England vs Belgium & Portugal vs Turkey highlight pre-Euro 2012 friendly fixtures

Topics: England, Portugal, Turkey, Roy Hodgson, Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Bento, Netherlands, Italy

The month of June kicks off with enticing international friendly fixtures across the world. Euro 2012 participants will be involved in more action this weekend.

England vs Belgium – June 2, 2012

Roy Hodgson will face his second challenge as England manager. A lone goal from Ashley Young against Norway gave Hodgson a positive start to his career. In front of an expected full house at Wembley, the experienced coach will guide England against Belgium on Saturday.

Liverpool striker Andy Carroll is expected to start in attack while Theo Walcott is also set to play a part in the game. The latter suffered an injury scare during training and needed treatment on his ankle. The good news for England is that the Arsenal forward resumed training shortly afterward.

Hodgson will be able to evaluate his midfield in the absence of injured key players Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry. The manager’s way of supervising his team during training sessions is receiving positive feedback in the English media. Roy Hodgson is also known to like the 4-4-2 formation.

Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney denied rumours of disruption between Hodgson and the players by telling reporters:

“He's determined to get the message across to us on the training pitch and is very much a part of every training session. It's great to have him on the pitch, pointing out things maybe we need to know as a squad.”

Belgium have vowed to play at their best in this international friendly match as they eye a spot in Brazil 2014. With star players like Edin Hazard, Vincent Kompany and Thomas Vermaelen, the Belgiums are determined to impact modern day football with better results. Assistant manager Marc Wilmots will be in charge of the Belgium national team against England following the resignation of George Leekens.

See where to watch England vs Belgium live on Saturday, June 2, 2012 at 12:15pm EST (4:15pm GMT).

Portugal vs Turkey – June 2, 2012

Paulo Bento will have a golden opportunity to test his team’s attacking flair ahead of Euro 2012. Great defending from the Macedonians and lack of creativity from the Portuguese resulted in a goalless draw. Coach Paulo Bento admitted that Portugal “felt a lot of difficulties in the first half” and “were struggling to make the final pass”.

He however downplayed the outcome of the match by stating that he was not worried. Dismissing the claim that Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo is supposed to create wonders in attack, Paulo Bento told the press on Tuesday:

“We try to do things as a team and there will be some players who will help us solve certain problems, as in the case of Cristiano thanks to his talent and dynamism. But if anyone should take on the burden of pressure, it will be me.”

On Saturday, the Euro 2012 “group of death” contenders will need to reassure their fans with a fine display and most importantly goals. Portugal will play Turkey at the Estadio da Luz.

See where to watch Portugal vs Turkey live on Saturday, June 2, 2012 at 2:45pm EST (6:45 GMT).

Meanwhile, there will be a host of other international friendly matches featuring UEFA Euro 2012 teams are. On Friday, Ukraine will play Euro 2008 co-hosts Austria while Italy will affront Russia. The Netherlands will look to increase their momentum against Northern Ireland ahead of their crunch adventure as Euro 2012 “group of death” contenders.