First tests for new wave of coaches

LONDON, Aug 14 (Reuters) A host of new international coaches will get a first look at their charges in action this week with Italy, Germany, England and Russia among the teams beginning new eras with international friendlies.

Euro 2008 qualifying also gets under way as Kazakhstan make their debut in the competition, away to Belgium. Estonia play Macedonia and the Faroe Islands host Georgia in Wednesday's other qualifiers for the tournament to be jointly-hosted by Austria and Switzerland.

In Wednesday's friendlies, Italy will play their first game as World Cup winners and first under coach Roberto Donadoni against Croatia in Livorno.

NEW CLUBS Donadoni, 42, took over when Marcelo Lippi stood down after the World Cup final victory over France and is one of a new wave of young international coaches.

As throughout the World Cup, Italy's build-up has been overshadowed by the match-fixing scandal, which is now manifested by many of the squad's leading lights settling into their new clubs.

Donadoni, the former AC Milan and Italy midfielder who stopped playing five years ago, has helped deflect the spotlight by not including any of the players who won the World Cup with reserve goalkeeper Marco Amelia, who did not play in Germany, the only one of the 23 to be involved on Wednesday.

Donadoni has included seven uncapped players in his first squad.

Croatia's coach is even younger as 37-year-old Slaven Bilic has replaced Zlatko Kranjcar, sacked after a poor World Cup.

Germany begin life under Joachim Loew with a home game against Sweden and a new mood of optimism in the wake of their run to the World Cup semi-finals under Juergen Klinsmann.

''The confidence we got playing with, and even dominating, some of the best teams in the world will stay with us and we can use it to our advantage,'' said Loew, who will be without injured captain Michael Ballack but who has promised to stick with the attacking principles of his former boss.

Steve McClaren is another number two who has stepped up to the top job after taking over as England coach from Sven-Goran Eriksson.

LOW MORALE Unlike Loeb, however, he inherits a squad low on morale after yet another dispiriting tournament exit on penalties.

England host European champions Greece at Old Trafford where the most significant absentee will be former captain David Beckham, left out of the squad as McClaren starts to build afresh.

Dutchman Guus Hiddink, Russia's first foreign manager, takes charge against Latvia in Moscow with his latest adopted country desperately hoping he can end years of under-achievement by what should be one of the continent's soccer super powers.

Another peripatetic Dutchman, Leo Beenhakker, takes the reins at Poland for the first time, away to Denmark, while former Spain boss Javier Clemente debuts in charge of Serbia - playing for the first time without their Montenegro appendage - away to Czech Republic.

Norway host Brazil hoping to extend their unique unbeaten record against the five-times world champions having beaten them twice - including the 1998 World Cup - and drawn once.

New Brazil coach Dunga has named an experimental squad for the game and not called on the services of his ''golden quartet'' of Ronaldinho, Kaka, Adriano and Ronaldo.

The joint Euro 2008 hosts begin two years of friendlies with Austria playing Hungary in Graz and Switzerland visiting Liechtenstein while Wednesday's schedule also includes Ireland v Netherlands and Iceland v Spain.

World Cup runners-up France are also in action on Wednesday, away to Bosnia, when coach Raymond Domenech will give an opportunity to youngsters Jeremy Toulalan and Julien Faubert.

REUTERS DH VV1810