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Euro 2012 seeding done as Spain, England, Portugal & France could be in one group
The anxiety ahead of the UEFA Euro 2012 finals draw in Kyiv on December 2 has fiercely hit new levels. The prospect of having Spain, England, Portugal and France placed in one group explains this.
Ukraine and Poland have been seeded due to their status as co-hosts. Spain and the Netherlands complete Pot 1. La Roja and the Oranje are currently superior to any other team in the competition in terms of coefficients.Pot 2 sees Germany, Italy, England and Russia lined up. The Germans boast of showcasing the best football in the world since the past 12 months, the Italians claim to have found their new talisman in the form of Italy’s “problem child” Mario Balotelli, the Three Lions are looking forward to life at Euro 2012 without Wayne Rooney and the Russians want to keep progressing in the world of football.
Republic of Ireland vs Estonia Preview
The Republic of Ireland will create the biggest shock in the UEFA Euro 2012 playoffs if they fail to seal their place in next year’s tournament.
In Estonia, they brushed aside the hosts with 4 goals and a clean sheet. A brace from skipper Robbie Keane and goals from Andrews and Walters inspired the Irish to their emphatic triumph. Back home, Trapattoni’s men might have it easier as the Estonians have thrown the towel.Captain Piiroja told UEFA.com in a dejected mood: “It's very hard to explain our feelings at the moment as we had high expectations. We were unlucky and they were better than us – that's it.
“It's very hard to play against a good team with only nine players. We would like to win in Dublin or to get a decent result, but it is over now for us anyway. The fairytale is over.”
Estonia vs Republic of Ireland Preview
Estonia and the Republic of Ireland will meet in Tallin on Friday night as three other UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying first leg playoff games will be underway.
Irish fans around the world suffered a heartbreak the last time their national football team featured in a two-legged playoff tie. This happened back in November 2009 when Thierry Henry’s infamous hand ball for France forced the Republic of Ireland to accept disqualification from the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Estonia do not seem as dangerous as France but coach Trapattoni doesn’t want to be fooled by Estonia’s underdog status.
“There is no room for complacency as we prepare for our two games next month,” the Italian told UEFA.com.
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers play-off draw: Portugal, Turkey in tough ties
Looking at Thursday’s play-off draw results, one will only understand better why genuine contenders were racing for an automatic berth during the group stage phase.
Pot 1 had the likes of Croatia (coefficient 32.723), Portugal (31.202), the Republic of Ireland (28.203) and the Czech Republic (27.982) as seeded teams. Pot 2 had Turkey (27.601), Bosnia and Herzegovina (27.199), Montenegro (21.876) and Estonia (20.355) the unseeded teams. On Thursday afternoon, the draw which took place in Krakow produced exciting matchups.Turkey vs Croatia will represent a repeat of the dramatic Euro 2008 quarter-final where the Turks produced a stunning comeback to beat their opponents through a penalty shoot-out. The Croatians will be out to redeem themselves this time.
Playing In Euro 2012 With Northern Ireland Will Eclipse Medals At Manchester United – Evans
Jonny Evans has admitted that it is even harder to qualify into a major international tournament with his country than to win trophies at Manchester United
While Jonny Evans is only a back up defender at Manchester United, he plays a far more pivotal role in the Northern Ireland set-up. Nevertheless, he has admitted that qualifying into the Euro 2012 would be a bigger achievement than winning any trophies at Old Trafford. "I think qualifying for a major tournament with Northern Ireland would sort of eclipse anything I could achieve with Manchester United, unless it was something like the treble, really cleaning up," Evans told reporters.
"Definitely, it's a harder task to qualify. I think it's harder to win the Premier League or the Champions League than it is to qualify for a major tournament with, say England.
Jovanovic Deserves A Chance At Liverpool - Petrovic
Serbia boss Vladimir Petrovic has called for Milan Jovanovic to be given more chances at Liverpool after the forward tuned in an impressive performance in Serbia's 2-1 win over Northern Ireland.
