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This season’s Clasicos will decide the title in Spain – Arsene Wenger
Arsene Wenger is gearing up for Saturday’s much-anticipated game, El Clasico. Real Madrid and Barcelona are entering the match in full form.
“It's certainly the game at the moment between the two best teams in the world, so that's the game we want to see,” Wenger declared according to Arsenal’s official club website. “Nobody wants to lose it. The nerves maybe play a big part because the pressure is always massive.”
Under Pep Guardiola, Barcelona have never lost a league match against Real Madrid. But on December 10, they’ll play at the Santiago Bernabeu knowing that a 3-point gap separates them from the top of La Liga’s table.
“Overall, it is an opportunity for Real Madrid to show how much they have reduced the difference between them and Barcelona,” Wenger believes.
UEFA Euro 2012 Group of Death: Germany with Portugal & Holland. Who’ll be doomed?
Portugal, Denmark and the Netherlands have their UEFA Euro 2012 hopes in danger as they’ve been drawn against hot favorites Germany in the Group of Death.
Before the UEFA Euro 2012 final draw, analysts tipped Spain or Germany to lead the eventual “group of death”. The caliber of Italy, Croatia and the Republic of Ireland cannot match the power of Portugal, Denmark and the Netherlands. It’s thus fair to brand Group B as the most difficult table ahead of Group C. Group A and Group D, however, look more even. Poland could try their luck and succeed in reaching the knockout stages as Greece, Russia and the Czech Republic fill the other positions.
Ukraine might have a tougher task since France and England are favorites to clinch Group D’s top two spots. Like in 2008, Sweden may suffer yet another disappointing campaign.
Electrifying UEFA Euro 2012 finals draw to take place on Friday, December 2
The UEFA Euro 2012 draw is on this Friday! The groups at the 2012 European Championship will finally be revealed to world football’s anxious public.
The event will kick-off at 6:00pm CET (12:00pm EST, 5:00pm GMT and 7:00pm Ukraine local time) at the Palace of Arts in Kyiv. The 16 participants will be separated in four groups (from A to D) of four teams. Initially, the finalists will be drawn in four seeding pots. Poland and Ukraine, along with Spain and the Netherlands have been tagged as top seeds.
What is already confirmed is that co-hosts Poland will compete in the tournament as A1 contenders in Group A while Ukraine will vie as D1 contenders in Group D. Here’s a look at the pots again according to the UEFA National Team Coefficient:
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.
Costa Rica vs Spain Preview
Spain will have no choice but to cruise past Costa Rica in their disadvantageous friendly on Tuesday night.
Spain’s short winning streak came to an end after they lost 1-0 to England on Saturday. They however had a decent squad, but the problem seemed to lie in the defensive techniques of The Three Lions.Luckily for them, Costa Rica are not as good as Fabio Capello’s men, neither tactically nor physically. The South Americans have had a terrible run since their 3-0 defeat to Argentina in the 2011 Copa America.
They have lost four of their last five friendly games - their only victory being against USA, early in September. They were again humbled 2-0 at the weekend against Panama. Their current form does not give them much hope of winning against the world champions, but Spain nevertheless have no reason to be complaisant.
England vs Spain Preview
England will be hoping to handle Spain like they did 10 years ago. They host the defending world champions at the Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
It was back in February 2001 that England last defeated the Spanish in a friendly. The Three Lions came out 3-0 winners, but subsequent encounters between the two countries proved to be all-Spanish affairs - with La Roja winning thrice in a row and conceding no goal.Coach Fabio Capello, who lost 2-0 to Coach Del Bosque in 2009, is willing to alternate the situation with a favourable score line that will certainly better England’s position in the COCA COLA World Rankings. To ensure he is ready for battle, the England manager has called up some of the Premier League’s best players.
Last Sunday, the official FA website publicized Capello’s 25-man squad, which involved the likes of Liverpool’s Glen Johnson, Manchester City’s Joleon Lescott and the Chelsea defensive pair Ashley Cole and John Terry.
Frank Lampard up for England vs Spain friendly challenge ahead of Euro 2012
The Three Lions are gearing up to host Vicente del Bosque’s men in London on Friday. England vs Spain is meant to offer Capello’s side a real test ahead of next year’s European Championship.
“Spain are a great team with so many great players. So the experience of taking them on at Wembley will be fantastic for us,” Chelsea’s Frank Lampard declared according to The Sun.“It will be a terrific test against such a quality side and such brilliant individuals.
“But if we can put in a top performance — as I'm sure we can — it can give us a real boost for what's in store at the European Championship finals next summer.”
England are expected to be without prolific goal scorer Wayne Rooney throughout the group stages of the tournament. Against the Spaniards at Wembley, the Three Lions will experience how it is like to play without Rooney in such a big fixture.
England to face real challenge in Spain friendly as Del Bosque names strong squad
Spain are expected to provide England with a real test on Saturday. Fans of the Three Lions will be hoping that the friendly doesn’t end in humiliation.
