Aside from England and Scotland's groups which I'll be writing about tomorrow, let's look at what the standings are, what could happen and who could qualify this weekend for Euro 2008.
Group A
The Situation:
Poland lead the group on 24 points with Portugal sitting just a point behind. The other qualification contenders Finland and Serbia are both back on 20.
The Prediction:
Portugal 5-0 Armenia
Poland 2-0 Belgium
Serbia 3-0 Kazakhstan
Finland 3-0 Azerbaijan
The Result:
The top 4 all at home should beat the bottom 4, ensuring qualification for Poland. Portugal then just need a draw midweek at home to Finland to go through.
Group C
The Situation:
Greece have already qualified, leaving just one more spot open for qualifying. The 2 teams fighting for this place are Norway (20pts) and Turkey (18pts).
The Prediction:
Norway 2-1 Turkey
Greece 3-0 Malta
Moldova 1-2 Hungary
The Result:
The crunch game between Norway and Turkey should be very tight, but I fancy the home side to just edge it, ensuring qualification before the final rounds midweek.
Group D
The Situation:
Germany and Czech Republic have already qualified with 2 games left.
Group F
The Situation:
Sweden and Spain are so close to qualification with 23 and 22 points respectively. The 2 teams standing in their way are Northern Ireland and Denmark who are both sitting on 17.
The Prediction:
Spain 1-1 Sweden
Northern Ireland 2-1 Denmark
Latvia 2-0 Liechtenstein
The Result:
Spain's draw against Sweden ensures passage through for the Scandinavians. A good win at home keeps Northern Irish hopes alive, but eliminates the Danish.
Group G
The Situation:
Romania sit on 26 points, having already qualified for Euro 2008. The Netherlands are on 23 points, 4 ahead of nearest challengers Bulgaria.
The Prediction:
Bulgaria 2-1 Romania
Netherlands 6-0 Luxembourg
Albania 1-1 Belarus
The Result:
Barring a miracle, the Netherlands should thrash Luxembourg, ensuring qualification, making whatever result Bulgaria get against Romania irrelevant.
Permutations & Consequences - Euro 2008
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With Regards To The Plastic Pitch In Russia
Would people please just SHUT THE HELL UP!?!
Who cares? It's green, you play football on it. Sometimes, yes even on real grass, players get injured and teams lose matches. Can we please, as a footballing nation, just move on?
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Drop Gerrard! A Funny Video
Stevie G played poorly against Estonia last Saturday... but you only realise how badly when you see this:
Funny stuff indeed! Although should Gerrard be dropped for his Chelsea counterpart Lampard?
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Euro 2008 Wednesday Preview
Minus Scotland and England's groups, let's take a look at what the situation is for the other European teams in their quest for Euro 2008 qualification.
Group A
What's the Crack?
Poland lead the way with 24 points, 4 points clear of Portugal who have a game in hand. Finland are also on 20 points, with Serbia 3 points behind (after their suprise draw against Armenia and having a game extra to play.
Predictions
Kazakhstan 0-3 Portugal
Azerbaijan 0-1 Serbia
Belgium 2-0 Armenia
Therefore...
Serbia and Portugal win their games in hand, tightening things up at the top, but the Poles and Portuguese remain in firm pole position.
Group C
What's the Crack?
Greece are almost there with 22 points, 4 points clear of nearest rivals Turkey. They are in turn one point ahead of Norway, and all have 3 games left to play.
Predictions
Bosnia 2-1 Norway
Turkey 2-1 Greece
Therefore...
A cracking set of ties sees Norway slip 4 points behind the Turks as they catch Greece. However, Greece will qualify if they defeat Turkey, and the race for second place becomes very interesting indeed.
Group D
What's the Crack?
Germany have already qualified, with the Czech's needing just 2 more points from 9 to join them. Cyprus and Ireland have an extreme outside chance of progressing.
Predicitions
Germany 3-1 Czech Republic
Republic of Ireland 2-0 Cyprus
San Marino 0-4 Wales
Therefore...
The Czech's loss means that they have yet to qualify, and Ireland's win over Cyprus keeps them in the running, but only just. Wales hammer San Marino in the tradition of hammering San Marino.
Group F
What's the Crack?
Sweden and Spain top the group on 22 points, although the Spaniards have played 1 extra game than the rest of the group. Northern Ireland sit behind on 16 points with Denmark a further 2 points adrift. The ball remains firmly in the court of the top 2, yet Northern Ireland's destiny is still in their own hands.
