Saturday, June 11, 2011

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12.06. (Sun) 20:45 Spain U21 - England U21

DID YOU KNOW?

Spain have two World Cup winners within their squad, with Javi Martinez and Juan Mata (pictured together, right) both included in the senior side that coach Vicente del Bosque led to victory in South Africa last year.

The last time these two sides met was in 2009, with second half goals from Fraizer Campbell and James Milner sealing a 2-0 victory for Stuart Pearce's side.

Having been beaten in 2007's semi-final 13-12 on penalties by the Netherlands, and then crushed 4-0 by Germany in the 2009 final, England will hope to go one step further and win their third European Under-21 title, having already done so in 1982 and 1984.

Spain have also succeeded twice in the competition, in 1986 and 1998, and have finished runners-up twice, most recently in 1996, and at the hands of Sunday's opponents in 1984.

England are ranked No.1 by Uefa at Under-21 level, and finished second to Greece in qualifying, as did Spain to the Netherlands. They are joined by Ukraine and the Czech Republic in Group B.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Spain – Juan Mata

While David Villa and David Silva left debt-ridden Valencia last summer, Mata stayed at the Mestalla. Interest from Barcelona wasn't pursued and the midfielder eventually signed a new contract.

Summer speculation has seen the player linked with Liverpool, however, and this tournament could be the ideal platform for the 23 year-old to showcase his talents. Mata appeared just once for Spain in last summer's successful World Cup campaign, replacing Fernando Torres for the last 20 minutes of the 2-0 group win over Honduras, but he is likely to be a key figure in this tournament.

England – Phil Jones

The 19-year-old's recent switch to Manchester United may have been premature due to the interest of Arsenal and Liverpool, with Sir Alex Ferguson acting quickly to secure a £16 million transfer and ward off competition for a player described by Stuart Pearce as a future England captain.

Jones will have to be solid alongside his fellow centre-half and new club-mate Chris Smalling in order to nullify the threat of Spain's attacking line, and a strong performance would also boost his first-team chances at Old Trafford.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Spain (4-3-3):
De Gea; Azpilicueta, Botia, Dominguez, Didac Vila; Thiago, Javi Martinez, Capel; Bojan, Adrian Lopez, Mata.

Spain have talent all the way through the side. Manchester United-bound David De Gea starts in goal, with Barcelona duo Bojan and Thiago Alcantara also set to feature and two World Cup winners - Athletic Bilbao's Javi Martinez and Valencia's Juan Mata.

Sergio Busquets and Pedro are now established with the senior side and are not involved, while Real Madrid's Sergio Canales missed out on a call-up following a disappointing season. Mata, Thiago and De Gea have all shaken off knocks, but Iker Muniain is recovering from tonsilitis and is unlikely to be involved.

England (4-4-2):
Fielding; Mancienne, Smalling, Jones, Bertrand; Rodwell, Henderson, Muamba, Rose; Sturridge, Welbeck.

Stuart Pearce will field a strong side on Sunday, despite a number of key withdrawals, including Jack Wilshere, Andy Carroll, Micah Richards and Kieran Gibbs.

With Michael Mancienne, Phil Jones and Jordan Henderson having made summer moves already, and Jack Rodwell, Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck all heavily linked with transfers away from their respective clubs, there will be ample motivation to perform in Denmark.

Prediction
While England are likely to have the edge physically, Spain's side is superior technically and brimming with talent, especially in midfield and attack. They also have experience, with two World Cup winners - Juan Mata and Javi Martinez - in their side.

Many believe the tournament winner will be one of these two sides, so this clash will prove an interesting benchmark for the rest of the competition. But it is hard to see beyond a victory for Spain in what is likely to be an entertaining clash.

