Friday, September 3, 2010

| by

0

03.09. (Fri) 21:00 France - Belarus

A Blanc Slate

The World Cup is finally being forgotten in France, and the Laurent Blanc era begins at the Stade de France on Friday when Belarus visit.

Scars caused by the summer’s events in South Africa are slowly starting to heal, and already Blanc has shown he will be a very different leader to predecessor Raymond Domenech. Out have gone a whole host of World Cup participants – including Patrice Erva, Franck Ribery, Nicolas Anelka and Jeremy Toulalan, who have been banned much to the chagrin of the former Girondins de Bordeaux coach – and in come fresh faces, many discarded under the previous regime.

But the confidence of les Bleus remains fragile. A fringe France squad was defeated in Norway in early August, though Blanc had suspended all 23 members of the World Cup squad from that encounter. Positives were drawn from that match and the side is looking towards the future with optimism, though at the same time the past is not being forgotten.

Blanc, himself a French footballing icon after his exploits at the 1998 World Cup, has rallied figures such as Fabien Barthez to help him prepare the side, while legendary midfielder Zinedine Zidane even made an appearance at training on Wednesday to help inspire this new generation of hopefuls.

For too long France struggled in the shadow of Domenech, and the damage caused by his ineptitude will take months rather than merely weeks to heal. Friday’s encounter is the first step back towards the true Bleus.

Play-Offs A Minimum


Belarus will be aiming to take advantage of the fact that France are to some extent picking through the rubble of their World Cup campaign and are approaching this fixture with a newly reworked set-up.

Over the course of their history, the former Soviet state have persistently finished fourth or fifth in their qualifying sections, with the exception being a third spot as they attempted to reach the 2002 World Cup. Despite having only got moderately close to reaching a major finals once, head coach Bernd Stange maintains high hopes for his side.

“We face difficult opponents and it will be very hard for us,” he confessed to UEFA’s official website. “However, our aim is to qualify to the finals. Our minimum task is to reach the play-offs. We have to try to take our chance.”

France away cannot be one of the fixtures that the Belarusians have targeted as potentially yielding points, meaning that they approach the match with few expectations. Anything that can be picked up in Paris must be considered a massive bonus and would set up the side perfectly for an encounter against Romania at home on Tuesday perfectly.

After beating Lithuania 2-0 in an August friendly away from home thanks to a couple of goals from Vyacheslav Hleb, the Belarus side should at least hold out hope of an upset.


TEAM NEWS

France


Laurent Blanc’s preparation hasn’t exactly gone smoothly in this last week. Lassana Diarra has been ruled out because of injury, while there is also a significant doubt over the fitness of Karim Benzema. Yohan Cabaye, who was called up as a possible injury replacement, has himself picked up a physical ailment and will be absent. Blaise Matuidi has been added to the squad as a result.

Only nine of the World Cup squad have been convened, with Patrice Erva, Franck Ribery, Nicolas Anelka and Jeremy Toulalan banned by the FFF (French FA). Toulalan’s ban is only of the one-match variety, but he has not been included in the squad that will face Bosnia on Tuesday as he is not playing in his usual central midfield role for Lyon.

Yoann Gourcuff is suspended for two matches following his red card against South Africa at the World Cup.

Probable Starting XI:
Lloris; Sagna, Mexes, Rami, Clichy; Diaby, A. Diarra, M’Vila; Remy, Hoarau, Malouda
Belarus


Coach Bernd Stange has named the same 21-man panel that he used for an August friendly against Lithuania, electing to overlook Dmitri Verkhovtsov, Timofei Kalachev and Leonid Kovel as they are not up to match speed.

Probably Starting XI:
Amelchenko; Shitov, Martynovich, Molosh, Omelyanchuk; A. Hleb, Tigorev, Putsila, Kulchiy; Rodionov, V. Hleb


Prediction
France should have enough to win this, but with an entirely new squad, a rookie international coaching staff and probably a new system, don’t look for les Bleus to smash their Eastern European opponents out of the water. Laurent Blanc’s side would be content with a narrow win, though they will certainly be looking to add some style to their win.

