France vs Romania

Host country France tackles Romania in the opening encounter of Euro 2016 at the Stade de France tonight, kicking off a month-long festival of football that French fans hope will culminate with a French victory in the Final at the same venue on 10 July 2016.

France

France qualified for the tourney courtesy of being the host nation and will be keen to set the tone for its title ambitions by winning over Romania, but it certainly shall not be a walk in the park. The host will be keen to avoid replicating the upset it suffered against Senegal in 2002 where France went on to have a disastrous tournament; how well the players perform with the immense pressure of being in front of a home crowd remains to be seen.

France has an extravagantly talented squad boasting the likes of Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud and Anthony Martial and has long been the favorite to win the tournament.

France’s attacking quality cannot be overstated; it has the ability to switch between a number of dependable forwards to adapt to any game style. In recent friendlies, France has been largely offensive and has registered commendable victories against the likes of Russia and The Netherlands.


Romania

Romania boasts an impressive qualification record, losing none of its qualification matches. In addition to that it’s conceded the least number of goals; two to be precise. The Romanians comprise a very compact side who are expected to maximise on their abilities at the back to progress in the tournament. Romania has not been scoring a lot and is expected to rely on Vlad Chiriches for goals. Interestingly, they have only lost once in their past ten games, including famous draws against Spain and Italy.

Against France Romania is, however, facing a totally different quality of opposition from those it tackled in the qualification phase. France has not lost in its past ten matches against Romania and the statistics are not expected to change here. The past four meetings between these two sides have ended in draws, but with the pressure valves turned right up we’re expecting France to rise to the occasion and validate national pride; something it’s famously not managed in several major tournaments in recent decades.

Opening Euro games have historically been low scoring affairs with only two out of the nine opening games realising over two goals and we’re not expecting this one to buck the trend.

Conclusion

France is expected to eventually get on the scoreboard against a resilient Romanian defence and emerge victorious by 1-0 or 2-0 and thus kick-off a huge month of top European football by putting smiles on the faces of home fans

Anyone think Romania can pull off a surprise tonight?

England kick offf their Euro 2016 campaign this weekend Saturday 11 June 2016 and will be looking to demoralize Russia's hopes in Group B at Stade Velodrome, Marseille.

Roy Hodgson's young squad does not represent the finished article but there is significant hope that the Three Lions can do the country proud in France this summer. Hodgson has spoken of his desire to attack and, with an abundance of attacking options at his disposal, has the tools to inflict damage on any side at the tournament. But a lack of talent has rarely been the nation's problem in recent years while failing to produce when it matters most certainly has.

Manager’s comments

Roy Hodgson:

-The message is that we’ve got to approach this tournament without fear, we’ve got to show confidence in ourselves. I would like the players to show as much confidence in themselves as we, the coaching staff, have in them because we know we do have a lot of very talented footballers.

Leonid Slutsky:

-England are a much stronger side than the other teams. They have young players, but of a high level. Their ten victories in qualifying are a testament to that strength. Of course in our group they can surpass anyone.

Star man

England

Harry Kane goes into the tournament as the Premier League's top goalscorer. The 22-year-old found the net for Spurs on 25 occasions last season and will be full of confidence, despite ending the campaign with a bitter taste in his mouth. Just 12 months ago Kane was leading the line for England's Under-21s but his secret is out and he can expect close attention from plenty of defenders this summer. He's expected to be given a chance to lead the line in his preferred central role and could be England's main man for years to come.

Russia

The Russians prefer a 4-2-3-1 formation with Dzyuba likely to be named as his side's lone striker. The Zenit St Petersburg forward is not the most mobile, so do not expect him to be haring away from England's defence, but he is an imposing presence. He knows where the goal is and could punish England if he gets a sniff in the penalty area.

