© EuroFootball.com
Surprises of the European Championship qualifiers Latvian national team coach Aleksandrs Starkovas was the first to announce the final composition of 23 players for the approaching Euro-2004 final tournament. He made this decision regardless of the fact that not all team members have recovered from injuries.
The composition includes seven players from Starkov's coached Riga "Skonto" team, as well as three from "Ventspils", one from Liepaja "Metalurgs", and twelve foreign legionnaires.
Final composition of the Latvian national team:
Goalkeepers: Aleksandrs Kolinko (Rostov) Andrejs Pavlovs (Skonto) Andrejs Piedels (Skonto)
Defenders: Olegs Blagonadezdins (Skonto) Aleksandrs Isakovs (Skonto) Igors Korablovs (Ventspils) Maris Smirnovs (Ventspils) Igors Stepanovs (Beveren) Arturs Zakresevskis (Skonto) Mihails Zemlinskis (Skonto) Dzintars Zirnis (Metalurgs)
Midfielders: Vitalis Astafjevs (Admira Wacker) Imants Bleidelis (Viborg) Juris Laizans (CSKA) Valentins Lobanovs (Metalurg Zaporizhya) Jurgis Pucinsks (Luch-Energia) Andrejs Rubins (Shinnik) Andrejs Štolcers (Fulham)
Forwards: Mihails Miholaps (Skonto) Marians Pahars (Southampton) Andrejs Prohorenkovs (Maccabi Tel-Aviv) Vits Rimkus (Ventspils) Maris Verpakovskis (Dynamo Kiev)
