Permutations & Consequences - Euro 2008

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.

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EPL Predictions Matchday 11 - Review

Birmingham 2-2 Wigan
Actual result: 3-2 (1 point for correct away scoreline)

Chelsea 2-1 Man City
Actual result: 6-0 (1 point for correct result)

Man Utd 4-0 Middlesbrough
Actual result: 4-1 (2 points for correct result and correct home scoreline)

Portsmouth 3-2 West Ham
Actual result: 0-0 (0 points, it could have been 3-2 with the amount of chances though!)

Reading 1-2 Newcastle
Actual result: 2-1 (0 points, we got it the wrong bloody way round)

Sunderland 2-1 Fulham
Actual result: 1-1 (1 point for correct away scoreline)

Bolton 0-2 Aston Villa
Actual result: 1-1 (0 points, not looking too good this week)

Derby 1-3 Everton
Actual result: 0-2 (1 point for correct result)

Liverpool 1-2 Arsenal
Actual result: 1-1 (1 point for correct home scoreline)

Tottenham 2-1 Blackburn
Actual result: 1-2 (0 points)

Total: 7/30

I think you could safely class that as a 'mare. And that fact that Lawro scored 12 only rubs salt in the gaping wounds...

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Weekend EPL Predictions - Matchday 11

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who will win tomorrow's football?

Birmingham 2-2 Wigan
An entertaining draw to be played out at St. Andrews.

Chelsea 2-1 Man City
I can see City grabbing a goal, but Chelsea's recent form should carry them through.

Man Utd 4-0 Middlesbrough
The Red Devils have been making mince meat of opponents lately, the game againt Boro should be no different.

Portsmouth 3-2 West Ham
A tough one to call, but Pompey's strength at home to edge this one.

Reading 1-2 Newcastle
I can't see anyway for Reading to beat Newcastle, the Tyne club should be too strong.

Sunderland 2-1 Fulham
A win finally for Sunderland should come against 'rubbish-away' Fulham.

Bolton 0-2 Aston Villa
How will Megson's first game end? By being comprehensively beaten by a top Villa side.

Derby 1-3 Everton
Derby will sneak a goal and put in another spirited performance, but it won't be enough against the Toffees.

Liverpool 1-2 Arsenal
The biggy. All the signs point towards Arsenal. Form, goals, style, spirit. Although will the Anfield factor be enough for the Reds? We shall see...

Tottenham 2-1 Blackburn
Managerless Spurs should do the traditional managerless thing and win.

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Premiership Predictions - Match Weekend 10

So, you've just lost your manager, you're propping up the Premier League table, and confidence is at an all-time low. Nothing like a trip to Arsenal to get your hopes back on track?

Arsenal 3-1 Bolton
Teams usually perform well the game after a managerial loss, then again Bolton are playing an on-fire Arsenal.

Aston Villa 1-2 Man Utd
A tricky tie for United, but they should succeed where Chelsea failed with a greater attacking threat.

Blackburn 3-1 Reading
Blackburn always look capable of scoring at home, they should defeat an under-performing Reading side.

Everton 2-1 Liverpool
The daddy. Match prediction as part of our Liquid Bet of the Week.

Fulham 2-1 Derby
Strong at home, Fulham should dispose of a poor Derby team.

Man City 3-0 Birmingham
I would wager heavily on Man City to continue their impressive start to the season.

Middlesbrough 0-1 Chelsea
A tough trip to boro', Chelsea should scrape a narrow victory however.

Wigan 0-1 Portsmouth
Another tight one, Pompey have been good on the road, and have the defence to keep Wigan at bay.

West Ham 2-1 Sunderland
Another close one, but the Hammers will probably have just enough quality to edge this one.

Newcastle 3-3 Tottenham
A thriller. Both teams are capable of scoring heavily, but neither have sorted out their defensive problems yet.

What about your crystal balls Liquid fans? Let us know what you foresee...

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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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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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Euro 2008 Qualifying Weekend - Group by Group

This week on Liquid Football we'll be posting a series of previews, comments and predictions regarding the race to Austria and Switzerland. Tomorrow, we'll be focussing on England and their fight in Group E, and then on Friday we'll be looking at Scotland, and whether they can contiue their amazing story that has propelled them to the top of Group B.

But today we'll be viewing the other 5 Groups, their present situations, and who we reckon will make it through the weekend.

Group A

What's the Crack?
Poland and Finland sit proudly atop Group A on 21 and 19 points respectively. Lurking behind on 17 points but with a game in hand are Portugal, with Serbia one point behind them. It's not how things should have turned out, but Finland could be on the slide, as they face a tricky away tie to Belgium, while Serbia and Portugal play Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Predictions
Azerbaijan 0-2 Portugal
Poland 4-0 Kazakhstan
Armenia 0-3 Serbia
Belgium 1-1 Finland

Therefore...
The top 4 positions will stay as they were, but Poland will extend their lead over Finland, with Portugal joining them on 20 points with Serbia still 1 behind. All to play for in the race to second place.

Group C

What's the Crack?
In what has been touted as the Group of Life (as in opposite to the Group of Death), with Greece on 19 and Turkey on 17 points with 4 games left, and Norway and Bosnia on 17 and 13 points respectively with just 3 games to go for them.

Predictions
Moldova 1-2 Turkey
Hungary 3-1 Malta (total stab in the dark)
Greece 2-0 Bosnia & Herzegovina

Therefore...
Greece and Norway pull away from the pack by at least 3 points. Norway are still in the running, but a loss away to Greece will end Bosnia's aspirations.

