Italy can't afford to lose in Moscow

 LONDON (AP) -- A World Cup without Italy? It might just happen.
 Ninety minutes of soccer on a tricky, snow-covered surface in Moscow today will have a major bearing on whether the three-time titlist and 1994 runner up will be going to France next summer for the finals.
 The Russians must still come to Italy for the second leg. But a playoff against Russia at this time of the year was not what the Azzurri wanted. They've never even scored a goal in Moscow.
 But the team finished second to England in its qualifying group and was drawn to meet Russia in the playoffs along with Croatia vs. Ukraine, Ireland vs. Belgium and Hungary vs. Yugoslavia. All eight nations finished runners up in their qualifying groups.
 So far 11 European nations have made it to the finals -- France (as host), group winners Romania, Norway, Bulgaria, Spain, Denmark, England, Austria, Netherlands, and Germany and Scotland as the best second-place finishers.
 The heat is on coach Cesare Maldini. A loss in Moscow could mean Italy missing out on the finals for the first time for 40 years.
 Maldini likely will field powerful strikers such as Atletico Madrid's Christian Vieri and Olympique Marseille's Fabrizio Ravanelli against the Russians rather than Chelsea's small but more imaginative forward, Gianfranco Zola.
 But at least he can field his son, Paolo, who is fit again after limping out of the game against England with an ankle injury and has been out of action since. And Roberto Di Matteo's back from suspension.
 Russia's coach, Boris Ignatiev, has to replace injured defender Yuri Nikiforov and is unlikely to go on all-out attack against the Italians in a game likely to have few goals.
 "I would accept a 1-0 victory," said Ignatiev, whose team goes to Naples for the second leg. "The most important thing is not to let them score a goal."
 The second legs of these games are Nov. 15 and it will be a major embarrassment to the Italians not to qualify on the day that either Croatia or Ukraine earn their debut.
 Still fledglings in terms of international soccer, they meet in Zagreb with Croatia, a European Championship qualifier last year, favored to advance.
 But coach Miroslav Blazevic is a little worried about the form of Ukraine's top club, Dynamo Kiev, in the Champions Cup. Last week it downed mighty Barcelona 3-0 and tops its group and he knows that Kiev makes up a large part of the Ukraine lineup.
 While Croatia and Ukraine battle to make it to the finals for the first time, Yugoslavia seeks a return.
 Following United Nations sanctions on the Serb-led country arising out of the wars in Croatia and Bosnia, FIFA decided to kick Yugoslavia out of the qualifying round of the 1994 World Cup.
 Having finished runner up to Spain in Group 6, the Yugoslavs now meet the weakest of the eight playoff teams, Hungary.
 "If we can't beat Hungary in the two matches, we don't deserve to be in France," said Predrag Mijatovic, Real Madrid's star striker. "We have better players, on paper, but we have to prove it on the pitch."
 The Irish had never qualified before the 1990 finals but now want to make it three appearances in a row.
 But they have to do it without fiery midfielder Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane, who is sidelined for the rest of the season of the season with a knee injury and may not be fit in time for the finals if they do qualify.