Milan Jovanovic joined the English giants on a free transfer from Standard Liege last summer but he has never really made any impact on the team so far. Having started slowly under Roy Hodgson, he has found opportunities under Kenny Dalglish something even harder to come by; making only two appearances since Dalglish took over.Jovanovic was praised for his performances in Serbia's World Cup campaign last summer- starting all three of their group matches and even scoring the winner against Germany. However, he has not been given a lot of chances at Liverpool and has relatively been slipping down the ranks there.
Scotland vs Northern Ireland Preview
Scotland and Northern Ireland will meet at the Aviva Stadium in the first round of the Carling Nations Cup tournament.
Scotland will be led into battle by star striker Kenny Miller, who was made captain by Craig Levein this week. Miller told the Daily Record being captain of Scotland is “a massive honour,” and warned his teammates what they can expect. “I am bossy, moaning and demanding on the pitch” said the Bursaspor striker.Playmaker Charlie Adam will be in charge of supplying ammunition to Miller, and the Blackpool star could also be playing with Aberdeen striker Chris Maguire, who looks set to make his international debut.
Sunderland’s Craig Gordon and Glasgow Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor will fight it out for a place in the Scotland goal.
Republic of Ireland vs Wales Preview
The Republic of Ireland will play host to Wales in the inaugural Carling Nations Cup game on Tuesday.
The game will be played at the newly built Aviva Stadium, and is the first senior international tournament to be hosted in Ireland.The Nations Cup is a new tournament, and will be played in a league format with all teams playing each other once. After the Republic of Ireland and Wales go head to head on Tuesday, Northern Ireland and Scotland will clash at the same venue on Wednesday.
Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni outlined his team’s ambition when the tournament was unveiled. “The Carling Nations Cup is a competition that we would very much like to win,” said the Italian.
The Republic manager also outlined his excitement for the tournament when speaking to BBC Sport ahead of the Wales game. “This competition provides our players with familiar and tough opponents, and the added competitive edge to the tournament is the perfect preparation for the Euro qualifying campaign,” Trapattoni told BBC Sport.
Slovakia vs Republic of Ireland Report
Slovakia and the Republic of Ireland shared the honors in Zilina, a result that leaves both teams in the qualification mix in a tight Group B. Russia lead with nine points, while Ireland and Slovakia share second place with Armenia on seven points after this draw.
Slovakia started brightly and had two goal scoring chances spurned by Kornel Salata and Juraj Kucka in the opening 15 minutes. The Republic made them pay for their wasteful finishing when Sean St Ledger gave the visitors a 1-0 lead. A well delivered free kick by Keith Fahey caused problems in the Slovakian defense, and defender St Ledger prodded home the loose ball.Slovakia battled back gamely and almost leveled the scores when an error by winger Aiden McGeady allowed Radoslav Zabavnik to drill in a cross that Erik Jendrisek failed to convert. The Slovakian pressure paid off in the 36th minute when they netted an equalizing goal from a Marek Hamsik corner. The corner was flicked on at the near post and defender Jan Durica headed home to level the scores at 1-1.
Slovakia vs Republic of Ireland Preview
Slovakia and the Republic of Ireland currently sit in a three way tie with Russia at the top of Group B. The fact that the winner will strike a blow against a qualification rival raises the stakes for this clash in Zilina.
Both teams opened group play with back to back wins, but both are coming off defeats for this game. Slovakia opened Group C play with a 1-0 win over Macedonia, and an impressive win by the same score line at Russia. They received a setback when they were defeated 3-1 at Armenia last Friday. The defeat to underdogs Armenia will rankle and they will be looking to bounce back immediately with a home game here.More bad news from the Armenia game came with the fact that central defender Martin Skrtel received a yellow card that will see him suspended for this fixture. Miroslav Stoch, who scored the winning goal against Russia will also be out with injury. “Bad news, but we have to accept it,” coach Vladimir Weiss told the UEFA website.
Euro2012 Qualifying Report: Northern Ireland vs Italy
Italy were profligate in Belfast, managing only a point.