France 2-0 Belarus

| by

0

03.09. (Fri) 21:00 England - Bulgaria

Forget The World Cup Hangover
It is time to put the pints of water and aspirin to one side and get ready for another night at Wembley, it is the start of the Euro 2012 qualification period for England’s lightweight side, with Bulgaria as their opponents.
Last time out, Capello decided to take the bold step and name just 10 of that World Cup squad for the friendly game against Hungary, prompting signs of an ushering in of a new generation.
The squad for England’s first two competitive games, since the 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Germany in South Africa, included 13 names of those who featured 6,000 miles away, and that is without the ever-present John Terry, Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand which would have made it 16 of the 23, so is Capello going back to the old guard by stealth?
In fairness to Capello it is impossible to completely re-haul the national side, and it would be irresponsible of him to leave out players like Glen Johnson or Gareth Barry just to prove a point or succumb to the wants of the English media. Capello is stuck between a rock and a hard place, so perhaps this is the best way forward, for now.
Either way, Capello must instil some confidence in his players, who are, ironically, so self-confident normally.

One of the most infuriating feelings between many England fans is that players always seem to performance far better for their club side than they do on the international stage, and this is surely down to tactics.
Theo Walcott, for example, has always performed better for Arsenal than he has for England, and that is mainly because he has a wide left player on the other flank, like Tomas Rosicky, to balance the side out and not leave one flank overloaded. Lennon and Gareth Bale show this week in, week out at Spurs also.
What England have done recently is have Gerrard on the left flank, and his natural reaction is to wander around the centre of the pitch and then go out to the flank, rather than stick to the flank. It leaves 3 central midfielders in the centre, with one winger on the right. Unbalance ensues.
It is not his fault, he is a central midfielder after all. It is Capello’s fault. The best idea is to ditch the persistence to leave Gerrard out on the left and bring him in more centrally, giving James Milner, Ashley Young or Adam Jonhson the chance to maraud down the flank and scare the opposition fullback.
The reason I mention this is because, like I mentioned before, Lampard is absent for these two upcoming qualifiers, so we might, and I stress might, just see a move towards a new formation.

TEAM NEWS

England From the players called up, Peter Crouch has, unsurprisingly, been ruled out due to a rib injury he suffered playing for Spurs against Wigan last Saturday.
Scott Carson and Ben Foster have also both struggled to train in the lead-up to the game, but Joe Hart is again expected to start in goal.
Phil Jagielka also missed training on Wednesday but, again, he is not expected to feature in the starting XI.
Probable starting XI: Hart; Cole, Upson, Dawson, Johnson; Walcott, Barry, Gerrard, Milner; Rooney, Defoe

Bulgaria
Head coach Stanimir Stoilov is struggling to replace the retired captain Dimitar Berbatov, with Aston Villa’s Stiliyan Petrov currently wearing the armband, so former Manchester City forward Valeri Bojinov has the job of leading the line against the English with a fairly inexperienced striker partnering him.
Other than that, a full strength squad is available to Stoilov.
Probable starting XI: Mihaylov; Manolev, Ivanov, Stotanov, Minev; Peev, Angelov, S Petrov, M Petrov; Bojinov, Kamburov

Prediction

England 2-1 Bulgaria  

| by

0

03.09. (Fri) 20:30 Estonia - Italy

Estonia Confident Of Causing Upset

Estonia will be full of confidence when they welcome Italy having already made a perfect start in group C when they came from behind last month to beat The Faroe Islands 2-1 at the Lillekula Arena in Tallinn.

Kaimar Saag and captain Raio Piiroja scored deep into injury time to ensure they didn't fall victims to a Faroe Islands team ranked 118 in the world who had taken a shock lead through Joan Edmundsson. However, Estonia coach Tarmo Ruutli is aware they face a herculean task when Italy arrive on Friday night.

A draw against the Italians will be more than acceptable as in four previous meetings between both sides, the last in 1995, Estonia have lost on all occasions, only scoring one goal, compared to Italy's 11.