Vicente del Bosque is taking the clash very seriously as his squad lists shows it. The goalkeeping positions have been shared between Iker Casillas, Victor Valdes and Pepe Reina whereas the entire man-squad is, in majority, a blend of Real Madrid and Barcelona players. Andres Iniesta returns to La Roja and he is set to partner in midfield with Xavi Hernandez. Cesc Fabregas, David Villa, Sergio Busquets, Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique are the other Barcelona-based stars that have been called up by Vicente del Bosque for the England vs Spain matchup.
Manchester City Take One More Step on the Road to Greatness in Spain
Manchester City produced their best performance of the UEFA Champions League so far with a resounding 3-0 win over Villarreal in Spain.
City have already achieved domestic respect, sitting five points clear at the top of the Premier League table, and having delivered a 6-1 beating to defending champions Manchester United at Old Trafford.Performances such as this will spread that respect across the continent, and allow City to make a more legitimate claim to becoming a true power.
Back when this group was drawn, fans and pundits universally named UEFA Champions League Group A as “the group of death.”
German champions Bayern Munich won this competition in 2010 and are a traditional force, whereas Villarreal CF made the UEFA Europa League semi-finals last season, and finished fourth in La Liga.
UEFA Euro 2012 Qualifying: 10 things to know ahead of the last games
The UEFA Euro 2012 qualification stage has brought a lot of thrills, from Group A to Group I. In this article, we bring you interesting facts that have emerged, thus far.
1) As at now, Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar leads the goal scorers’ chart. The Schalke 04 forward has netted 11 goals for his country in 594 minutes - imposing himself over Germany’s Miroslav Klose, who is 2 goals behind, having played 89 minutes less.2) Sweden’s Kim Källström is presently the top assist maker. The left-footed midfielder has assisted 7 goals in 718 minutes, but he could lose his spot in no time - being followed by 4 players, including his country mate Sebastian Larsson, who all have 6 assists to their names.
3) AC Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Schalke’s Huntelaar are hitherto the most accurate frontmen in the UEFA Euro 2012 Qualifying, with 18 attempts on target each. Barcelona’s David Villa has also showed great energy, but his strikes have somewhat had less effects on goalies, with 17 attempts off target.
Fletcher hopeful despite Scotland’s awkward position ahead of Spain clash
Scotland will need to put up a historical performance against Spain tonight to reach the UEFA Euro 2012 playoffs and maintain their Poland and Ukraine dreams.
Spain have nothing to play for since they are sure Euro 2012 participants. But Del Bosque’s aim is to guide his team to a perfect run in the qualifiers. The strength in depth of La Roja is so solid that even a second-choice squad could emerge with a confidence-boosting victory against Scotland tonight. Darren Fletcher commented on the titanic clash for his side.
“My experiences with Spanish sides, especially Barcelona, have not been great,” said the Manchester United midfielder according to UEFA.com.
“They [Spain] are the best side in the world – the world and European champions – so we are under no illusions of what we are up against.
Spain vs Scotland Preview
Spain will only look to preserve their perfect home record in the UEFA Euro 2012 Qualifiers. Scotland, however, will be aiming for a place in the play-offs.
The Scots took advantage of Czech Republic’s failure to accomplish their mission against La Roja, on October 7. The Czech were humbled 2-0 at the Stadion Letná in Prague following goals from Juan Mata and Xabi Alonso. That came as pleasant news to Scotland though, who narrowly edged past Liechtenstein at the Rheinpark in Vaduz, the day after.Thanks to the profitable scenario that enfolded at the end of last week, the Scots now occupy the second position in Group I. What they are required to do now is match the Czech’s result so as to end what would be the first phase of their qualification campaign as runners-up. Should they succeed, then they will be participating in the play-offs later in November alongside other teams to determine if they are worthy of tickets for the finals in the summer of 2012.
Czech Republic vs Spain Preview
The Czech Republic vs Spain match is visibly more important for the Czech than for the Group I leaders, who have already secured their place for the UEFA Euro 2012 finals.
The rule for the UEFA Euro 2012 qualification is quite clear: only the hosts, the qualifying group leaders, the best runner-up and the play-off victors can participate in the final competition. Knowing this, it is obvious that the Czech cannot afford to give away their great chance to profit from Europe’s most prestigious tournament at international level.Looking at Group I, it is hard to predict who will occupy the second position of the table in the long run. While Spain are safe with 18 points and a goal difference of +16, 10 points holders Czech have reasons to keep a close eye on third place Scotland, who sit just 2 points behind.
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying: From Group A to Group I—teams through & on the brink
Among the many teams involved in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifyiers, only 4 are certain of featuring in next summer’s tournament as of September 6. They are Italy, Netherlands, Spain and Germany.