Predictions
Sweden 3-0 Northern Ireland
Liechtenstein 1-3 Iceland
Denmark 2-0 Latvia
Therefore...
I'm afraid I can't see our Northern Irish cousins defeating the Swedes, which all but eliminates them. Sweden qualify, while Denmark retain their slim qualification hopes.
Group G
What's the Crack?
Romania lead with 23 points, Holland are behind on 20, with Bulgaria after them on 18. With 3 games left to play for each team, anything could happen.
Predictions
Luxembourg 0-3 Romania
Netherlands 3-1 Slovenia
Albania 1-1 Bulgaria
Therefore...
Bulgaria's slip up ensures qualification for Romania, with the Netherlands needing just 1 point from 6 to guarantee progress.
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Why England's Poor 2nd Half Display Worked
While Sky Sports' Paul Merson was describing England's 2nd half display against Estonia as 'woeful' and 'awful', Alan Shearer of the BBC was remarking that it was 'job done' and that they had got the result which mattered the most.
For once, Alan was right.
Why? 3 reasons actually:
1. Fitness Levels
Here's the scenario: You're 3-0 up against a relatively poor side, you're going to win easily, and you've also got a crucial encounter away to Russia just 4 days later. Why run about like madmen trying to grab further goals? Do you bust that extra gut trying to force the opposition to give the ball away? Would you burst your lungs to create space after space to be played into? Probably not.
2. Expectations
With a 3-0 victory over Estonia, English fans won't be getting carried away about their hopes in Russia. Believe it or not, external hype does seep into the dressing room, so a modest victory will keep reality levels in check, and give the team and fans a more realistic approach to Wednesday's match.
3. Experimentation
What better opportunity to tinker with your formation and team selection when your winning against the 127th-best team in the world? It allowed McLaren to see what worked and what didn't, namely a five-man midfield with Rooney up front.
England can now look forward to tomorrow's crucial game with a better idea of what tactics work for them, fresher legs, and not the entire nation on their back if they don't win.
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Liquid Bet - The Result
The Bet: Ukraine to beat Scotland, Romania to beat Holland, Finland to beat Belgium - 24/1
Actual Result: Ukraine 1-3 Scotland, Romania 1-0 Holland, Finland 0-0 Belgium
OK, so one result out of 3 ain't too bad... maybe. To be honest I'm glad I got the Scotland result incorrect!
From now on, I'll let you know if one of these turns out correct. It'll save my fingers extra typing (and my ego extra bashing).
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Scotland Ravaged By Injury And Supsension - Who Should Play?
Goalkeeper
The Contenders: Gordon
The Winner: Craig Gordon.
By far and away the country's best goalie, no need to drop him.
Defence
The Contenders: Alexander, Dailly, Murty, McEveley, McManus, Naysmith, Weir
The Winners: Graham Alexander, David Weir, Stephen McManus, Gary Naysmith.
The latter 3 played superbly on Saturday, despite a small lapse for Shevchenko's goal, and the former 3 were immense against France. A combination of the 2, with Alexander stepping in for the injured Alan Hutton, should work well. Christian Dailly will work well as back up, or if the defence needs an extra man come the latter stages.
Midfield
The Contenders: Ferguson, Fletcher, McFadden, Pearson, Robson, Teale
The Winners: Barry Ferguson, Darren Fletcher, James McFadden, Stephen Pearson
The only 4 midfielders that have any sort of real international experience to call upon, with McFadden dropping back to help out. Scott Brown and Paul Hartley will be sorely missed for this encounter.
Attack
The Contenders: Beattie, Boyd, Maloney, Miller
The Winners: Kris Boyd, Kenny Miller
2 proven goalscorers up front will be an immense asset for Scotland, along with Boyd's deadly finishing and Miller's tireless running. Beattie and Maloney provide strong backups.
Liquid Football's Scotland Team to face Georgia:
Gordon
Alexander
McManus
Weir
Naysmith
Pearson
Ferguson
Fletcher
McFadden
Boyd
Miller
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Goal of the Weekend - Lee McCulloch Curls It Past Shovkovskiy
There were a few good goals over the weekend however, and people will probably say this is biased, but Lee McCulloch's curled effort just beats the rest. A crucial goal, as well as one of beauty.