But, despite major changes in Casa Azzurri, Ruutli will have taken heed from Italy's recet failures. A poor showing at the World Cup, in which they made negative history by crashing out at the group stages, as well as last month's 1-0 friendly defeat to the Ivory Coast would have made for some comfortable pre-match reading.

"It's obvious that we are not favourites [against Italy], but that doesn't mean that we are not expected to do well," the 55-year-old tactician and former midfielder told the press.

"Surprises could happen."

Confident talking then from Ruutli who knows that Italy's new changes means they are still yet to gel fully as a unit and could be rattled by a decent home performance here.

New Beginnings For Italy As They Aim For Maximum Points


Andrea Pirlo set the tone for Cesare Prandelli's squad as they prepare for their first competitive game under the former Viola coach.

The midfielder, who returns to the squad alongside Alberto Gilardino and Giampaolo Pazzini, who were both dropped for the Ivory Coast clash is hopeful two wins from this round of qualifiers, the other against the Faroe Islands next week, will shape Italy's qualifying campaign.

"We need to refind our quality after the World Cup, but we hope to win our first two games which are very important for us," Pirlo said on Wednesday.

Prandelli meanwhile knows he has to mastermind a convincing performance to help boost moral following the shambles at the World Cup. There are several new additions to the team who could all earn their first caps for the Azzurri.

Luca Antonelli, Cesare Bovo, Lorenzo De Silvestri and Daniele Gastaldello, all defenders, are in. A nation expects decent results against Estonia and the Faroes. Both games are, it's fair to say, winnable for la Nazionale.

But just one game in the bag post-South Africa, some critics will be concerned with the team for fitness and form. Serie A has just got underway, with players still not looking 100 percent.

Team News

Estonia


Goalkeepers


Sergei Pareiko (FC Tom Tomsk), Mihkel Aksalu (Sheffield United FC), Artur Kotenko (AEP Pahos FC)

Defenders


Enar Jääger (Aalesunds FK), Raio Piiroja (Fredrikstad FK), Alo Bärengrub (FK Bodø/Glimt), Tihhon Šišov (Xäzär Länkäran FK), Taavi Rähn (FC Baltika Kaliningrad), Dmitri Kruglov (İnter Bakı PİK), Gert Kams (FC Flora Tallinn), Igor Morozov (FC Levadia Tallinn), Andrei Sidorenkov (SønderjyskE)

Midfielders


Ragnar Klavan (AZ Alkmaar), Aleksandr Dmitrijev (Hønefoss BK), Joel Lindpere (New York Red Bulls), Sander Puri (Larissa FC), Konstantin Vassiljev (NK Nafta Lendava), Ats Purje (AEP Pahos FC), Martin Vunk (Syrianska FC)

Forwards


Andres Oper (no club), Sander Post (FC Flora Tallinn), Kaimar Saag (Silkeborg IF), Tarmo Kink (Middlesbrough FC), Sergei Zenjov (FC Karpaty Lviv), Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko (UD Leiria)

Probable Starting XI:
Pareiko, Piiroja, Kruglov, Dmitrijev, Puri; Oper, Kink, Vassiljev, Klava; Jaager, Barengrub.

Italy

Luca Cigarini replaces the injured Claudio Marchisio. Daniele De Rossi is available to start and Antonio Cassano could get the nod following a back injury scare.

Goalkeepers


Antonio Mirante (Parma FC), Salvatore Sirigu (US Città di Palermo), Emiliano Viviano (Bologna FC)

Defenders


Luca Antonelli (Parma FC), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Cesare Bovo (US Città di Palermo), Mattia Cassani (US Città di Palermo), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Lorenzo De Silvestri (ACF Fiorentina), Daniele Gastaldello (UC Sampdoria), Cristian Molinaro (VfB Stuttgart)

Midfielders

Luca Cigarini (Sevilla FC), Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma), Andrea Lazzari (Cagliari Calcio), Riccardo Montolivo (ACF Fiorentina), Angelo Palombo (UC Sampdoria), Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan)

Forwards
Antonio Cassano (UC Sampdoria), Alberto Gilardino (ACF Fiorentina), Giampaolo Pazzini (UC Sampdoria), Simone Pepe (Juventus), Fabio Quagliarella (Juventus), Giuseppe Rossi (Villarreal CF)

Probable Starting XI:
Sirigu; Cassani, Bonucci, Chiellini, Molinaro; De Rossi, Pirlo, Palombo; Cassano, Pazzini, Quagliarella. 



