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Belarusian national soccer team preparing for opening games of Euro 2012 qualifying campaign

The Belarusian national soccer team are preparing for tough two opening games of their qualifying campaign for the 2012 European Championship, BelaPAN reports.

Belarus travel to France for a September 3 encounter and then welcome Romania at home on September 8.

Head coach Bernd Stange told reporters in Minsk on Monday that he had called up 21 players, including three goalkeepers, for the games.

"All of the players are in good shape," he said. "We are very optimistic about the games. Of course, we are the underdogs in the France game as we will take on the [former] European and world champions. But my task as the coach's is to give the players the required injection of optimism, the more so as we have good games and our soccer is developing."