One of these goals that gets better each time you see it.
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Euro 2008 Round Up - Scotland and England Edge Ever Closer
Incredible. Unbelievable. Gobsmacking. Just a few words to describe Scotland's 3-1 victory over Ukraine on Saturday. And it was by no means a fluky result, the Scots dominated most of the match with great passing, good movement, strong desire and excellent finishing. The Ukrainians were made to look like a team that would have struggled to qualify for the World cup, never mind reach the Quarter Finals.
A packed Hampden Park was rocking and alight with pitch side fireworks even before the game kicked-off, and the early encouragement and atmosphere was quickly rewarded. McFadden's perfectly flighted ball met the head of Kenny Miller, who nodded in from close-range after just 8 minutes. Only 10 minutes later, Hampden was bouncing again when another McFadden free-kick found Lee McCulloch unmarked 18 yards out. And he curled a beautiful ball into the top corner.
If anyone was thinking that Ukraine were about to crumble, Shevchenko had other ideas. A mix-up in the defence allowed the striker to nip and and thunder the ball into to the roof of the net. The Eastern Europeans continued to press, and almost equalised when Andriy Voronin's long range shot squirmed just wide.
However, the Scots rallied, and were rewarded with another goal after 68 minutes. Alan Hutton's superb floated through ball found McFadden, who took the ball into the box before unleashing a drive past the helpless 'keeper. Ukraine had no response, and it is Scotland who continue into the last 2 games needing just 4 points to progress.
England completed a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Estonia at Wembley, even if they looked far from convincing. Shaun Wright-Phillips opened the scoring with a shot that nutmegged goalkeeper Mart Poom, and then Rooney scored his first competitive goal for England since Euro 2004. A terrific diving header from Estonian defender Rahn into his own net made it 3 after just half an hour. The Three Lions played out the rest of the game at a tame pace, much to the displeasure of an eerily silent Wembley crowd.
Republic of Ireland picked up a fine 0-0 draw at home to Germany, who become the 1st team to qualify for Euro 2008. Lehmann impressed in goal for the away side, as neither team looked likely to break the deadlock. Ireland now need a massive miracle to qualify.
Wales' slim chances of qualification were brought to an embarrassing stop in Cyprus. The away side took the lead through James Collins, but 3 defensive lapses from set pieces proved to be their demise. Yiannis Okkas scored 2 and Konstantinos Charalampidis the other to complete a 3-1 victory.
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A Quick Word On Scotland's Win Over Ukraine
Yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Euro 2008 Qualifying Predictions - Scotland and Group B
Against all expectations, Scotland sit on top of group B, ahead of World Cup finalists France and Italy, and quarter-finalists Ukraine.
Scotland 21 pts (3 games left)
Italy 20 pts (3 games left)
France 19 pts (3 games left)
Ukraine 13 pts (4 games left)
Pretty tight I'm sure you'll agree. So what are each country's run-ins looking like?
Scotland: The hardest final few games of the contenders. Must play host to the only 2 teams to have beaten them thus far (Ukraine and Italy), along with an away trip to Georgia, who held Ukraine to a 1-1 draw there recently. 7 points to guarantee passage, it's not going to be easy.
Italy: The easiest route of the top 4, with only an away tie to Scotland being their main challenge. That match is sandwiched by 2 home games against Georgia and the Faroe Islands. May need to win all 3 to qualify.
France: France have a very similar route to that of Italy, if slightly harder. They start away to the Faroes before entertaining Lithuania. The last match against Ukraine in Kiev will be key in deciding the fate of who goes through.
Ukraine: Must win every one of their remaining 4 games if they even want a chance of qualifying. The Ukrainians start away to Scotland before hosting the Faroe Islands. They then travel to Lithuania before Le Crunch at home to France. Highly unlikely of qualification.
This weekend is the first of four crucial sets of matches in Group B, so how will it unfurl?
Scotland v Ukraine
It's so hard to call this one. On one hand you have a Scotland side so high on confidence, with a solid defence, a roaring crowd behind them and the ability to score when they have to.
On the other, there's Ukraine, who have defeated Scotland already in the qualifiers, and are very strong unit. There's also the possibility that Scotland will be crushed under their own expectations.
First off, Scotland need to find the right balance between attack and defence. They have been impregnable when focusing on defence heavily, but they will need to score if they want a better chance of progressing. This could lead to them being exposed on the break, which Ukraine are excellent at, so it's imperative Alex McLeish gets this right.
