Celtic striker Henrik Larsson says he has recovered sufficiently from a broken leg to be able to play in Sweden's Euro 2000 opening match against hosts Belgium.

Larsson has made a remarkable recovery from a broken leg, sustained in a Uefa Cup tie against Lyon last October, and looks set to make the Sweden bench at the very least.

He said: 'I have no problem with the injury. Look at the last game, if I had to tackle I did it.

'I feel good. I'm fit, I'm match fit, maybe not for 90 minutes but I am very close to it now.'

Belgium kick off Euro 2000 with Sheffield Wednesday striker Gilles de Bilde convinced the co-hosts can make an impact on the tournament.

'I think it's a big thing for the country. Every country in Europe hopes to host a European tournament and we were picked together with Holland,' he said.

'So it's a big chance for us to show something on the European scene.

'If we start well, or even draw our first game, expectations will change a little bit for the supporters as well as ourselves.

'We're not favourites like Holland or France. We're definitely the outsiders, but we're the host country with Holland so you never know what can happen.'

De Bilde is facing competition for striking places from Derby's Branko Strupar, Aston Villa-bound Luc Nilis and the prolific Mbo Mpenza.

But De Bilde relishes the push for starting places. He said: 'Competition had better be tough, because the tougher the competition the sharper the player will be, and the more difficult it will be to pick the best team.

'I hope every one of our strikers will be at the top of their form, and we can perform the best we can.'

Belgium coach Robert Waseige stressed the importance on their opening Group B fixture.

'Every game is important to win. But of course it's a little bit more important to win the first game. That can have a crucial psychological effect on the players, especially if you're playing at home.'