Cech hoping to mask pain in clash with Montenegro

The Chelsea goalkeeper, however, was not completely confident of being ready for the first leg. “If the game was today I would not be able to play,” Cech, who broke his nose against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, said on the eve of the game.

“The mask will protect me from further injury but if I will be 100 per cent I do not know. And in the play-offs you have to give 100 per cent.”

If Cech cannot play, coach Michal Bilek will turn to Hamburg SV’s Jaroslav Drobny who started in the country’s 2-2 draw with Scotland in qualifying.

Croatia – who are in Scotland’s World Cup qualifying pool – will draw inspiration from a heart-breaking quarter-final defeat by Turkey at the 2008 finals when they meet the same opponents in the first leg of their play-off tonight, coach Slaven Bilic said.

The Croatians were seconds away from clinching a semi-final berth before losing the clash in Vienna on penalties, having taken the lead in the final minute of extra time. The Turks equalised with the last kick of extra time and then won the shootout. “That match did not have a good ending for us but we were the better side and hence I am optimistic ahead of our Euro 2012 play-off,” said Bilic. “Revenge is an ugly word and I don’t want to use it because the Turks won fair and square, they didn’t cheat their way into the semi-finals. Our motive is to qualify for Euro 2012, not revenge.”

Meanwhile, injuries, suspensions and lack of squad depth mean Bosnia coach Safet Susic faces tough choices over which players to field against Portugal. Bosnia’s defence will miss long-term casualty Mensur Mujdza with a broken foot while Boris Pandza and Rangers’ Sasa Papac are suspended for the first leg in Zenica tonight.

Portugal, who beat Bosnia 2-0 on aggregate in a 2010 World Cup play-off, will be boosted by the scintillating form of Cristiano Ronaldo, who rifled in his fourth hat-trick of the season for Real Madrid in last weekend’s 7-1 thumping of Osasuna.