Prediction

Estonia 0-2 Italy  

| by

0

03.09. (Fri) 20:15 Lithuania - Scotland

No Soft Touch

Scotland begin their campaign to qualify for Euro 2012 with a vital away game against Lithuania on Friday.

The two nations have drawn each other for the fourth successive European Championship qualifying campaign, and make up Group 1 this time around along with defending champions Spain, Czech Republic and Liechtenstein.

The well-used phrase ‘there are no easy games in international football’ isn’t strictly true when you consider the likes of San Marino and Andorra are amongst the opposition for some nations going into this campaign.

But Lithuania are certainly not one of those minnows, as the Scots have found out in their recent meetings.

The games played on Lithuanian soil in their previous three qualifying meetings have resulted in a win apiece and a draw, with Scotland winning the last fixture 2-1 in Euro 2008 qualification as well as the reverse fixtures on home turf.

Only 11 places separate the two nations in the latest Fifa world rankings, with Scotland in 41st place and Lithuania just outside the top 50 in 52nd.

The Baltic country do have some players who are well known to Scottish football fans amongst their squad.

Andrius Velicka and Marius Zaliukas are currently prominent figures in the Scottish Premier League, while the country’s record cap holder Andrius Skerla enjoyed a successful five-year spell with Dunfermline Athletic. Winger Saulius Mikoliunas had a high-profile recent stay at Hearts.

Lithuania won four and lost six of their 10 World Cup 2010 qualifiers in a tough group involving Serbia, France, Austria, Romania and the Faroe Islands.

The campaign was a mixed bag with an impressive win over group winners Serbia sitting at one end of the spectrum, but an embarrassing loss to the Faroe Islands at the other.
  
New coach Raimondas Zutautas has made it clear that his team should not be taken lightly in this campaign, saying: "We have to play against strong teams, but there are even stronger groups.

"We will be a tough nut to crack, especially at home. There are no invincible teams."

Qualification Again The Aim

Scotland have another new coach for this qualification battle, with Craig Levein at the helm as he becomes the latest man to try and end the current barren run which has seen them fail to qualify for a major tournament since 1998.

His reign started positively with a home win against the Czechs, but a recent defeat in Sweden – despite missing a number of players through injury – has somewhat dampened national optimism.

With Spain very much the favourites, the Scots will want to secure a play-off spot by finishing second, which – like in the World Cup 2010 qualification – certainly should not be beyond them.

As ever though, their fans will expect the worst while hoping for the best in support of their team.

Dropped points at this stage are simply unthinkable for them – a maximum 12 points are required from their two games against Lithuania and Liechtenstein, allowing the games against Spain and Czech Republic to decide their fate in the battle for the top two spots.

Levein admitted that Friday’s opener was simply crucial for his side.

"Going into the Sweden game I was pretty disappointed with the amount of call-offs, particularly in important areas of the pitch," he said.

"I'd rather have everybody fit but this time I'm fairly relaxed about the team.

"Training has been excellent and I do sense that the players understand this is a vital match for us."
TEAM NEWS

Lithuania

Midfield duo Dominykas Galkevicius and Mindaugas Panka have returned to fitness and return to the Lithuania squad.

Andrius Velicka – the Rangers striker currently on loan with Aberdeen – also comes back into the fold after an injury absence, while goalkeeper Zydrunas Karcemarskas is the other change after he was previously rested.

FK Suduva striker Ricardas Beniusis was a surprise selection and may get the chance to feature from the substitutes’ bench.

