UPDATE 1-Soccer-Maniche left out of Portugal's Euro 2008 squad

(adds details)

By Carlos Pontes

LISBON, May 12 (Reuters) - Inter Milan's Maniche was a surprise omission when Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari named his 23-man squad for June's European Championship finals in Austria and Switzerland on Monday.

Former Porto and Benfica midfielder Maniche played in the Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006 finals and was a regular starter in Portugal's stuttering qualifying campaign. His brother Jorge Ribeiro of Boavista was included in the squad.

Scolari refused to explain the reason for leaving out the 30-year-old but said that expectations were as high for the team as when they finished runners-up four years ago on home soil.

"The expectations are the same as in 2004," Scolari said in a televised news conference. "We have great quality to clinch the qualification in the first phase. I have total belief in this squad."

Portugal are in Group A where they will face Czech Republic, Turkey and co-hosts Switzerland.

Scolari named 11 of the players that made up their Euro 2004 squad when they lost to Greece in the final and said the experienced group would rely on collective leadership.

"Firstly, we plan a little change," he explained. "We will choose a group of five captains so they can work together with other players by imposing what we believe to be correct."