Juventus striker Valeri Bozhinov has been left out of Bulgaria's crucial double against Belarus by the newly appointed Bulgaria coach Stanimir Stoilov.

Stoilov was appointed as the interim coach following Hristo Stoitchkov who left the helm to take over the vacant managerial post at Spanish club Celta Vigo. Stoilov has announced a 19-man squad to face Belarus on June 2 and June 6.

Also missing out are Blagoy Georgiev, Svetoslav Todorov, Valentin Iliev and Zoran Janković. Hannover midfielder Chavdar Yankov has been suspended for the away game on June 2 but is expected to be back for the home fixture on June 6.

The surprise inclusion has to be the name of 29-year-old right-back Zahari Sirakov, who comes into the national team after a hiatus of nine years. Last time that Sirakov pulled on the Bulgarian jersey was back in 1998. Stoilov said that he has been impressed with Sirakov's form for Amkar in Russia and is confident that the 29-year old will perform.

"I watched Sirakov playing for Amkar in Russia and he played very well. I am sure he will be a useful addition", Stoilov said. Bulgaria is in third position in the group table with 9 points from five games.

Meanwhile Belarus is hopeful that Vitali Kutuzov and Aleksandr Hleb get over their injuries and feature in the two matches. Kutuzov, who plays for Parma, has been undergoing gym training following an inflammation in his achilles tendon.

Arsenal midfielder Aleksandr Hleb revealed that he might have to undergo further surgery for his knee injury. "I still feel discomfort so I went to hospital. The scan revealed an injury but its extent is hard to predict. We sent the pictures to the doctor who did the original operation and he will give us his verdict in a few days", Hleb said.

Belarus will also be without the services of Artyom Kontsevoi, who is out due to injury, while Aleksei Skverniuk, Dmitri Lentsevich, Sergei Gurenko and Maksim Romashchenko have not been picked up in the squad by coach Yuri Puntus. Belarus is currently in fourth position with 7 points from 5 games. Belarus v Bulgaria Euro 2008 qualifier will kickoff at 19:00 GMT on Saturday.