EURO 2012

Republic of Ireland v Bosnia – Monday 16th November Bosnia rescued a draw with a late equaliser on Friday night after Edin Dzeko cancelled out Robbie Brady’s 82 minute opener in thick fog. Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill suggested that they are not going to play for an edgy 0-0 to capitalise on the away goal. He said: “We have to try and win the game. If we set out with any other sort of mindset, we could be in trouble. The ultimate goal does not change and is […]

Norway v Hungary – Thursday 12th November Hungary have not won in the past nine games against Norway, and won’t find it any easier this time around. A glance at their relative group opponents says it all; Norway finished third behind Italy and Croatia, whilst the Hungarians lost out to Northern Ireland and Romania. Moreover Norway were very close to qualifying automatically, letting their lead slip against Italy in their final match. They’ll feel that they’ve earned a place at the finals already, and will have too much for a […]

Sunderland v Southampton – Saturday 7th November Sunderland fans could be forgiven for having their blood pressure checked recently. After the highs of a 3-0 victory over arch rivals Newcastle, they shipped six goals to Everton in a mostly second half capitulation at the weekend. Sam Allardyce has openly stated that they must sort out their defensive frailties or they’ll be in it for “the long haul” over the coming months. Allardyce is a manager renowned for leading teams that are both organised and tough to break down, and he […]

Man Utd v CSKA Moscow – Tuesday 3rd November Man Utd’s lack of goals is becoming a serious headache for Louis Van Gaal. It’s now over five hours since United scored a goal, and Van Gaal admitted it was a concern following the stalemate with Palace. Alan Pardew stated that their focus was on stopping Anthony Martial, suggesting that Wayne Rooney is seen as a supporting act to the 19 year old. Such statements will damage Rooney’s ego yet further, as will the numerous suggestions throughout the press that he […]

Bologna v Inter – Tuesday 27 October Inter go into this following a 1-1 draw away at Palermo, which made it their fourth consecutive match without a win. Roberto Mancini told Premium Sport: “We were too direct, struggled in attack and suffered in defence.” The lack of goals from Icardi was also mentioned, and will be a morale blow for the player personally. The striker was joint league top scorer last season. Mancini stated: “We will keep working to find the right system, but in the meantime it’s important to […]

Swansea v Aston Villa – Saturday 24 October Arguably the most important fixture of the weekend, with both managers under considerable pressure. Garry Monk and Swansea have been on a winless run of six games, since beating Man Utd on August 30th, whilst Tim Sherwood’s Villa side are on just four points from nine games. Sherwood is undoubtedly in the more perilous position of the two, especially with Spurs and Man City next up after Swansea. In an act of desperation the Aston Villa Supporters’ Trust issued a statement to […]

PSG v Real Madrid – Wednesday October 21 Angel Di Maria will be looking to haunt his old club on his first return since leaving for Old Trafford, and whilst far from vulnerable, Madrid will put out a weaker side than usual with Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema expected to sit this one out through injury. PSG meanwhile will welcome back Marco Verratti with open arms, meaning Laurent Blanc has no other major injury concerns other than David Luiz. Another daunting prospect for Rafa Benitez is the form of, who […]

  Tottenham v Liverpool – 17 October The hype for this game was turned up a notch when Liverpool announced Jurgen Klopp as their new manager. The charismatic German has long fascinated the press and his exploits at Bayer Leverkusen suggest that he is a good fit for this current Liverpool side. With so much focus on the Merseyside team, the pressure is somewhat off for Tottenham. They are marginal favourites for this match with the Spiffindex at 2.54, but Klopp has barely had time to meet his new charges […]