Olsen recalls Czech blank to make point

Denmark coach Morten Olsen recalled Malta's goalless stalemate against the Czech Republic in the World Cup 2002 qualifiers to reinforce his argument that the hosts at the National Stadium tonight will be no easy opponents.

Olsen was already in charge of the Danes during the 2002 qualifying campaign.

Malta, then under the guidance of Serbian coach Josif Ilic, suffered a series of drubbings, including a 5-0 home defeat to Denmark, but they caused a surprise when holding the mighty Czechs to a goalless draw at home in October 2000.

"There are no small nations in modern football," Olsen told reporters yesterday.

"Football is all about going out on the pitch determined to play well and win.

"Underestimating your opposition can be very dangerous. Malta have had some good results in the past. I remember they drew 0-0 with the Czech Republic almost nine years ago and that result eventually helped Denmark to qualify for the World Cup."

Martin Jorgensen, the Fiorentina playmaker whose career has been disrupted by injuries in the last few years, also delved into his memory banks as he spoke about Denmark's clash with Malta tonight.

"When we played here eight years ago, we were very poor in the first half," Jorgensen, who is expected to start today, said.

"Our football was awful and it was only after we scored the first goal that the team's task became easier."

Jorgensen, likely to play in an advanced midfield role in the absence of captain Jon Dahl Tomasson, is happy that Denmark's unbeaten start to the 2010 World Cup qualifiers has helped to restore optimism among their fans.

"In autumn, the mood was one of scepticism back home, especially after our disappointing performance in the 0-0 draw in Hungary," Jorgensen said.

"Everything changed after we achieved that excellent victory over Portugal. The fans are now behind the team and I'm glad that 1,400 of ours will be at the National Stadium against Malta."

Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner missed training on Thursday because of a muscle strain but he's expected to be fit in time for the match.