Saturday, June 18, 2011

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19.06. (Sun) 20:45 England U21 - Czech U21

DID YOU KNOW?

England need a victory from their final Group B match in order to avoid elimination from the tournament, whereas the Czech Republic know a draw should be enough to see them progress to the semi-finals, provided Ukraine do not beat Spain.

The Czech Republic were on an eleven-match unbeaten run prior to their 2-0 defeat by Spain on Wednesday.

England have only lost once in 2011, a 2-1 friendly defeat at the hands of Iceland. The side managed by Stuart Pearce (pictured right) have won three and drawn two of their six matches this year.

The two sides have met four times at Under-21 level, with one win apiece and two draws.

The only competitive Under-21 meeting between the two sides came in the 2007 European Championship, and resulted in a 0-0 draw.

The last meeting between the sides was a friendly in November 2008 at Bramall Lane, the home of Sheffield United. England ran out 2-0 winners thanks to goals from Fraizer Campbell and Craig Gardner.

Revenge may be on the minds of some of the England players when they face the Czech Republic on Sunday. Six members of the current Under-21 squad were in the starting line-up for the Under-19s in the summer of 2008 when the Czech Republic beat them 2-0 in the European Under-19 Championships.

However, several of the Czech Republic players may also feel they have a point to prove in Sunday’s match. Striker Tomas Pekhart spent four years as a teenager at Tottenham Hotspur but failed to make a single Premier League appearance before leaving the club in January last year, while Vaclav Kadlec and Marek Suchy were also rejected after trials at Liverpool and Spurs, respectively.

England have won the European Under-21 Championships twice in their history, in 1982 and 1984, and also finished runners-up in 2009.

The Czech Republic have won the European Under-21 Championships once in their history, in 2002, and also finished runners up in 2000.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

England – Daniel Sturridge
By far England’s most dangerous player and unlucky not to score against Ukraine on Wednesday, it will once again be Sturridge to whom Stuart Pearce looks for inspiration as his side seek the vital win they need to progress to the tournament semi-finals.

Against what will likely be a highly organised and disciplined Czech defence, the 21-year-old Chelsea striker’s pace, trickery and guile may well prove crucial to England’s chances of producing a piece of brilliance or forcing a decisive error from the opposition.

Czech Republic – Borek Dockal
The Slovan Liberec midfielder served notice of his considerable talent with the classy brace which ensured the Czechs an opening day victory over the Ukraine and, despite being starved of service against Spain on Wednesday, he will probably once again have a big say in the outcome of this match.

Dockal’s main weapons are his vision, clever movement and eye for goal. He will start on the wing but regularly drift inside in order to exert more influence on the match.

England’s defence will surely look to stop the Czechs getting the ball to their captain and to marshall him whenever he chooses to ghost into the penalty area, but both tasks could prove difficult if he is on form.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

England (4-3-3): 
Fielding; Walker, Smalling, Jones, Bertrand; Henderson, Mancienne, Lansbury; Sturridge, Welbeck, Rose.

Stuart Pearce’s side enter their final match in Group B knowing only a win will be good enough to see them progress to the semi-finals, and so it is likely the creativity and guile of Arsenal midfielder Henri Lansbury, who impressed as a substitute against the Ukraine, will be preferred to the more physical presence of Jack Rodwell in the midfield.

Lansbury will be expected to provide a better quality of service to the unchanged attacking trident of Rose, Welbeck and Sturridge as England look to convert chances into much-needed goals, while the defensive pairing of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones will be hoping to continue their hugely impressive form so far in the tournament.

Czech Republic (4-5-1): 
Vaclik; Celustka, Mazuch, Suchy, Lecjaks; Dockal, Horava, Gecov, Moravek, Hlousek; Pekhart.

Manager Jakub Dovalil will likely stick with the same back four which has started both his side’s Group B matches so far, despite Wednesday’s defeat against Spain.

Jan Moravek will probably be the man chosen to replace the suspended Lukas Vacha in the centre of midfield, while Kaiserslautern winger Adam Hlousek should keep his place on the left flank ahead of Jan Kovarik after making his tournament debut against the Spaniards.

Up front, the much-touted Vaclav Kadlec is available for selection after returning from injury as a substitute on Wednesday, but Sparta Prague team-mate Tomas Pekhart should be given one last chance to impress from the start despite his indifferent form so far.