Unfortunately, my head must rule over my heart, and say that Ukraine's defence will withstand Scotland's attacks, while hitting them hard on the break. Although, in fairness, it could swing either way it's that tight.
Scotland 1-2 Ukraine
In the other 2 games, France should beat the Faroe Islands comfortably, and the Italy should overcome Georgia comfortably at home. So even if Scotland win at the weekend, it's still going to be one hell of a task to go through. If they don't win, then it's most likely that they'll have to beat Italy in their last game of the qualifiers.
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England and Group E Predictions
It's finely poised at the top of Group E with 3 games to go:
Croatia 23pts
England 20pts
Russia 18pts
Israel 17pts
Let's check out the run-ins for each team:
Croatia - At home to Israel first is a potential banana skin, as is away to Macedonia before the final crunch game away to England. They may be top, but plenty of work still to do.
England - Start at home to Estonia which should be easy enough, before travelling to Russia. If they overcome them, England will go through. If not, they face a tricky tie at home to Croatia who will be looking to ensure passage themselves.
Russia - Its starts hard and gets easier for Hiddink's team. At home to England is they key encounter, before difficult trips to Israel and then finally Andorra. If they beat England, most will fancy them to progress.
Israel - To stand any chance, the Israelis need results against Croatia away and then Russia at home. They then entertain Macedonia in the final game, so expect them to still have a major impact on the outcome of matters.
So what's going to happen this weekend then?
England v Estonia
England should cruise to victory over an Estonian side who are currently ranked 127th in the world. They could probably field a B team to conserve fitness for the game against Russia and still win. However, it would be a disaster for England if they assumed that form and position alone is enough to win a match of football.
Remember the 0-0 against Macedonia? Anything can happen, and England need to make sure that they play with the same amount of technical quality, tactical awareness, and, to quote Steve McLaren, 'passion'. If they do that, then they should have no problems.
The key area will obviously be up front for England. Estonia won't pose much attacking threat, and the back 4 are solid, even though Paul Robinson has become somewhat of a liability. If we assume that in the midfield we have Joe Cole, Wright-Phillips and Gerrard, the one remaining place should be filled by Barry or Lampard, but which one?
A lot has been said about this so I won't go into it further. The key question is, do you choose a man with more attacking threat and international experience (Lampard)? Or a man who is on form for club and country, and has demonstrated that he can play very effectively alongside Gerrard for a more balanced midfield (Barry)? It will be most interesting to see the manager's choice.
Up front, Rooney is likely to start up front alongside Owen. Steve McLaren is lucky that Heskey got injured, as he didn't have to choose between him and the returning Rooney. In short, the Manchester United striker has been poor for England recently, and him and Owen never seem to click. Rooney's play, prowess, vision and temperament will be vital if England wish to succeed.
It should be easy for England, but only if key players are firing on all cylinders, and McLaren gets his tactics right (then again, neither of those are certainties).
England 2-0 Estonia.
In the other match between Croatia and Israel, the home side have been dominant on their patch during these qualifiers, and I don't expect that to change against a plucky Israeli team.
Croatia 2-0 Israel.
So the table should then look like...
Croatia 26pts
England 23pts
Russia 18pts
Israel 17pts
Very cosy for England and Croatia indeed, with Israel now out of the equation. If England beat Russia on Wednesday, they go through, but if it's the other way around, expect a tense final international week.
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Liquid Bet of the Week - Euro 2008 Special
Ladbrokes is brilliant, not only can you bet on who will kick the game off, but how many times the woodwork will be struck! You have to be desperate for cash if you put any sort of money on that (or any sort of money on this, you have been warned).
So slightly earlier than usual this week, here's our Euro 2008 Liquid Bet of the Week.
Ukraine to beat Scotland - The last time Scotland were on a high going into key qualifiers, they lost to Belarus at home under huge expectations. I hate to say it, but I see history repeating itself and Ukraine beating us at home.
Romania to beat Holland - The Dutch have been struggling to score recently, and failed to beat their counterparts in the reverse fixture earlier on. I fancy Romania, who are strong at home, to pip this one.
Finland to beat Belgium - The Finnish are above their opponents in group A with some very good recent form, and the Belgians are a shadow of their former selves. Slightly risky with Finland being the away team however...
Total odds - 24/1. Worth a fiver, no?
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