Italy were left to rue a series of missed chances, as they could only manage a point against Northern Ireland in Belfast. As expected, coach Cesare Prandelli fielded a trident of Marco Borriello, Simone Pepe, and Antonio Cassano, but all three were unable to find a way past their opponents.The first real chance fell to Northern Ireland's David Healy, but he headed wide from a promising position.
Then Borriello latched onto an Andrea Pirlo ball, but his shot was saved by goalkeeper Taylor.
Republic of Ireland vs Russia Report
Russia produced an impressive road performance to beat the Republic of Ireland in Dublin. Russia raced out to a three goal lead with Aleksandr Kerzhakov, Alan Dzagoev and roman Shirokov all on the score sheet. The Republic produced a brave fight back as a Robbie Keane penalty and a Shane Long goal gave them hope, but Russia were able to hang onto a vital three points.
Ireland started well and almost took the lead when Robbie Keane chipped against the crossbar, the Republic were punished for the miss moments later when Russia scored to take a 1-0 lead. Andrey Arshavin had his free kick saved by Shay Given, but an alert Sergei Ignashevich squared the ball across goal for Kerzhakov ro roll home a deflected shot.
Northern Ireland vs Italy Preview
Italy's resounding 5-0 defeat of the Faroe Islands in the last Euro 2012 qualifier was greeted with widespread alacrity amongst Italian fans because it provided respite from an annus horribilis for the Azzurri.
The World Cup in South Africa shocked even the most committed fatalist: Italy finished bottom of a group that contained New Zealand, Slovakia, and Paraguay. The customary post-mortems all agreed that perhaps coach Marcello Lippi had left the country's best players at home. Antonio Cassano's virtuoso performance against the Faroe Islands does much to vindicate that view. However, with all due respect, Cassano carved open Faroe Islands, not Spain. The real test for Italy begins now, as they play Northern Ireland tomorrow and Serbia on Tuesday.
Northern Ireland vs Italy Preview
Italy will look to maintain their 100% record in Group C when they take on Northern Ireland tomorrow.
Italy's resounding 5-0 defeat of the Faroe Islands in the last Euro2012 qualifier was greeted with widespread alacrity amongst Italian fans because it provided respite from an annus horribilis for the Azzurri. The World Cup in South Africa shocked even the most committed fatalist: Italy finished bottom of a group that contained New Zealand, Slovakia, and Paraguay. The customary post-mortems all agreed that perhaps coach Marcello Lippi had left the country's best players at home. Antonio Cassano's virtuoso performance against the Faroe Islands does much to vindicate that view. However, with all due respect, Cassano carved open Faroe Islands, not Spain. The real test for Italy begins now, as they play Northern Ireland tomorrow and Serbia on Tuesday.
Republic of Ireland vs Russia Preview
Two of the games great tactical minds will go head to head when Giovanni Trapattoni leads the Republic of Ireland into a vital Euro 2012 qualifying tie against Dick Advocaat’s Russia.
The Republic of Ireland are the early Group B leaders after consecutive wins against Armenia and Andorra to start their qualifying campaign. Forward’s Robbie Keane and Kevin Doyle have both opened their goal scoring accounts, and will lead the Irish attack here in their toughest test of the group stage so far. The Republic of Ireland will be buoyed by the fact they have lost only one of their previous 14 competitive home games.Trappatoni this week acknowledged that Russia are the “top seeds” in Group B and spoke confidently of his teams preparation for this tie. “We have prepared well and will not make it easy for them as we continue to lay the foundations to qualify for the European Championship finals,” Trappatoni told the UEFA website.
Aston Villa center back Richard Dunne and Blackburn Rovers midfielder Keith Andrews are injury doubts for the Irish.
Surviving Italy’s Forces Would Be Fantastic – Northern Ireland’s Aaron Hughes
Northern Ireland stunned Slovenia in their first Euro 2012 qualifying match. They’ll be up against Italy on Friday night, and defender Aaron Hughes dreams of another good result.