England Under 21 1-0 Czech Republic Under 21 

Copa America - Najava

Najveći favorit je Argentina, baš kao i pre tri godine. Šta se tada dogodilo? Argentina je u finalu izgubila od kombiniovane reprezentacije Brazila sa 0-3, a može se reći da su baš nadigrani u tom meču.
Ovoga puta Argentina, koja na papiru deluje jako dobro, ima i prednost domaćeg terena i oni prosto ne smeju da ne osvoje ovo takmičenje. Koja još reprezentacija ima ofanzivne igrače kao što su Mesi, Iguain, Laveci, Aguero, Tevez i Di Maria?

Brazil više deluje kao ekipa koja se tek stvara no izgleda da oni imaju nekakvu psihološku prednost kada igraju protiv Argentinaca. Oni se nadaju da će Pato biti spreman za ovo takmičenje no po meni Pato, Nejmar, Robinjo i Fred ne mogu da se porede sa Argentinskim igračima.
Nedostaje mi Marselo u sastavu Brazila ali me preterano ne nedostaje Kaka. Pato će izgleda ipak biti spreman i on je uvršten u širi sastav reprezentacije za Kopa Amerika.

Posle ove dve reprezentacije dolaze Čile i Urugvaj. Meni se više sviđa Čile iako je Urugvaj stigao do polufinala Svetskog prvenstva.
Čile je je igrao možda najatraktivniji fudbal u Južnoj Africi no preostaje nam da vidimo da li će im nedostajati prethodni trener Bielsa. A. Sančez, napadač Udinezea, je možda najtraženiji fudbaler trenutno.

Urugvaj se oslanjao na sjajnog D. Forlana na Svetskom prvenstvu. Taj isti Forlan nije mnogo toga pokazao u La Ligi ove sezone. A sada? Recite vi meni jer kada sam video Kavanija, L. Suareza i Forlana u startnoj postavi Urugvaja protiv Nemačke pomislio sam da reprezentacija sa ovakva tri ofanzivna igrača nikada ne sme da bude potcenjena.

Paragvaj je igrao pragmatičan, pametan defanzivni fudbal u Južnoj Africi a ne treba zaboraviti da su oni izgubili samo sa 0-1 od Španije. Ja imam dosta sumnji u vezi reprezentacije Paragvaja po pitanju ofanzive. Santa Kruz ne igra na svom nivou ove sezone dok ni Nelson Valdez nije baš mnogo toga pokazao u Erkulesu. Druge ofanzivne opcije su im L. Barios i Santander.

Meksiko i Kolumbija su verovatno podjednako jaki kao i Paragvaj tako da je grupa u kojoj se nalaze Čile, Meksiko, Urugvaj i Peru dosta otvorena.
Iskusni R. Markez je još uvek kapiten Meksičke reprezentacije ali je njihova ofanzivna linija prepuna uzbudljivih mladih igrača kao što su as M. Junajteda Ernandez, Dos Santos, De Nigris i Guardado. Da li će biti previše za ovu mladu reprezentaciju Meksika to što igraju i u Gold kupu i Kopa Amerika? Mislim da je to samo pitanje motivacije.

Pripazite na Kolumbiju! Falkao i Guarin, njihove dve zvezde koje igraju za Porto, Rodaljega, T. Gutierez, A. Ramos su svi odlični napadači, a odbrambeni igrači su Jepes, Zapata, Perea, Zuniga i Armero, tako da će ova Kolumbijska reprezentacija sasvim sigurno biti druga u grupi iza Argentine.

Za Boliviju, Peru i Kosta Riku ću reći da oni nemaju šta tu da traže ovoga puta. Ekvador i Venecuela? Pa, Ekvador skoro isključivo pobeđuje na mečevima koji se igraju na velikoj nadmorskoj visini. Oni imaju bar dva ofanzivna asa u sastavu, Valensiju i Kaiseda. K. Benitez je takođe dosta pristojan napadač. Reprezentacija Venecuele se dosta popravila i oni bi mogli da se bore sa Paragvajem (i Ekvadorom) za drugo mesto u grupi, odmah iza Brazila. (U stvari su pravila za dalju kvalifikaciju dosta darežljiva jer dve od tri najbolje treće reprezentacije prolaze u četvrtfinale).

Kosta Rika je zamenila Japan na ovom takmičenju. Oni će igrati sa svojim najboljim igračima do 23 godine i vratiće se kući bez bodova.

