PARIS – Qualifying for next year’s World Cup in Russia ramps up again this weekend in Europe, as the group stages reach the halfway point and with some countries already with one foot in the finals.

AFP Sport picks out five clashes to watch out for in the games from Friday to Sunday:

Bale and Wales in trouble

They may be Euro 2016 semi-finalists and have one of the best players in the world in Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale, but Wales have failed to fire after those heady summer days in France when they stunned Europe to reach the last four.

Wales trail leaders Ireland by four points after four games in Group D and defeat in Dublin on Friday would leave them in grave danger of missing out on a place in Russia.

If they are to beat a dogged Ireland they will need Bale at his brilliant best.

All the ingredients are there for a Wales win – they are at full strength whereas Ireland are blighted by injuries and suspension.

Three-way tussle

There is all to play for in an intriguing Group G: Spain are top on goal difference from Italy. But Israel are very much in the hunt, just one point behind.

Only the top team from each group is guaranteed a place in Russia with most of the teams finishing second going into play-offs. That means either Spain or Italy – both former World Cup winners – are going to have to do it the hard way.

On Friday, Italy will fully expect to brush aside Albania. The same evening Spain will need to be wary of Israel. His side might be the underdogs, but Israel boss Elisha Levy said his side will go on the attack in Gijon.

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Clash at the top

The top two clash in Group I when table-toppers Croatia entertain Ukraine on Friday in Zagreb.

Something needs to give: both are unbeaten after four games and victory for Croatia would give them a comfortable buffer in a group that also includes Euro 2016 surprise package Iceland and Turkey, third and fourth respectively.

Turkey’s campaign has been a disappointment so far and they must beat Finland at home to keep any hopes of Russia alive.

Iceland travel to the bottom side Kosovo.

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Belgium flying

Belgium, under coach Roberto Martinez and with Thierry Henry by his side, have been flying.

They have a 100 per cent record from four games and have hit 21 goals and conceded just one. They will do well though to keep up that scoring rate of five goals a game when they host an obstinate Greece on Saturday in top versus second in Group H.

Greece don’t score many but they have conceded only twice from their four games.

However, in Romelu Lukaku, free-scoring Belgium have one of the hottest strikers in Europe. Good news though for Greece: Eden Hazard is out injured.

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England expects

England can already start thinking about where they are going to stay in Russia, topping a weak Group F despite managerial upheaval.

But world football’s great underachievers are often compelling viewing – if only to see the national handwringing each time they fail to produce the high standards the English public demands.

But even England will surely send fourth-placed Lithuania packing with ease on Sunday at Wembley in coach Gareth Southgate’s first qualifier since being named on a permanent basis following the sacking of Sam Allardyce.

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“What if my goggles fall off during my race?

“What if I don’t execute my turns well?

“What if I don’t do well?”

Worries like these always inundate swimmer Gan Ching Hwee’s thoughts before her events.

But, once the petite 13-year-old leaps off the starting block, the doubts vanish, replaced by an unwavering focus on details, such as stroke counts, approaches and turns.

“I will forget everything; I am already there (in the water) and I can’t possibly get up and run away, so there’s nothing left to do but to finish the race,” the Methodist Girls’ School Year 2 student told The New Paper yesterday at the Chinese Swimming Club (CSC).

Last week, she took the China Life Singapore National Age-Group Swimming Championships by storm.

At the OCBC Aquatic Centre, Ching Hwee rewrote Under-14 national records in the women’s 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle, as well as the 400m individual medley (IM).

She also met the ‘A’ qualifying marks for the 400m and 800m free, and the 400m IM for the South-east Asia Games in Kuala Lumpur this August.

Ching Hwee, who said she stood at 1.61 metres tall the last time she measured six months ago, is the youngest among the 12 swimmers who met SEA Games standards at last week’s meet.

CSC head coach-designate Eugene Chia said: “She has a knack for understanding what the coaches ask of her, and the awareness in the water to execute those changes.

“She learns really fast.” He added that Ching Hwee has a “technically very good” underwater freestyle pull, even though they have focused on her kicking technique in recent months to take the load off an injury-prone shoulder.

The chatty teenager started swimming lessons at CSC when she was 4, together with her brother, who is a year older.

While her brother eventually gave up the pool for the badminton court, Ching Hwee stuck with swimming, while dabbling in golf, badminton, squash, ballet and piano.

“It is mainly the people, the bonds that I have made with my friends in swimming that made me stay in the sport,” she said.

“But, of course, good races and achievements also motivate me to stay on; they boost my confidence to do better and work harder.” After a three-day break, Ching Hwee returns to the grind today, with the Schools Nationals coming up next month.

The Singapore National Swimming Championships beckon in June, before Ching Hwee begins her final preparations for her debut SEA Games, pending Singapore National Olympic Council’s approval.

A spectator at the 2015 SEA Games at home, she said she was overwhelmed by the “stressful” atmosphere at the OCBC Aquatic Centre back then.

She said nervously: “It was very lively and there were so many people watching; it’s a good kind of noise for the crowd, but not the swimmers.”

But, nervous as she may be on land, don’t bet against Ching Hwee when she is in her element – water – this August.

sayheng@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 23, 2017.
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