Spain Under 21 3-1 England Under 21

Clausura Preview - Round 18


Games of the Week:

12.06. (Sun) 19:00 Huracan B.Aires - Velez Sarsfield
12.06. (Sun) 23:10 Lanus - Arg. Juniors

With just two games of the championship to go, Sunday promises a tantalising double-header which could decide the final destination of the Clausura title. Leaders Velez Sarsfield travel to Parque Patricios to take on Huracan, while Lanus will want to keep up the pressure just one point behind with victory at home against Copa Sudamericana hopefuls Argentinos.

Free of continental commitments after exiting the Copa Libertadores at the semi-final stage, Ricardo Gareca's side know now that after such an impressive season failure in the local league would mean a trophy-less term, and real disappointment after such high hopes. They will have to work hard, though, to take points off an Huracan side fighting for their life at the other end of the table.

The Globo cut a run of seven straight defeats last week with a 3-2 defeat of Tigre, with a performance that showed the guts and spirit sorely lacking for most of the year. They remain just one point clear of Gimnasia and direct relegation, and will hope top scorer Javier Campora can once again find the goals to spark what would be the upset of the season on Sunday.

Lanus meanwhile are in the best form of anybody in the league, and could make it five wins in a row with victory over the Bicho. The strength of the team lies in the midfield quality of Diego Valeri and Mauro Camoranesi (below), who have formed a formidable duo all year to inspire a young team to the top reaches of the Clausura.

Argentinos are no pushovers, however. With just three defeats all year only this weekend's opponents have lost as few games, and no team can boast a stronger defence. A lack of attacking potency has cost the La Paternal club the chance to repeat their title triumph of 2010, but they could well frustrate the Grana and put a dent in their Clausura hopes.

Prediction:

Velez will not have an easy time in the Duco, but should have enough quality to see off the Globo and gain victory. Lanus as well will be expecting a win on their own turf, meaning the championship would go into a final weekend showdown.

Saturday's Action

Colon and Arsenal de Sarandi face-off in Saturday's early kick-off in Santa Fe, before Quilmes, need nothing short of a miracle to stay in the Primera after letting slip a 2-0 lead to draw with Boca, begin their quest for six points out of six against San Lorenzo. The Cuervo have nothing to play for but pride now, but should have new coach Omar Asad on the bench for the first time to give the players a little more incentive.

Three points are also a necessity for Gimnasia as they look to escape direct relegation against an All Boys side all but clear of the drop zone, before Tigre host Independiente in yet another clash which could have an effect at the bottom of the table.

Sunday's Action

Aside from the championship contenders, Sunday also sees Argentina's two biggest clubs in action. Aware of the need to pick up any point available, Juan Jose Lopez is planning a defensive 4-4-1-1 set-up for River Plate's visit to Estudiantes. Young starlet Erik Lamela will once more be expected to shoulder the creative burden for the Millo, as he lines up behind lone striker and last week's scorer Leandro Caruso.

Monday's Action

In the Bombonera meanwhile, it is the end of an era as Martin Palermo's incredible career comes to a close. 'El Titan' plays his last ever home Boca Juniors match as he faces-off against Banfield; and he will have a newly-fit Juan Roman Riquelme by his side as the striker hopes to put Boca into the Copa Sudamericana.

Tuesday's Action

With only one point from the last three games, spirits are low at Racing Club as the post-mortem on a season which promised so much already begin. La Academia though can all but seal a Sudamericana place with victory at home against Godoy Cruz, and they will have Teo Gutierrez up front after a compromise was reached to send the striker to Colombia's Copa America training camp later than scheduled.

Full Fixtures and Predictions


Colon 1 1ArsenalSat 19:00
San Lorenzo 1 0Quilmes21:10
All Boys 1 1Gimnasia LP23:20
Tigre 2 2IndependienteSun
01:20
Huracan 1 2Velez19:00
Estudiantes 1 0River Plate21:00
Lanus 2 0Argentinos23:10
Boca 1 0BanfieldMon
01:20
Racing 2 1Godoy CruzTue 
21:10
Predicted scores in bold