Reprezentacija koja će napraviti najveće iznenađenje na ovom takmičenju? Zašto to ne bi bila Kolumbija!

Clausura Preview Round 19

The Battle for Survival:
Independiente vs. Huracan
Gimnasia vs. Boca Juniors
Quilmes vs. Olimpo
River Plate vs. Lanus
Argentinos Juniors vs. Tigre
All games kick off Saturday June 18, 15:00 (20:00 CET)

After 37 games to pull themselves out of relegation danger, no less than six teams will be fighting on Saturday afternoon to avoid a place in either the direct relegation places or the promocion relegation playoff against a side from the Nacional B. There are a bewildering number of possibilities and outcomes for the teams involved; the three year average points table may not be the fairest way to decide a team's fate, but more often than not it ensures a nail-biting climax to the season.

Huracan, Gimnasia and Quilmes find themselves in the gravest danger, as marooned at the

The View from the Bottom
GPPts.Av.
Tigre1131431.265
River Plate1131411.247
Olimpo37451.216
Huracan1131251.106
Gimnasia1131241.097
Quilmes37391.054
bottom of the table the best they can hope for is a place in the promocion to save otherwise disappointing years. Ricardo Caruso Lombardi has done wonders with Quilmes after their case looked hopeless two months ago, but he knows that his side must beat fellow strugglers Olimpo, and hope both sides just above lose to have a chance of escaping a return to the second tier. Huracan meanwhile need only match Gimnasia's result to send them to oblivion.

In the fight for the final promocion spot, meanwhile, any one of River, Olimpo and Tigre could be left occupying the spot at 5pm Saturday. Calculators, patience and a deep breath will be necessary to explain the ramifications of this battle.

Anything less than a win for Olimpo would send them to the playoff, while a win means that at the very least they would play a tie-breaker with River to decide who goes down. A draw for the Millo would leave them safe if the Bahia Blanca side lose or tie. Only a defeat for Tigre coupled with wins for their rivals would see them drop into the promo, while a draw combined with victories elsewhere could set up an incredible three way tie-break unprecedented in the Primera Division.

Prediction:

It is fiendishly difficult to try and determine who will be celebrating and who will be mourning when the dust settles on Saturday afternoon. Quilmes, however, may just fall short against Olimpo and condemn themselves to the B. With Martin Palermo playing his last ever game against Gimnasia, trust the former Estudiantes player to upset his rivals and send them down directly alongside the Cerveceros. This would leave Huracan in the promocion, and River and Olimpo could well end up playing a decider after two wins.

Direct Relegation: Quilmes and Gimnasia
To the Promocion: Huracan and River/ Olimpo (below)

Saturday's Action

With the relegation battle taking all attention this weekend, Godoy Cruz's clash against the now-safe All Boys will receive very little attention. This is an injustice, however, on two teams that have performed admirably in 2010-11. The Tomba especially will want to end the Clausura with a bang, beating the Floresta team at home to try and pip Lanus to second place.

Sunday's Action

A fantastic run of results at the end of the season has seen Arsenal de Sarandi pull clear of the survival battle, and Gustavo Alfaro's team have even reached a place in the Copa Sudamericana. They can confirm it with victory over Estudiantes, who look set to pick Miguel Angel Russo as their new coach for the coming season after he was told that his Racing contract would not be renewed.

Elsewhere Newell's Old Boys and Colon play out a local Santefesino rivalry, which will hold little interest for anyone outside of the Argentine province after disappointing campaigns for both teams. Banfield and San Lorenzo play in Lomas de Zamora, before champions Velez Sarsfield plan their celebration at home against Racing Club in what will be Russo's last match on the bench. Disappointing in 2011, La Academia still have the chance to secure continental football with a victory, if Arsenal drop points against the Pincha.

Full Fixtures and Predictions


Independiente 1 1Huracan Sat 20:00
Quilmes 1 2Olimpo20:00
Argentinos 0 1Tigre20:00
Gimnasia LP 1 1Boca20:00
River Plate 3 1Lanus20:00
Godoy Cruz 2 0All BoysSun
01:10
Arsenal 1 0Estudiantes19:00
Colon 1 0Newell's OB20:00
Banfield 1 1San Lorenzo22:10
Velez 3 1RacingMon
00:30
Predicted scores in bold