Free Kick: Too many questions, answers tomorrow

What a Wednesday! Tomorrow sees the return legs of the European Championship playoff.

Can Wales follow their brave goalless draw in Moscow by beating an abrasive Russian team in Cardiff, and thus reach the finals of a major competition for the first time since 1958?

Will Scotland, astonishing 1-0 winners at Hampden over Holland, though the second half saw them desperately at bay, cling on to that lead away from Glasgow?

Can a fading Turkish team, so much less effective since the 2002 World Cup, turn the tables at home to Latvia, who so surprisingly beat them 1-0 in Riga? Will Spain have trouble in Oslo against a revivified Norway whom they were lucky indeed to beat 2-1?

In Moscow, the fine young Cardiff City centre back Danny Gabbidon, whose presence has transformed the Welsh defence, surpassed himself with his speedy interceptions.

I'll hope to see his Cardiff City teammate Robert Franshaw given a chance at the Millennium Stadium. Somewhat surprisingly he never got on the field in Moscow. But at some stage or other of the match, I do feel that little Farnshaw, with his speed, his irrepressible temperament, his initiative, could make the difference against a Russian defence which is hardly irresistible.

Of course the manager Mark Hughes might give the splendid Ryan Giggs, brutally fouled in Moscow, a free role up front which he tellingly did last time out at Cardiff against Serbia.

One is not so sure about the Scots, whose very young team has risen from that dreadful 2-2 draw in the Faroe Islands which began their qualifying venture. Berti Vogts, once Germany's manager, much derided for many months, seems at last to have come good.

At Hampden, the clever young Manchester United right winger, Darren Fletcher, skilfully made the only goal for the equally lively and confident James McFadden of Everton.

Having announced he had no intention of playing Ruud Van Nistelrooy up front with Patrick Kluivert, the Dutch coach Dick Advocaat, ex-manager of Rangers, did just that. He'll resign he says if Holland don't get through but they seem perpetually plagued by tensions between their Surinam born or descended group of players and those of native Dutch origin.

England's some what meaningless friendly in Manchester against Denmark was overshadowed by another unseemly squabble between the players and the hapless FA.