Form guide (all competitions, most recent first)
England: WWWLWWLWWW
Russia: DLLWLWWWWW

Match stats

England and Russia had met on two previous occasions, during the Euro Cup 2018 qualifying stages and they share 1 win each. England won 3-0 at Wembley in the first leg of the qualifier in 12 September 2007, thanks to a double from Michael Owen and a one from Rio Ferdinand. In the return leg at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on 17 October 2007, Russia bounced back after going down to a Rooney strike in first half to win it 2-1, with two goals from substitute Roman Pavlyuchenko.

Team news

The footballing gods have smiled on England in the build-up to the tournament. Knocks to Ryan Bertrand and Chris Smalling represent the sum of Hodgson's injury worries ahead of the game. But the manager still has a couple of selection dilemmas to deal with. One involves Wayne Rooney and how best to utilise his ageing skipper. Midfield seems the most likely bet, which could pave the way for Kane and Jamie Vardy to start as a front two. The side is expected to contain a strong Spurs contingent with Dele Alli pushing for inclusion regardless of formation and Jack Wilshere hopeful he has pressed his claims well enough to start after an injury-hit season.

Russia have lost Igor Denisov - their sole holding midfielder - to injury. Artur Yusupov has come in an his replacement. Roman Shirokov and Aleksandr Kokorin are the other key attacking outlets England will want to keep in check as they look to kick-off their campaign with a win.

Probable line-ups

England XI: Hart; Walker, Cahill, Smalling, Rose; Dier, Alli, Rooney; Lallana, Kane, Sterling.

Russia XI: Akinfeev; Smolnikov, Berezutski, Ignashevich, Schennikov; Shirokov, Yusupov; Golovin, Kokorin, Smolov; Dzyuba.

The game kicks off at 2200hrs.

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EURO 2016: ROONEY VS BALE, MULLER VS LEWANDOWSKI!

England vs Wales: England to win

England head into its second game of Euro 2016 and desperately needs a win against Group A leaders Wales to offset the disappointment of losing a late lead to Russia.
Roy Hodgson's men were on course for a deserved three points against Russia on Saturday after Eric Dier's late free kick opened the scoring at Stade Velodrome, but Vasili Berezutski's stoppage-time header rescued a point for Russia to deny the Three Lions a win.

England failed to display the character of champions, as a lacklustre display saw it fail to win, in spite of Russia being poor on the night, and England boasting a squad that was leaps and bounds ahead of Russia in quality.

England preferred Kane, Lallana and Sterling upfront against Russia but that did not bear fruit, with Wayne Rooney playing from the midfield. However, going into the Wales encounter, England should switch its approach with Rooney being deployed upfront and Jamie Vardy being handed a debut.

It is a big game for England and both sides know each other fairly well. England players are aware of the threat posed by Wales, and especially Gareth Bale. A loss or draw for England will throw its trophy hopes into disarray and pile more pressure on Roy Hodgson and his men.
In contrast, Wales got off to a fine start, knocking off Slovakia 2-1 thanks to a fabulous Gareth Bale free kick and a late Robson-Kanu goal.
Wales currently leads the group and a second straight win will all but have their knockout stage spot secured. Gareth Bale remains the main man upfront and the Real Madrid star has not disappointed thus far.

Wales’s greatest worry lies in the goal area, where shot stopper Wayne Hennessey is a major doubt. His replacement Danny Ward has looked shaky and could cost his side a victory should England’s potent attack line find its rhythm.

Coach Chris Coleman has been bullish ahead of the fixture, saying, "We don't need to fear anybody. If we are ourselves it can be enough to get what we want. There's nothing to be afraid of. Sometimes you are afraid of the unknown, but we just have to go about our business."
101 matches have been played between these two sides, with England winning 66, Wales 14 and 21 of those ending in draws.
England need to up its tempo and add more quality in play if it’s to advance past Wales. It is unlikely that England shall falter again and in this one should narrowly edge Wales.

Ukraine vs Northern Ireland: Ukraine to win

Northern Ireland lost its opening encounter 1-0 to Poland to end a 12 match unbeaten run and will be seeking redemption against Ukraine.
It is the second group game for Northern Ireland; it takes on fellow outsider Ukraine in what is a must win encounter. Four of six 3rd placed teams will qualify for the knockout phase and Northern Ireland knows that a win will grant it a chance to progress.