Possible Starting XI: Karcemarskas, Stankevicius, Kijanskas, Zaliukas, Klimavicius; Semberas, Pilibaitis, Ivaskevicius, Mikoliunas; Danilevicius, Velicka.


Scotland

As seems to be the usual practice for Scotland internationals, there have been a number of drop outs with Andy Webster, Lee Wallace, Chris Iwelumo and Kevin McNaughton withdrawing after initially being selected.

Wolves striker Steven Fletcher is a major doubt with a foot problem, but the Scots hope right-back Alan Hutton can be fit as he recovers from a groin problem.

David Weir is expected to play in defence after being called up again at the grand old age of 40, while Paul Hartley is also back in the squad.

English-born Blackpool goalkeeper Matt Gilks is also involved, although Rangers’ Allan McGregor should start in Kaunas with Craig Gordon injured. Regular squad members Gary Caldwell and Kevin Thomson are also out of action.

Jay McEveley and Garry O'Connor have been added to the squad to bolster Craig Levein’s options.
 
Possible Starting XI: McGregor, Hutton, Weir, Berra, Whittaker; Robson, Hartley, Fletcher, Brown, McFadden; Miller.


Prediction

Lithuania 1-1 Scotland 

| by

0

03.09. (Fri) 20:00 Sweden - Hungary

 In Excellent Touch

Pitted together in the World Cup qualification process, Sweden and Hungary will renew their rivalry on Friday evening, having both failed to make the top two in Group 1 of the UEFA section of qualifiers.

Each had their opportunities to eliminate Portugal or finish ahead of Denmark, who finished atop the table, but ultimately lacked the goal scoring prowess of these sides. Now matched in Euro 2012 qualifying, the Netherlands are liable to provide the main opposition in Group E, with the Swedes and Hungarians battling it out for the right to finish second in a pool that also includes Finland, Moldova and San Marino.

Sweden’s recent form is good. In August they produced a solid display to dispose of a rather mundane Scotland side 3-0, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic wasting no time to announce his return to the international stage by opening the scoring early in that fixture. Emir Bajrami and Ola Toivonen also registered for the hosts.

With wins over Belarus, Bosnia, Wales and Oman since the turn of the year, Sweden’s record is blotted only by a draw against Syria in January, when they didn’t even have their full team available.

The Swedes, who boast a mix of the phenomenally experienced, such as Ibrahimovic, Anders Svensson and Olof Mellberg, and the up-and-coming, will therefore be confident of starting their road to Poland and Ukraine with three points.

Reverse Recent Trend


Hungary have reason to worry travelling to Sweden. During the World Cup qualifiers, the Swedes successfully did the double over the Eastern Europeans, which was a feat matched only by Portugal in what proved four fateful matches.

Twice the sides met in early September, as they do again, and twice Sweden came out on top 2-1. In Solna in 2008, goals from Kim Kallstrom and Samuel Holman rendered a late effort from Gergely Rudolf useless.

Almost a year late the story was played out once more in Budapest. Mellberg gave the Swedes and early lead, but on this occasion it seemed the Magyars may get something from the game when Szabolcs Huszti replied with a second half penalty. Ibrahimovic was Sweden’s saviour, finding the net deep into stoppage time to pick up three vital points for his side as the qualifying process reached its climax.

One of the world’s great forgotten footballing powers, World Cup qualifying at least offered fans of the Hungarian game hope that there may be better times ahead. Defeat on Friday evening would be a huge early body-blow, as the Netherlands’ superiority in this group means that every defeat will be especially pinching.


Prediction
Sweden 3-1 Hungary 

| by

0

03.09. (Fri) 19:30 Montenegro - Wales

Young Dragons are dreaming

John Toshack’s Wales open their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign with a trip to Podgorica to take on the world’s newest international side, Montenegro.

The Dragons will travel East with confidence having thrashed Luxembourg 5-1 in their most recent outing and with the Premier League’s man of the moment Gareth Bale in scintillating form.

Of course injuries have again given manager Toshack a headache with Aaron Ramsey, Jack Collison, Brian Stock, Andrew Crofts, Danny Gabbidon and Darcy Blake all missing whilst Simon Davies has recently announced his retirement from international football.

