Scotland waiting on McInnes

Derek McInnes, the West Bromwich Albion midfielder, is the only major doubt for Scotland's Euro 2004 qualifying opener in the Faroe Islands.

The Hawthorns captain is struggling with a knee injury, but Barry Ferguson and Dominic Matteo will be fit for the game despite picking up minor knocks.

However, the Scotland manager Berti Vogts is confident the rest of the squad will be fit for his first competitive game in charge. "This is especially important as it is the first qualification game," Vogts said. "The time for experimenting is over."

Newcastle may release Craig Bellamy to join the Wales squad for Saturday's qualifier against Finland. Bellamy's knee injury is expected to be assessed by Newcastle medical staff today.

If the striker is released to join the rest of Mark Hughes' squad, it would please Wales, who were concerned by Newcastle manager Sir Bobby Robson's remarks after Bellamy's Premiership comeback at Liverpool on Monday, that "I'll do everything to stop him going".

The Russia goalkeeper Ruslan Nigmatullin yesterday set the tone for his side's qualifier against Ireland on Saturday when he accused the Irish of using "dirty tactics".

"They're a dirty team," Nigmatullin, who played against Ireland last February, said. "They try to hit you in the back, hit you from behind, use their elbows, all that stuff, so we have to be careful."