The player pool for Northern Ireland is quite small as few players are in top leagues in England and Scotland. The majority of its players feature in League One and this lack of real quality limits them. Captain Steve Davis remains a key figure in the campaign, as is top scorer Kyle Lafferty. Northern Ireland’s other abilities lie in the wings and in 12/16 qualifying matches goals have come from crosses.

West Brom’s Gareth McAuley is excellent on set pieces and Northern Ireland will attempt to win set pieces and also capitalise on its potential on the wings.
Ukraine fell 2-0 to Germany in its opening match and, despite the loss, there’s a number of positives to draw from the fixture.
Ukraine gave Germany a number of potential scares and it took Manuel Neuer and Jerome Boateng’s heroics to keep Ukraine out on numerous occasions.

Ukraine is expected to dominate against Northern Ireland. One of its greatest strengths lies in a central midfield marshalled by Ruslan Rotan, Taras Stepanenko and Sergiy Sydorchuk. Ukraine is a more physical side and will try to dominate the match from kickoff and make full use of its midfield prowess.

The two sides have not met since the Euro 2004 qualifying phase, where they drew 0-0. The only other previous meetings were in the 1998 World Cup qualifying phase, where Ukraine won in both legs.
Northern Ireland is expected to sit deep, keep it tight and try catch Ukraine on the counter. However, Ukraine have better quality and should emerge the victor.

Germany vs Poland: Germany to win

Goals by Mustafi on 19 minutes and Bastian Schweinsteiger in injury time were enough to get Germany off to a flyer and send it top of Group C, above Poland on goal difference.
The supremacy contest for Group C is set to take centre stage on Thursday as Germany tackles Poland at the Stade de France. Germany won its opening group match to earn coach Joachim Löw his 88th win as German coach, the second best record by a German national team coach. The win over Ukraine also ensured Germany maintains the record of World Champions never having lost an opening Euro championship tie.

Die Mannschaft won 2-0 against Ukraine, although in an unconvincing fashion. Ukraine posed a number of real threats to the Germans, who relied on Manuel Neuer’s super reflexes and Jerome Boateng’s brilliant goal line clearances in a tie from which Ukraine was unfortunate to emerge with nothing.

Germany has been unconvincing, at least by its own lofty standards, losing 7 of its past 18 matches, with one of those losses coming against Poland in the Euro qualifiers. Against Ukraine, Toni Kroos stood out amongst his peers, commanding the German midfield, while Ozil, Muller and Gotze were not at their best for the better part of the match. Against a tougher opponent in Poland, Germany has to ensure that the front line is at its best with Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng and Matt Hummels also needing to perform well again at the back.
Robert Lewandowski has not yet found the back of the net in Euro 2016 and he will attempt to open his account in France against a team that knows him only too well.

Poland won 1-0 against Northern Ireland, Poland’s first win in a European championship match, but the real test so far shall be against the Germans. Poland has previously met Germany twice in qualification matches, losing and winning once.
The spotlight shall be definitely be on Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski who is no stranger to the majority of the German players. Lewandowski has already scored against Manuel Neuer in the qualifiers and there’s no better time to replicate this feat. Neuer ranks among the world’s best shot stoppers, partly because he trains against one of the world’s best number 9’s, and this promises to be a nerve wrecking contest when the duo come up against each other.
Poland has the ability to score lots of goals against weak teams, but against a discplined Germany will face a herculean task.

Germany coach Joachim Löw has opined that the clash is a great decider on who tops the group and added that his team is prepared for the challenge. His opposite number Adam Nawalka underlined the importance of the tie saying, “We are very optimistic about our chances. I do not want to overanalyse whether we are dark horses or not. We are taking things one step at a time and just want good results.”