However, the 61-year-old is set to welcome back James Collins into his defence after a calf problem and with Craig Bellamy also back in the fold, Wales do have players the hosts will fear. Millwall striker Steve Morison is expected to take his place up front once again, with Wales tipped to utilise a five man midfield with the pace of Bellamy and Bale on the flanks

Wales have met Montenegro just once before, slumping to a 2-1 defeat last August but with England, Bulgaria and Switzerland making up the rest of Group G will hope to get a result and maintain a good record that has seen them lose only two of their opening European Championship qualifying fixtures since 1976.


European new boys


Montenegro, meanwhile, will be embarking on their first ever UEFA European Championship qualifying game, having only made their international debut in 2007. Largely because of this they are ranked a rather lowly 84th in the world, according to Fifa, yet still nine places above Friday’s visitors.

Whilst they may be the dark horses of the group they do possess quality in Roma striker Mirko Vucinic and Sporting Lisbon’s midfielder Simon Vukcevic. However, one man who Wales will surely be glad to see is missing is Fiorentina striker Stevan Jovetic, who suffered a cruciate knee injury in pre-season and will miss the next six months.

Manager Zlatko Kranjcar has admitted that the loss of his star striker will be a big blow to the hosts but insists his team have: "enough quality to get a positive result against Wales; And a positive result is victory; nothing else".


TEAM NEWS
Montenegro

The home side are without key man Stevan Jovetic after the Fiorentina striker suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury in pre-season.

Probable starting XI: Bozovic; Pavicevic, Batak, Basa, Jovanovic; Drincic, Novakovic; Pekovic, Vukcevic, Djalovic; Vucinic



Wales


Injuries have once again struck Wales hard but James Collins should be fit enough to take his place in central defence. Steve Morison is expected to be the lone frontman with Joe Ledley, Dave Edwards and David Vaughan lining up in the centre of midfield and Craig Bellamy and Gareth Bale on the flanks.

Elsewhere, Toshack must also decide between Boaz Myhill or Wayne Hennessey in the Wales goal.

Probable starting XI: Hennessey; Ricketts, Collins, Williams, Gunter; Bellamy, Ledley, Vaughan, Edwards, Bale; Morison


Prediction

Montenegro1-1 Wales  

UEFA European Championship 2012 - Preliminary round Preview

England vs Bulgaria
  • Bulgaria have only qualified for two previous European Championships: in 1996 and 2004, despite having played in seven World Cups.
  • England have never lost to Bulgaria, drawing four times and winning four.
  • Bulgaria have scored just one goal in their four trips to play the Three Lions in England.
  • Wayne Rooney has not scored for England in 868 minutes of action, since netting the fifth goal in the 5-1 rout of Croatia last September.
  • Bulgaria have not won in four international fixtures, losing three of these games.
  • Bulgaria's last two competitive fixtures have seen 13 goals scored, a 6-2 win over Georgia and a 4-1 defeat to Cyprus.
  • England managed to keep nine clean sheets in 12 matches in their failed Euro 2008 qualifying campaign and only conceded two first half goals, both against Croatia at Wembley.
  • Steven Gerrard has scored three of England's last five international goals, assisting one of the other two.
  • England have scored 18 goals in their last seven Euro Qualifiers, an average of 2.6 per game.
  • England have won their last 10 games on home soil, one more win would equal their longest streak of home victories set in 1957.


Armenia vs Republic of Ireland
  • Armenia and the Republic of Ireland have never met before.
  • ROI have only qualified for the finals or a European Championship twice before, with their last appearance coming in 1988.
  • Robbie Keane was Ireland's top scorer during World Cup 2010 qualifying, netting six of their 13 goals himself.
  • Ireland have lost none of their last eight matches away from home, drawing six.
  • In both 2002 and 2006, Ireland lost their opening two games in qualifying for the European Championships.
  • Armenia have lost three of their last four international matches, winning the other; 3-1 at home to Uzbekistan.


