. For every Ireland-Russia, there are two Georgia-Malta’s, and the fact that most matches kick-off at the same time creates an indecipherable cluster that some choose to overlook.
That’s where we come-in.
Throughout the day, we’ll be posting our brief, group-by-group previews of tomorrow’s action, but if you’re looking for a quicker reference, here are seven must-follow matches, group tables, and fixture lists going into the weekend’s match day.
Must-Follow Matches
#7. Czech Republic versus Scotland, Group I, 2:15 p.m. EST, Synot Tip Arena, Prague - the two teams expected to fight for second place in Spain's group.
#5. Israel versus Croatia, Group F, 3:05 p.m. EST, Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan (October 9) - one-two in Group F, with Croatia attempted to place an early strangle-hold on the group.
#4. Northern Ireland versus Italy, Group C, 2:45 p.m. EST, Windsor Park, Belfast [ESPN3.com] - Azzurri's first real test under Cesare Prandelli
#3. Republic of Ireland versus Russia, Group B, 2:45 p.m. EST, Aviva Stadium, Dublin [ESPN3.com] - Russia looks to dig-out of a hole create when they lost at home to Slovakia.
#1. Germany versus Turkey, Group A, 2:45 p.m. EST, Olympiastadion, Berlin [ESPN3.com] - Germany's strong Turkish population see the Nationalmannschaft look to build upon their win in Brussels and take firm control of Group A.
Tables
First place in each group qualifies for Euro 2012, as does the second play finisher with the best record against their group’s top five teams. The rest of the second place finishers will be paired-off into play-offs.
Friday matches:
- Kazakhstan versus Belgium
- Austria versus Azerbaijan
- Germany versus Turkey
Group B | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Republic of Ireland | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 6 |
 Slovakia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 6 |
 Russia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
 Armenia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 1 |
 Macedonia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 1 |
 Andorra | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0 |
Friday matches:
- Armenia versus Slovakia
- Andorra versus Macedonia
- Republic of Ireland versus Russia
Group C | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Italy | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 6 |
 Serbia | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 4 |
 Northern Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
 Estonia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
 Slovenia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 1 |
 Faroe Islands | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 10 | −9 | 0 |
Friday matches:
- Serbia versus Estonia
- Northern Ireland versus Italy
- Slovenia versus Faroe Islands
Group D | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Albania | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 4 |
 Belarus | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 |
 France | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 |
 Romania | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
 Luxembourg | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 0 |
Friday matches:
- Luxembourg versus Belarus
- Albania versus Bosnia and Herzegovina
Saturday match:
France versus Romania
Group E | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Sweden | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | +8 | 6 |
 Netherlands | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 6 |
 Hungary | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 |
 Moldova | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 |
 Finland | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 0 |
 San Marino | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | −11 | 0 |
Friday matches:
- Hungary versus San Marino
- Moldova versus Netherlands
Group F | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Croatia | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 4 |
 Israel | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 4 |
 Latvia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 |
 Georgia | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
 Greece | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
 Malta | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0 |
Friday matches:
- Georgia versus Malta
- Greece versus Latvia
Saturday match:
France versus Romania
Friday matches:
- Montenegro versus Switzerland
- Wales versus Bulgaria
Friday matches:
- Cyprus versus Norway
- Portugal versus Denmark
Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Scotland | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 4 |
 Lithuania | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 |
 Spain | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 3 |
 Czech Republic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0 |
 Liechtenstein | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 0 |
Friday matches:
- Czech Republic versus Scotland
- Spain versus Lithuania
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