Group A
Talking about the DFB Eleven, striker Miroslav Klose stated at a press conference this week that “this has to be the strongest team Germany has had if you look at the available players and talents.” Having scored 28 goals and conceded only 5 in 8 matches, it may be hard for anybody to contradict Klose’s statement.
The Germans have secured the top spot in Group A with 24 points. Turkey and Belgium, who occupy the second and third spot respectively, have been left to vie for the group’s unique play-off finish.
Spain’s team spirit not under the influence of Barcelona-Real Madrid rivalries
Spain have lost the first spot to the Netherlands in the FIFA World Rankings, and fans now fear that Clasico issues won’t tarnish the squad’s progress at the international level.
The Barcelona and Real Madrid rivalry has quickly reached nearly unsupportable levels since the past year or so. In mid-August, both teams met for the 2011 Supercopa de España. While Barcelona ran away with the trophy to create new records, the injury time brawl at the Camp Nou stole the headlines.As he reflected on what happened, Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola expressed his concerns over the tensions between his team and Real Madrid. Spain’s key player Xavi blasted the behavior of Los Blancos whereas Sergio Ramos went in defense of his manager, Jose Mourinho.
Spain vs Chile Preview
Spain will test their potential against South America’s Chile on Friday night as a host of international friendly matches will take place around the world.
The last time Spain met Chile in an international friendly was in November 2008 and the Europeans ran away with a 3-0 victory. Later, Chile met the Spaniards at the 2010 FIFA World Cup only to lose 2-1. Spain’s last 3 matches have been friendlies only. In June, they trounced the United States 4-0 before beating Venezuela 3-0. Recently, however, they lost 2-1 to Cesare Prandelli’s Italy.
Vicente del Bosque has been tasked to get a better result out of his players this time round. But with the Spanish Primera Division resuming in a bit less than 2 weeks, Spanish stars from Barcelona and Real Madrid might be reluctant to put in a show.
The 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup quarter-finals: 4 questions to ask
Colombia, Portugal, Mexico, Argentina, Nigeria, Spain, France and Brazil will line up this weekend in the quarter-finals of the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Which team will win tickets to the semi-finals?
FIFA U-20 World Cup tournaments have strongly contributed in the growth of world football’s top stars. Former U-20 stars Diego Maradona (winner of the Golden Ball in Japan 1979), Javier Saviola, Lionel Messi or Sergio Aguero can confirm this fact.
The U-20 World Cup competition, which was founded in 1977, has seen countries like Argentina, Brazil, Spain and Germany among others top the best performances list. This only makes it hard for one to question the success of those countries’ senior national teams or senior footballers.
This year, it will be no different. The quarter-final stage at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup will be contested by Portugal, Argentina, Mexico, hosts Colombia, France, Nigeria, Brazil and Spain. With all players involved sharing the unique dream of reaching higher standards individual and collectively in their career, August 13 and August 14’s fixtures promise to be very competitive.
Italy vs Spain Preview
Wednesday’s Italy vs Spain match is one of many interesting friendly encounters in midweek.
Cesare Prandelli’s Azzurri are still growing as a team following the end of the Marcello Lippi era. In the biggest news from the Italians’ camp, Manchester City’s troublesome Mario Balotelli was called up to the squad. After failing in the 2011 Community Shield under the influence of match hero Nani, the youngster might be offered the chance to show his worth against Vicente del Bosque’s World Cup champions. Spain have quickly improved the size of their name in world football since 2008 and they working towards maintaining their supremacy.
USA, England, Spain, Mexico, Portugal & Brazil in international friendly action
The weekend ended with some Super Cup football in Portugal, England and Italy in Europe...
But in midweek, football fans across the world will have their attention taken away from club football as national teams will take on the pitch in various cities and stadiums. With the qualification fixtures for the 2014 FIFA World Cup revealed, rehearsal time has already begun. But some teams in Europe are not looking too far ahead to Brazil 2014 as the 2012 European Championship is set to come around much earlier.
There will be 3 all-European encounters among top fixtures on Wednesday, August 10. Italy vs Spain and England vs Netherlands will kick off almost simultaneously only to give neutrals a real headache over which match to follow. Portugal vs Luxembourg, meanwhile, will take place later in the night.
2014 FIFA World Cup draw—UEFA, CAF, AFC, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF, OFC & the groups
With the 2014 FIFA World Cup 3 years away from now, the draws for the qualifying campaigns in each zone have been made.
A total of 824 qualifying games will help define the other 31 participating nations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup where Brazil have qualified as the host nation since October 30, 2007. Here’s how the qualification spots have been distributed among the 6 confederations under FIFA:Europe (UEFA) have been awarded 13 places, Africa (CAF) 5 places, Asia (AFC) 4 or 5 places, South America (CONMEBOL) 4 or 5 places making it 5 or 6 with host Brazil, Oceania (OFC) 0 or 1 place, North, Central American and Caribbean (CONCACAF) 3 or 4 places.