Montenegro vs Wales
  • The only previous meeting between the sides saw Montenegro run out 2-1 winners in a friendly in Podgorica in August last year.
  • Wales have drawn none of their last 22 internationals (11 wins, 11 defeats).
  • Wales have only ever qualified for one international tournament: the 1958 World Cup.
  • Montenegro won just one of their 10 matches in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup (2-1 at home to Cyprus).
  • Montenegro have lost just one of their last six matches at home, winning four.
  • David Edwards was the only player to score more than once in the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup for Wales.
  • Montenegro were shown more yellow cards during European qualifying for the 2010 World Cup than any other side (34).


Lithuania vs Scotland
  • Scotland have been drawn against Lithuania in qualifying for the European Championships for the fourth time in a row.
  • Of the six matches they have played, Scotland have won four and lost one.
  • Lithuania lost their first home match in qualifying for Euro 2008 2-1 to Scotland.
  • Scotland have failed to qualify for the European Championships in nine of the 11 previous attempts, and not since 1996.
  • However they have not lost their opening game in a European Championships qualifying campaign since 1978 (3-2 vs Austria).
  • The Scots have scored just one goal in total in their last five matches, losing four.
  • James McFadden (2) was the only Scottish player to find the net more than once during the 2010 World Cup Qualifiers.
  • Four of Lithuania's six goals in their last seven games have come from the penalty spot.


Slovenia vs Northern Ireland
  • These two sides met during qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, with both teams winning at home.
  • Slovenia have won five of their last seven internationals.
  • Milivoje Novakovic was involved in 10 of Slovenia's 20 goals during qualifying for the 2010 World Cup (five goals, five assists).
  • Northern Ireland have lost all five of their matches since the end of 2010 World Cup qualifying.
  • The Northern Irish have won none of their last 10 games.
  • Northern Ireland have scored just one goal in their last seven matches away from home.
  • Northern Ireland have never played in the European Championships, whilst Slovenia have only competed in one (2000).
  • Only four players had more shots than David Healey during the 2010 European World Cup Qualifiers (29), though he found the net just once.

Početak kvalifikacija za Evropsko prvenstvo 2012.

Mundijalske čarolije su još sveže u sećanjima ljubiteljima fudbala, a već su na redu nova reprezentativna uzbuđenja, jer počinju kvalifikacije za Evropsko prvenstvo 2012. u Poljskoj i Ukrajini (8. jun – 1. jul). Manje od dva meseca posle finala SP u Južnoj Africi, u izmenjenim terminima, u petak i utorak (umesto sreda – subota), igraju se prva dva kruga u devet grupa. U redu za ulazak u EURO krem je 51 selekcija, a ukupno je 14 slobodnih mesta na završnom turniru.
Među “kandidatima” je i Srbija, koja se nalazi u Grupi C, gde je, prema kvotama kladionice “Vilijem Hil” Italija favorit za prvo mesto. Po procenama kladionica, naša reprezentacija je druga po kvalitetu i trebalo bi da izbori odlazak u baraž, dok je treća Slovenija. Iza trilinga koji je učestvovao na SP u Južnoj Africi (nijedan tim nije prošao grupu) nalaze se autsajderi, Severna Irska, Estonija i Farska Ostrva.

U Grupi A, Nemačka, polufinalista SP, ne bi smela da ima problema da zauzme prvu poziciju, ispred Turske, Austrije i Belgije, reprezentacija koje su doživele neuspehe u kvalifikacijama za Mundijal. Azerbejdžan i Kazahstan mogu nekome da otkinu bodove, ali drugo mesto im je teško dostižno.
“Bukmejkeri” najavljuju da je Rusija najbliža pobedi u Grupi B, dok bi za plej-of trebalo da se bore Republika Irska i Slovačka. Od ove tri selekcije, samo su Slovaci igrali na SP, gde su posle pobede nad Italijom prošli u osminu finala (ispali od Holandije). U baražu su pali Rusi (poraz od Slovenaca) i Irci (čuvena Anrijeva ruka).

