[attach id=277459 size="medium"]Alberto Gilardino hits the ball past Bulgaria keeper Nikolay Mihaylov.[/attach]
No World Cup finals would be complete without Italy and Germany on the cast list, and both nations will take their places in next year’s Brazil showpiece with victories tonight.
Four-times world champions Italy will qualify if they beat the Czech Republic in Turin, while Germany, bidding for their 16th successive appearance, can follow suit with a win over the Faroe Islands, though a Sweden victory against Kazakhstan would delay the Germans’ passage.
The Netherlands, assuming they beat Andorra, will be guaranteed top spot in Group D if Romania fail to beat Turkey.
For other European powerhouses the task is less straightforward.
England will be wary of their trip to Ukraine despite going top of Group H after a 4-0 win over Moldova on Friday.
Ukraine warmed up for the potential group decider with a 9-0 hammering of San Marino.
Ukraine are one point behind England, and one of their three remaining ties is against San Marino.
“It’s a massive game against Ukraine, but we have nothing to fear and can go there full of confidence,” England captain Steven Gerrard, who scored the opener against Moldova, said.
“We need to believe in ourselves, roll our sleeves up and put in a performance, because if we were to get all three points it puts us in the driving seat.”
England look more certain qualifiers than France, whose hopes of topping world champions Spain in Group I look forlorn after a 0-0 draw with Georgia on Friday left them three points behind with two games to go.
They must win in Belarus today to keep alive any realistic chance of heading the group and avoiding a play-off.
Switzerland fluffed their lines in a dramatic 4-4 home draw with Iceland on Friday and could be vulnerable when they travel to Group E’s second-placed side, Norway.
Victory, and a draw between Iceland and Albania, would be enough to ensure the Swiss will be in Brazil next year.
Russia, who will qualify automatically in 2018 as hosts, will put themselves back in pole position over Portugal in Group F if they win their game in hand at home to Israel.
Italy are renowned for grinding their way through to World Cup finals, having figured in all but two of the 19 editions of the tournament so far.
They were at it again on Friday with a gritty 1-0 win over Bulgaria, which put them seven points clear in Group B with three matches remaining, starting when they host the Czech Republic in Turin.
The Czechs were stunned by Armenia on Friday, meaning they are now looking at a play-off spot at best, but Italy coach Cesare Prandelli is taking nothing for granted.
“We are one step from the World Cup, but at the moment everything is complicated by our physical condition, which is not optimal,” he said.
“We will try to recover as much as possible.”
Group A
Playing today
Macedonia vs Scotland - 20.30
Wales vs Serbia - 20.45
October 11
Wales vs Macedonia
Croatia vs Belgium
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Belgium | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 22 |
| Croatia | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 17 |
| Serbia | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 8 |
| Macedonia | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Wales | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 16 | 6 |
| Scotland | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 5 |
Group B
Playing today
Armenia vs Denmark - 18.00
Italy vs Czech Republic - 20.45
Malta vs Bulgaria - 20.00
October 11
Armenia vs Bulgaria
Denmark vs Italy
Malta vs Czech Republic
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Italy | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 4 | 17 |
| Bulgaria | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 10 |
| Czech Rep. | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 9 |
| Armenia | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 9 |
| Denmark | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 9 |
| Malta | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 16 | 3 |
Group C
Playing today
Austria vs Ireland - 20.45
Faroe Islands vs Germany - 20.45
Kazakhstan vs Sweden - 18.00
October 11
Faroe Islands vs Kazakhstan
Germany vs Ireland
Sweden vs Austria
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Germany | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 7 | 19 |
| Sweden | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 8 | 14 |
| Austria | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 8 | 11 |
| Ireland | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 12 | 11 |
| Kazakhstan | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 16 | 4 |
| Faroe Islands | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 22 | 0 |
Group D
Playing today
Andorra vs Netherlands - 20.30
Hungary vs Estonia - 20.30
Romania vs Turkey - 20.00
October 11
Andorra vs Romania
Estonia vs Turkey
Netherlands vs Hungary
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Netherlands | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 4 | 19 |
| Romania | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 10 | 13 |
| Hungary | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 11 | 11 |
| Turkey | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 7 | 10 |
| Estonia | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 7 |
| Andorra | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
Group E
Playing today
Cyprus vs Slovenia - 20.30
Iceland vs Albania - 21.00
Norway vs Switzerland - 19.00
October 11
Albania vs Switzerland
Iceland vs Cyprus
Slovenia vs Norway
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Switzerland | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 15 |
| Norway | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 11 |
| Albania | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| Iceland | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 13 | 10 |
| Slovenia | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
| Cyprus | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 4 |
Group F
Playing today
Russia vs Israel - 17.00
Luxembourg vs N. Ireland - 20.15
October 11
Azerbaijan vs N. Ireland
Luxemborug vs Russia
Portugal vs Israel
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Portugal | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 8 | 17 |
| Russia | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 3 | 15 |
| Israel | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 9 | 12 |
| N. Ireland | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 6 |
| Azerbaijan | 8 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 5 |
| Luxembourg | 7 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 17 | 3 |
Group G
Playing today
Greece vs Latvia - 20.45
Lithuania vs Liechtenstein - 17.30
Slovakia vs Bosnia - 20.15
October 11
Bosnia vs Liechtenstein
Greece vs Slovakia
Lithuania vs Latvia
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Bosnia | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 4 | 16 |
| Greece | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 16 |
| Slovakia | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 12 |
| Latvia | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 15 | 7 |
| Lithuania | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 5 |
| Liechtenstein | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 17 | 2 |
Group H
Playing today
San Marino vs Poland - 20.45
Ukraine vs England - 20.45
October 11
Moldova vs San Marino
England vs Montenegro
Ukraine vs Poland
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| England | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 3 | 15 |
| Montenegro | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 8 | 15 |
| Ukraine | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 4 | 14 |
| Poland | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 8 | 10 |
| Moldova | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 15 | 5 |
| San Marino | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 38 | 0 |
Group I
Playing today
Belarus vs France - 21.00
Georgia vs Finland - 19.00
October 11
Spain vs Belarus
October 15
France vs Finland
Spain vs Georgia
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Spain | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 14 |
| France | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 11 |
| Finland | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| Georgia | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Belarus | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 4 |