Moldova U-19s' future lies in Russia's hands

To advance to the final stage of the 2009 European Under-19 Championship, Moldova need to defeat Latvia, on condition that Russia will either win or hold Italy to a draw. Moldova will play Latvia on Tuesday, October 7, starting at 3:00PM on Zimbru Stadium in Chisinau. The fixture Russia-Italy is scheduled for the same date, same hour, and will be played in Orhei. These are the final qualifying matches in the group. Russia coach Andrei Talalaev has stated ahead of the game he expects his team to win, though Russia 19s don't really need a victory, having already booked a trip to the Finals after sliding past Latvia and Moldova 2:0 in both games. Talalaev went on to add that even if the approach remained serious against Italy, he would give a chance to the talents on the bench. “We intend to win the Championship and we need to be sparing with the key players”, he said. Concerning Moldova's chances of qualifying, Talalaev has told Info-Prim Neo that the Russian squad will work all out to cope with such a redoubtable rival as Italy and to win the third consecutive victory, but cannot guarantee a positive result to Moldova.