Bez obzira na mundijalski krah, Francuzi su favoriti u Grupi D, ispred Rumunije, sa kojom su bili i u kvalifikacijama za SP, i Bosne i Hercegovine, koja je posle sjajnih igara u ligaškom delu, poražena u baražu za SP od Portugala.

Start kvalifikacija za EP preskaču Ronaldo, Roben, Riberi...

Zbog povreda, suspenzija i loše forme, brojni vrhunski asovi preskočiće start kvalifikacija za Evropsko prvenstvo 2012. godine, ali nijedna selekcija neće biti oslabljena kao Francuska. Novi selektor “petlova” Loran Blan, za mečeve sa Belorusijom i Bosnom i Hercegovinom nije pozvao igrače, koji su pravili disciplinske probleme za vreme Mundijala u Južnoj Africi, tako da će, praktično, nastupiti “B” tim, prevođen Benzemom.

Bez najboljih fudbalera biće Portugal, jer je Ronaldo povređen, a Simao se oprostio od reprezentacije, i Holandija, koju su pogodile povrede Robena i Van Persija.

FRANCUSKA:
Riberi, Anelka, Evra, Tulalan, Galas, Anri, Gurkuf, Trezege, Abidal, Žinjak, Govu, Sise, L. Dijara.

PORTUGAL: Ronaldo, Simao, selektor Keiroš suspendovan.

ENGLESKA: Lampard, Teri, Džo Kol, Ferdinand, Bekam, Oven.

Damir Mirvić, štoper Ruselara, prognozira Belgiju 2

"Imamo mlad tim, teško ćemo se vratiti u prvu ligu – realan je Mirvić, kada su u pitanju dometi Ruselara. - Ja sam najstariji u ekipi, trener je nov, a najviše pažnje posvećuje defanzivi. Favorit za prvo mesto je Mons, zatim Lomel, a dobre ekipe imaju još Brisel, Oud Heverle i Ostende."

Fiks kola je kec na Tienen, dobru i veoma organizovanu ekipu sa odličnim napadačima. Sa druge strane, Turnai ima slab tim, što se vidi po rezultatima na startu šampionata.
TIENEN – TURNAI     1

Mislim da će i Dender, iako ne spada u nekoliko najboljih klubova u ligi, lako da izađe na kraj sa novajlijom Rupel Bumom.
DENDER – RUPEL BUM     1

Bojan Zajić (Valerenga) prognozira Norvešku 2

Sarpsborg je jedan od najboljih klubova na domaćem terenu, dok je Brine u neverovatno lošoj seriji od deset utakmica na kojima je osvojio samo bod. Prošli put sam rekao da su gosti u dodatnim problemima, jer im je otišao najbolji napadač, pa ne znam na koji način mogu da izbegnu poraz.
SARPSBORG – BRINE     1

Igrao bih i na Tromsdalen, koji se sastaje sa Sandnesom, direktnim rivalom u borbi za opstanak, a u prethodna dva kola “izvukao” je čak četiri boda na mečevima sa ekipama iz vrha tabele, Sogndalom i Ranhajmom.
TROMSDALEN – SANDNES     1

Vesti za kladioničare


* Uprava SPORT RECIFEA (Brazil 2) odlučila je da snizi cenu ulaznica da bi utakmicama prisustvovalo više navijača, što može da bude od velike pomoći klubu u borbi za opstanak.

* PARANA (Brazil 2) je u velikoj rezultatskoj krizi, a zbog finansijskih problema u kojima se nalazi morala je da proda dvojicu prvotimaca.

* Finansijska kriza pogodila je i NAUTIKO (Brazil 2), zbog čega kasne primanja prvotimcima, što se odrazilo i na rezultate tima.

* KLUBI 04 (Finska 2) je praktično drugi tim Helsinkija, i u njemu nastupa mnogo mladih i talentovanih igrača finskog velikana (od 17 do 20 godina). Klub je nastao 2004. godine, kada je Helsinki praktično kupio tadašnji Jokerit i promenio mu ime.