Big week for giants Italy, Spain, Portugal & Netherlands

LONDON • The first stage of European qualifying for next year's World Cup concludes over the next week with Portugal, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands among the nations facing crucial games in the quest to make it to Qatar.

The 10 group winners will secure qualification for football's global showpiece which kicks off next November. The 10 runners-up will get another chance to qualify in play-offs next March.

Germany last month became the first team to reach Qatar 2022, so their home game with Liechtenstein today will be a dead rubber.

All eyes will instead be focused on Spain and neighbouring Portugal today.

La Roja showed on their runs to the Euro 2020 semi-finals and the Nations League final that they can compete with the best. However, the 2010 world champions still have work to do to secure their plane ticket out of Group B.

Luis Enrique's side sit second, two points behind leaders Sweden. They head to Athens today to play Greece, who held them to a 1-1 draw at home in March.

Failure to win this time would give Sweden the chance to clinch top spot with victory in Georgia today. Otherwise, the group will be decided when Spain host Sweden in Seville on Sunday.

"I'll be honest, I feel the pressure. Bigger than in the Uefa Nations League final stage. We'll be playing to be in a World Cup," Enrique said ahead of the clash with the Greeks, who still have an outside chance of qualification.

"We need to win both games and we depend on ourselves in order to qualify."

Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal are currently second in Group A, a point behind Serbia. However, they not only have a better goal difference but also have a game in hand and can go above the Serbians when they travel to Ireland today.

Whatever the outcome in Dublin, the group will be decided when Portugal host Serbia in Lisbon on Sunday.

The other European bigwigs like England, Belgium and France are close to wrapping up their berths, but will have to wait until the weekend before the qualification picture gets clearer.

But European champions Italy, who failed to qualify in 2018, are not yet there.

With two games left in Group C, they are locked on 14 points with Switzerland and the sides clash tomorrow in Rome, five months after the Azzurri triumphed 3-0 when the teams met in Euro 2020's opening game.

The winners of that clash will be left requiring just a point in their final qualifier, with Italy going to Northern Ireland on Monday while the Swiss host Bulgaria.

"We mustn't think that we have everything to lose. We know what we are capable of and if we play our game, we will do well and have fun," said coach Roberto Mancini.

Group G leaders Netherlands are two points clear of second-placed Norway and have a tricky away assignment at Montenegro on Saturday before rounding off their campaign against the Norwegians in Rotterdam next Tuesday.

Coach Louis van Gaal, who guided the Oranje to third spot in 2014, is confident his side will not miss out on the World Cup like they did in 2018. He said: "Only qualification counts... It doesn't just happen like that but in principle I assume that we will qualify."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, XINHUA