Despite having played only one match so far in Group C, Northern Ireland occupy the third spot. They are just beyond Italy and Serbia who are also undefeated after two Euro 2012 qualifying matches. So what’s next for the Irish side? Hosting the Azzurri in Belfast will be special but getting a positive result to possibly join them at the top of Group C with a game in hand would be even more exceptional, as Aaron Hughes explained to the media:
“It would be huge. We said at the start [of the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign] that you try to pick up what you can on your travels.
Euro 2012 Qualifying – Republic of Ireland vs Andorra Match Preview
Coverage on the Euro 2012 qualifying phase continues with a quick match preview for the Republic of Ireland vs Andorra fixture. LiveSoccerTV.com keeps breaking down what happens in Group B and other sections of the Euro 2012 qualifiers.
Decent score lines in Group B have separated the six teams in the table into two sections. On top are Russia, Republic of Ireland, and Slovakia who all commenced their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign with wins. Meanwhile, Macedonia, Armenia, and Andorra have it all to do after suffering defeats on the opening day of the qualifiers.
Euro 2012 Qualifying – Republic of Ireland vs Andorra
Republic of Ireland did what was required to start their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign on a good note. They defeated Armenia with a single goal which came through Birmingham City’s Keith Fahey. The midfielder, who expressed his delight at having scored the match winner, is expected to line up against Andorra on Tuesday. Keith Fahey is eagerly looking forward to the Republic of Ireland vs Andorra clash as he affirmed:
Euro 2012 Qualifying – Armenia vs Republic of Ireland Match Preview
Republic of Ireland will kick off their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign on September 3. The Irish, who controversially missed out on the 2010 FIFA World Cup at the expense of France, will come up against Armenia away from home. Armenia vs Republic of Ireland is scheduled to take place at 11:00am EST.
Republic Of Ireland To Start Well vs Armenia As ‘Life Continues’
Both countries have fallen in Group B where Russia and Slovakia are expected to fight the real fight and still the top two automatic qualifying spots. Ahead of Friday’s Euro 2012 fixture, the Irish are poised to take away all three points from their counterparts. Just as much as football seems to be unpredictable, the Boys in Green won’t attempt to underestimate the Armenians.
However, their mission looks to be far easier than tricky. Republic of Ireland comfortably defeated Paraguay and Algeria earlier in May as they used friendly matches to prepare for the Euro 2012 qualifiers. Yes, the Irish lost to Brazil in March this year, and to Argentina a few weeks ago. But then, comparing the fact that Giovanni Trapattoni’s men fail against titans but usually pull out good results against lower profiled teams, confident fans will be quick to underline one opinion:
English Premier League: Manchester City’s Milner Opposed To Aston Villa’s Ireland
Former Manchester City player Stephen Ireland told ex-Aston Villa ace James Milner that ‘he is going to get a shock soon’ at the City of Manchester Stadium. Actually, the English midfielder has come out to express different opinions concerning life as a Sky Blue.
James Milner enjoyed a dream debut in Eastlands as he helped his side thrash Liverpool 3-0 in the English Premier League earlier on Monday. The midfielder eventually hit back at Stephen Ireland’s criticism against Manchester City. Milner declared:
“I haven’t seen the story, but heard it second, and third hand. The set up is very good at City. The professionalism and attention to detail, down to the recovery and preparation for games, is right up there.
“So, we’re geared up to doing very well. It’s down to us to go out on the pitch and see how far we can go. We will take it one game at a time.”
Transfer Zone: Between Man City, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Stephen Ireland and James Milner
There are interesting developments between Manchester City, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Stephen Ireland, and James Milner in terms of summer transfer business…
Stephen Ireland is believed to have requested a transfer out of Manchester City earlier in May this year. The Telegraph reported that the current Citizen was disappointed by his irregular appearances in the club’s starting XI during the 2009/2010 season.
Despite being only one year into his five-year contract with Manchester City, Stephen Ireland is keen to quit Eastlands for a new adventure and the Sky Blues are reportedly not upset about his decision to quit. Although Coach Roberto Mancini avowed his desire to maintaining the services of the 23-year-old midfielder, the Italian boss also showed respect towards Stephen Ireland’s personal wish.
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