The powerhouse European nations begin their quest for World Cup 2006 qualifying places on Saturday, and France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands have new coaches and have lost some old faces.

Zidane, Desailly, Lilian Thuram and Bixente Lizarazu announced their retirement from international soccer a month ago after France lost its European title just two years after meekly giving away its World Cup crown.

New coach Raymond Domenech has to rebuild quickly if he is to get Les Bleus to Germany 2006.

"Three hundred caps vanished at once, a whole generation that leaves a vacuum behind it,'' Domenech said.

His team starts with a home game against Israel at the Stade de France. That sounds like three easy points after the French beat the Israelis home and away in Euro 2004 qualifying.

But French fans with long memories will recall the last time they met Israel in a World Cup qualifying game.

That was 11 years ago when their team needed just one point from two home games to reach the '1994 finals in the United States. A late Israel goal in Paris ended in a 3-2 French loss. France then lost at home to Bulgaria and never made it to the finals.

Following the game against Israel, the French hope to capture three points in the second round of games on Wednesday when they go to the Faeroe Islands. If they win both, then French fans will hope for a repeat of their team's European Championship qualifying streak, in which they won all eight matches.

Italy, which now has Marcelo Lippi in charge, kicks off with a home game against Norway at Palermo, Sicily, before traveling to Moldova on Wednesday.

Parma's young striker Alberto Gilardino, who scored four goals as Italy's Olympic team won the bronze medal last Friday, will lead the attack.

Francesco Totti is serving the last of a three-game ban imposed for spitting at an opponent during Euro 2004.

After early elimination from 2002 World Cup and the European Championship, the Italians need a boost.

"We have no excuse in the coming matches,'' said former Juventus coach Lippi. "We must regain the love of the fans, self-confidence and results.''

Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon says the Italians badly need to start with a victory.

"Against Norway it's important to win for the coach and show that the leadership of the group is ours,'' he said. "A victory would be an important signal to the other teams that we are the team to beat and they can only play for the other positions.''

Luis Figo and Rui Costa have retired from the Portuguese national team, which is looking to teenager Cristiano Ronaldo as its new hero.

Coach Luis Felipe Scolari won the 2002 World Cup with Brazil and, having taken Portugal to the final of Euro 2004, wants to go one step further. He starts the journey to Germany 2006 with a visit to Latvia followed by a home game against another Baltic nation, Estonia.

While most teams get used to the changes, the country that beat the Portuguese in the European Championship final in Lisbon hopes things stay the same.

Greece was the surprise winner of Euro 2004, having never won a single match at a major championship.

Its German coach, Otto Rehhagel, will send out virtually the same lineup on Saturday in its opening game against neighbor Albania. Rehhagel's men then have a far tougher game against World Cup 2002 semifinalist Turkey on Wednesday.

Saturday's matches don't have any eye-catching meetings, although there are several in the second round on Wednesday.

As well as Greece-Turkey, there's a rematch of the most exciting game of Euro 2004 -- the Netherlands vs. the Czech Republic.

That game ended in a 3-2 victory for the Czechs after the Dutch led 2-0. But it had so many thrills and chances, it could have wound up 10-9.

The Dutch now have Marco van Basten in charge and hope the former AC Milan great will inspire the team to a first major title since his wonder goal in Munich captured the European Championship title in 1988.

England starts its campaign with two away games -- at Austria on Saturday and Poland on Wednesday.

Rooney, who completed a 27 million pound (US$48.3 million) move to Manchester United on Tuesday, remains out of action because of a broken bone in his foot suffered during Euro 2004.

That means either Alan Smith -- another Reds acquisition -- or Tottenham's Jermaine Defoe will partner Real Madrid's recent signing Michael Owen up front.

Like France and Italy, Spain also performed badly at Euro 2004 and now has Luis Aragones in charge. The Spaniards don't have a World Cup game this weekend but begin their qualifying campaign at Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday.

Spanish fans hope that Aragones will start forward Jose Antonio Reyes, who was left off the Euro 2004 squad but is now a key players for English Premier League champion Arsenal.

World Cup host Germany, which now has Juergen Klinsmann in charge after another Euro flop, doesn't have to qualify but has a friendly game against World Cup champion Brazil in Berlin on Wednesday.