A look at what’s happening in European Championship qualifying on Monday:
GROUP D
Croatia, Armenia and Wales are all fighting for the second qualifying spot behind group leader Turkey, which isn’t playing Monday. World Cup semifinalist Croatia is in that coveted second spot as it takes on third-place Armenia. Croatia’s midfield leader Luka Modric is on track to extend his record with a 168th game for his country. Wales is in fourth place and has just one win from its last 13 games. It must beat Latvia to avoid being left behind in the qualifying contest.
GROUP J
Portugal is cruising toward qualification as it takes on a Luxembourg team which has surprised many by becoming a contender to reach its first-ever European Championship next year. Portugal is hosting the game and beat Luxembourg 6-0 when they last played, so anything else but a win for Cristiano Ronaldo’s team would be a major upset. Portugal leads the group with 15 points, five more than Slovakia and Luxembourg. Luxembourg is third in a group with two qualifying places after winning its last three games. Its major qualifying rival, Slovakia, will be the overwhelming favorite against Liechtenstein. Iceland, itself once a surprise European Championship qualifier, plays Bosnia-Herzegovina.
