EURO 2021

Co-hosts are hoping Borussia Dortmund’s Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Robert Lewandowsk can reproduce their club success on the international stage It is a paradox of football that the hosts of a tournament can enjoy a low profile. Attention will, of course, soar when Poland take the field against Greece in the opening match of Euro 2012, but Franciszek Smuda’s side can be pleased that they have only provided meagre information for their opponents. The same can be said of the co-hosts Ukraine, yet it is Poland who could be […]

Giovanni Trapattoni believes Ireland must not lose their Euro 2012 opener with Croatia if they are to make it past the group stages.

The Irish, who are 7/2 with bookmaker to qualify from Group C, which includes Italy, Spain and Croatia, are participati…

Jose Maria Olazabal has revealed he expects Paul Lawrie to be in his plans for the European Ryder Cup team this year.

The Europe captain, whose team are 1/1 to retain their title with bookmaker, admits Lawrie is playing himself into contention. The form…

Ferrari principal Stefano Domenicali has called on his team to target pole positions in the coming months, with good grid placing the key to raceday success.

Fernando Alonso, 3/1 with bookmaker to be world champion, heads the drivers’ standings after fi…

New England captain Steven Gerrard believes revitalised striker Andy Carroll can terrorise opposing defences during Euro 2012 if he repeats the end-of-season-form shown at Liverpool. Carroll has been thrust to the forefront of England’s attacking options with Wayne Rooney suspended for the first two games, Darren Bent out through injury and Danny Welbeck struggling to be fit. He has failed to live up to his £35 million price tag since moving from Newcastle 16 months ago but will now lead the England attack in tomorrow’s friendly with Norway in Oslo. […]

Poland’s debut at the European Championship four years ago ended in disappointment: three games, zero wins. The Poles have shaken things up since then – they’ve hired a new coach, revamped much of the squad and uncovered a trio of players who have found success in one of Europe’s toughest leagues. As co-host of Euro 2012, Poland is hoping the changes make a difference when they take on Russia, Greece and the Czech Republic in Group A. ”It is our goal to advance from the group and I am convinced […]

Who else is looking forward to Richard Dunne v Mario Balotelli at the Euros? The prospect moved ever closer after Cesare Prandelli confirmed that the enigmatic striker will be in the Italian squad. Balotelli’s place at the tournament was thought to be in major doubt after he was excluded from the squad to face USA in a friendly back in February due to his decidedly dodgy disciplinary record in the Premier League. It is a facet of his game which Super Mario has hardly improved upon in the intervening months […]

The Greeks, currently at the thirteenth place in the ranking, will participate in the European Championship for the fourth time. So far, they even managed to win the whole event in a fantastic game in 2004 on the fields of Portugal. But since then, if they managed to qualify for the competition, they ended in the group stage. In the qualifying games to the Polish Ukrainian tournament the Greeks did not suffer a defeat scoring seven wins and three draws, getting ahead of the Croats, who were second, by two […]

Italians, the European Champions in 1968, will fight for the European Championship trophy for the eighth time. It must be admitted that the team of Cesare Prandelli was lucky in the qualifying rounds to be in the same group as their biggest rivals were the teams of Serbia, and Estonia. Squadra Azzurra easily won the group competition by scoring eight wins and two draws. The best scorer was Antonio Cassano with the score of six goals. In the group phase of the main event it will not be so easy. […]

The team trained since 2008 by Giovanni Trapattoni only once had the honour to take part in the Championship of the old continent. In 1988, after the victory, a draw and a defeat it was eliminated from the tournament already after the group stage. Ireland, 19 in FIFA rankings, had to accept in the qualifying games the superiority of Russia, and after ten meetings, having collected 21 points, qualified for the play-offs, where after the lucky draw they defeated Estonia 5-1 in the two-legged tie. The captain, Robbie Keane, a […]