Germany has won 13 times against Poland, drawn six and lost only once. The true mark of world champion teams has been winning back to back trophies and the Germans will try to set the tone for a Euro victory by winning against Poland. Poland on the other hand will attempt to exorcise the demons of the 2012 Euro tourney by winning against Germany and sealing a knockout phase slot.

A great encounter lies in wait. The Germans have a more balanced team combination and should emerge victors in this one.

Euro 2016 very interesting.

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I support Italy for the the crown

Euro 2016 Friday: Incredi-Bale Wales

Wales vs Belgium: Wales to win

Two sides that have been playing exciting football face each other as they attempt to reach the Euro 2016 semifinals.
This will be a closely contested fixture, with the winner having a better chance to reach the finals and possibly win the tournament, by avoiding a good number of the tournament's big boys.

Wales has been impressive and is now presented with a chance to experience unchartered waters by reaching its first semifinal of a major tournament. The Dragons boast a solid team effort backed by a fantastic Gareth Bale, who has scored in all three group games and was responsible for Wales’ charge past Northern Ireland in the round of 16. While Bale has been garnering most of the headlines, the rest of his team has put in solid supporting performances beating Slovakia, pushing England close and crushing Russia.

Gareth Bale has been a cut above the rest. He is undeniably the tournament’s single outstanding attacking influence. The Madrid forward has shown the immense skill of an elite athlete who can turn around a game at a level beyond anyone else.

Wales is, however, not all about one man. It’s virtually impossible to top a group with one man. Aaron Ramsey has found flair reminiscent of his 2013/2014 EPL season, While Neil Taylor, James Chester, Joe Ledley and Joe Allen have all been an academy award-winning supporting cast to Bale’s leading act.

Belgium came to life again in the round of 16 with a 4-0 soaking of minnows Hungary. Eden Hazard was at his best and was the architect responsible for a demolition that could have ended in double digits. Belgium has had a number of unconvincing and inconsistent displays, which have continued its record of good game today, poor game tomorrow.

Belgium’s frontline enjoys a rich vein of form. Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne have all been outstanding and on a good day could pose a serious threat to any opposition. Marc Wilmot’s men, however, come up against an able opposition in Wales that will be a stern test to their potential.

Belgium’s porous defense has been caught off guard at times and should it slumber on Friday, the pacy and elite Bale will definitely punish them.

In their previous meetings, Belgium has one win more than Wales but the strong teamwork allied with the Gareth Bale component makes Wales the more reliable and favored candidate to progress to the semifinals - with a 1-0 win.

Euro 2016 Saturday: Forza Italia

Germany vs Italy: Italy to win

This is certainly a cracking encounter in prospect, considering the rich tradition and history surrounding such heavyweight ties. It is a rivalry that has more chapters than War and Peace!

Some have called it a final before the final with the winner is most likely to conquer Europe. No other nations in the tournament have better big tournament pedigrees than these two. These giants between them boast: 8 World Cups & 4 European Championships.

Italy will be seeking to silence its critics, and the markets which have priced it a huge outsider, and win this match and the tournament. Germany on the other hand is keen to assert its status as the World champion, a daunting task it has to fulfil against a much tougher Italy which is incredibly well organised and which made highly talented Spain look second rate in the round of 16.

Italy easily got past Spain with a 2-0 victory in a well orchestrated display conducted by Antonio Conte. It was a defensively solid display from the Italians, who completely subdued La Roja. In four matches played so far, Italy has conceded only once, thanks mainly to the all-Juve back four and the legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon who is seemingly getting finer with age, like a good Italian wine. The defensive statistics favour Italy too as it has not conceded a single goal against top opposition such as Spain and Belgium.

The Italian forward line has also found its groove, with the attacking duo Eder and Graziano Pelle in fine form. Chelsea-bound Antonio Conte must have a bag full of tricks as his team seems to get better each day. He certainly got all his tactics right against Spain and he is a man on a roll going into the Germany fixture.

Italy loves playing against sides that play open, passing, football like Spain and Belgium. It sacrifices possession for counter-attacking football. Germany looks likely to play to Italy’s strength and be caught flat-footed on the counter.

