 Will Becks be celebrating England's qualification in October? |
Wednesday's Euro 2004 qualifiers will go a long way towards determining which teams go to Portugal and which stay at home. The 10 winners of the qualifying groups will join the hosts in the hat for the European Championship proper, while the 10 runners up will play off over two legs for the right to make up the 16-strong finals field.
With only Northern Ireland ruled out of contention, here is an at-a-glance guide to what the Home Nations, plus the Republic of Ireland, need to do to book their flights to Lisbon.
 | GROUP SEVEN LEADERS: 1. Turkey: 18 pts 2. England: 16 pts Remaining: Eng v Liechtenst'n, Turkey v Eng |
ENGLAND: The picture is clear for Sven-Goran Eriksson's men.
If they beat minnows Liechtenstein on Wednesday, they will need a draw or better against Turkey to go to Portugal as group winners.
A shock draw or defeat at Old Trafford would mean that England would have to win in Istanbul to qualify automatically.
In either scenario, defeat to Turkey would mean the lottery of the play-offs for David Beckham and company.
Goal difference cannot be a factor.
| GROUP FIVE LEADERS: 1. Iceland: 13 pts 2. Germany: 12 pts 3. Scotland: 11 pts Remaining: Germany v Scotland, Scotland v Lithuania, Germany v Iceland |
SCOTLAND: If Berti Vogts' team lose in Germany on Wednesday, they will no longer be able to top the group.
And they must hope that Germany take at least one point off Iceland in their final game to give them a chance of reaching Portugal by way of the play-offs.
A draw for Scotland against Germany would improve their chances of a top-two spot, while a victory would make them favourites for the automatic berth with only Lithuania left to play.
| GROUP NINE LEADERS: 1. Italy: 13 pts 2. Wales: 12 pts 3. Finland: 9 pts Serbia & M: 8 pts Remaining: Wales v Fin, Serbia v Italy, Italy v Azerbaijan, Wales v Serbia |
WALES: Four teams can still qualify from Group Nine, but Wales can reduce that number to three if they stop Finland from winning on Wednesday.
Victory over the Finns, meanwhile, would guarantee Mark Hughes' men of at least a play-off place.
And a point in Cardiff, combined with Italy getting a point or better from Serbia and Montenegro, would also put Wales in the frame for Portugal.
For Wales to top the group, they must now rely on a slip-up by the Italians.
| GROUP TEN LEADERS: 1. Switzerland: 12 pts 2. Republic of Ireland: 11 pts 3. Russia: 8 pts 4. Georgia: 7 pts Remaining: Rus v Switz, Alb v Georgia, Rus v Georgia, Switz v Rep Ireland |
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Qualification is still in the hands of Brian Kerr's team - but only just.
If they win in Swizerland on 11 October, they will take at least a play-off place and may progress automatically if the Swiss drop points in Russia on Wednesday.
Russia are still masters of their own fate and back-to-back wins could even clinch them the top spot.
Two away wins for Georgia could sneak them to Portugal, but the odds are stacked against them.
MMIX
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Euro 2004