Germany punched its quarterfinals ticket thanks to a 3-0 rout of Slovakia and is widely favoured to win this match.Against Slovakia, Germany played well and scored lots of goals, however opinion is divided on whether the result was because of a terrible Slovakia or a great Germany. Maybe a bit of both ….

Germany suffers the same problem as Spain, where everyone knows the potential you possess and will always come out with maximum force when they face you. Thomas Muller, the man expected to power the German goal scoring, is yet to even start scoring and that has been a worry for Joachim Loew. Mario Gotze has tried to lead the team but his potential is just not enough, especially coming into a match against such stiff defensive opposition.

There is an uncharacteristic stench of fear in Berlin ahead of this encounter and Loew has to muster something really special to win against an Italian side that is seemingly unbreakable.

Germany has a slight complex about Italy too; four years ago, Mario Balotelli was in scintillating form as he scored a brace to dump the World champions out of the Euro’s. Will there be a new Italian hero to relive those ecstatic moments of 2012?

Italy has not lost to Germany In three Euro Championship meetings: 2 draws and an Italian win; the overall history between the two also favours Italy: 33 games played, 15 Italian wins and 10 draws with just 8 German victories.

After truly breaking the shackles against Spain, the Azzurri are in high spirits to record another famous victory.

Italy has no big names, but that is compensated for by uniform strength all over the park, a highly tactical coach and arguably the best defensive setup in world football today.

We expect Italy to hold the Germans scoreless, sneak a goal themselves and bid the World Champions auf wiedersehen via a 1-0 scoreline.

Euro 2016 Sunday: Vive la France!

France vs Iceland: France to Win

Host nation France has a quarterfinal assignment as it takes on the tournament’s Cinderella story, Iceland. Football commentator Peter Drury termed it, ‘A quarterfinal that laughs at logic’. Who would have predicted a France vs Iceland quarter?

It is a highly anticipated clash, where France knows well the potential threat posed by a rival which confidently knocked out England to record one of the tournament’s biggest upsets.

France has been unspectacular but very focused and convincing so far. In the round of 16, Didier Deschamps masterminded a tactical change as the hosts came from a goal down to win 2-1 in emphatic fashion. Antoine Griezmann was in his element, scoring a brace to break the resistant Irish hearts. The ruthless Atletico forward will be seeking to increase his goal tally, and he is expected to be the one to deliver the goods for France in this one.

Les Bleus have scored a high percentage of their goals in the final 20 minutes, a testimony to a French fighting and never-say-die spirit that has not always been in evidence in major tournaments! Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud and Dimitri Payet are in excellent form and support each other going forward. The trio poses a great attacking threat and will certainly put Iceland’s backline under immense pressure.

N’Golo Kante sits out this one suspended, but Kingsley Coman, who came in against Ireland has showed immense potential particularly in attack. France is in better shape in all departments than Iceland.

The Nordic Minnows iced England 2-1 and has probably overachieved its targets. Iceland boast a sturdy defence and a vicious counter attack. Every good fairy story has an end though and this is probably the end of Iceland’s.

France is backed by immense support and a ticketing policy that hugely favors the home team, as you’d expect. France, as a result of that extra support, has a slightly easier route to the final and this journey will likely continue with a victory over Iceland. A national day of mourning is the only alternative!

Persons who have been following the tournament may have come across coverage from Iceland TV of its Euro matches, featuring a screechingly over-excited commentator. For example listen to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=labajxjprIY or watch a short clip here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huk6aPVKHS0

We’re seriously concerned that should Iceland score to beat France this guy’s excited voice may cause his head to actually explode off his shoulders! Wonderful, though, to feel the excitement and enthusiasm associated with a minnow’s victory over one of the big footballing powers.

However, in 11 meetings between the two, France has won 8 and drawn 3 and that unbeaten record is expected to extend as France progresses on to the semis and retains its focus on winning the tournament in front of its home fans.