Group D

What's the Crack?
Things are all but over in this group, with Ireland (14 pts) in 3rd place needing a minor miracle to qaulify, and Wales (10 pts) needing one of Lazarus proportions. This is mainly due to Germany currently sitting on 22pts and the Czech Republic just behind on 20.

Predictions
Republic of Ireland 1-1 Germany
Cyprus 0-2 Wales
Slovakia 5-0 San Marino

Therefore...
A draw for Steve Staunton's buys mean that if the Czech's win 1 more point from 9, they're out. Wales will be in a similar boat, and will be out if the Czech's score 3 more points. Germany qualify, bucking the trend that the team who finishes 3rd in the World Cup, fails to qualify for the next Euros.

Group F

What's the Crack?
Sweden 19pts (4 games left)
Spain 19pts (3 games left)
N Ireland 16pts (3 games left)
Denmark 14pts (4 games left)

It's very tight, any team that performs well will have a very good chance of reaching the finals. If only the Irish hadn't lost to Iceland and Latvia...

Predictions
Denmark 2-1 Spain
Liechtenstein 0-4 Sweden
Iceland 2-1 Latvia

Therefore...
Sweden stretch their lead to give them command of the group. Spain, Northern Ireland and Denmark become very bunched up indeed, so literally anything could happen.

Group G

What's the Crack?
3 teams all have a realistic chance of grabbing the 2 places. Romania and Holland are on 20 points with 4 games left, while Bulgaria are on 18 with just 3 remaining. You'd have to say fortune favours the top 2.

Predictions
Romania 2-1 Netherlands
Belarus 3-0 Luxembourg
Slovenia 2-1 Albania

Therefore...
Romania defeat Holland to pull out a 3 point gap, while Bulgaria remain within touching distance of the Oranje. Albania's loss makes it mathematically impossible for them to qualify, while Luxembourg's loss continues their proud record of having the scoring prowess of an impotent man who's not that good at chatting up women.

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Weekend Preview - Tony Soprano Meets His End

In the race to see whether Martin Jol or his body double will reach his end first, Spurs' weekend game against Liverpool could make or break the Dutchman's future.

Saturday, 06 October 2007
Aston Villa 1-1 West Ham - A draw between the 2 Claret and Blues.
Man Utd 2-0 Wigan - United should build on their recent victories with a solid win against the Latics.

Sunday, 07 October 2007
Arsenal 3-0 Sunderland - Sunderland haven't been defending well, an on-fire Arsenal to continue their phone.
Blackburn 1-1 Birmingham - 2 pretty evenly matched teams, a draw.
Bolton 1-3 Chelsea - Bolton have been dismal this season, if Chelsea can beat Valencia away, the Wanderers should be no problem.
Fulham 1-1 Portsmouth - Fulham strong at home, Pompey full of confidence.
Liverpool 3-2 Tottenham - A thriller, but a weak defence will cost Jol yet again.
Man City 3-0 Middlesbrough - Man City will still be on a high and have found their scoring touch.
Newcastle 2-1 Everton - Newcastle to be too strong at home for the Toffees.
Reading 2-0 Derby - Derby have been atrocious away from home, Reading have proved that they can find the net the last 2 weeks.

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Weekend Preview - End of the Line for Sammy Lee?

Here's our usual predictions with a particularly important bottom of the table clash between Derby and Bolton... will either manager survive come Sunday?

Saturday, 29 September 2007
Birmingham 0-0 Man Utd - A bold prediction. Man Utd have looked weak up front, Birmingham solid at the back.
Chelsea 3-1 Fulham - Chelsea should get back to winning ways.
Derby 1-1 Bolton - A draw won't be enough to save Sammy Lee.
Man City 1-1 Newcastle - A stalemate from 2 equally matched teams.
Portsmouth 3-0 Reading - Pompey should prove too strong at home.
Sunderland 2-2 Blackburn - Another high scoring draw for Sunderland.
West Ham 1-2 Arsenal - The league leaders should win their 1st real test away from home.
Wigan 1-3 Liverpool - Liverpool will be too strong for the Latics.

Sunday, 30 September 2007
Everton 2-0 Middlesbrough - Middlesbrough's lack of a genuine goalscorer will cost them at Goodison.

Monday, 01 October 2007
Tottenham 2-1 Aston Villa - Spurs have been creating chances for a while, it's time they started making them count.

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Weekend Preview - Can Chelsea rally?

Well we're back to the sanity of Premier League weekend action after all the commotion that's been going on this week. Here's our usual predictions:

Saturday, 22 September 2007
Arsenal 3-0 Derby - Gunners should be too strong for the Rams.
Fulham 1-1 Man City - Fulham usually score at home but Man City have been in good form.
Liverpool 2-0 Birmingham - Liverpool should return to their scoring ways.
Middlesbrough 2-2 Sunderland - Both sides are good up front, but a bit shaky in defence.
Reading 1-1 Wigan - Reading should slow the rot down at home to the Latics.

Sunday, 23 September 2007
Aston Villa 2-1 Everton - The Toffees will be suffering from a 'European Hangover'.
Blackburn 0-1 Portsmouth - Blackburn will struggle to score, Pompey to take advantage.
Bolton 0-3 Tottenham - Two underfire managers, Jol has the better side though.
Man Utd 0-0 Chelsea - Both sides have been strong in defence but lacklustre up front.
Newcastle 2-2 West Ham - A high-scoring draw is on the offering at St James' Park.

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Saturday, 22 September 2007
Falkirk 1-2 Motherwell - A Falkirk goal won't be enough against high-flying 'Well.
Gretna 1-3 Dundee Utd - Utd should be too strong for Davie Irons' men.
Inverness CT 0-2 Hearts - A rejuvenated Hearts to take all 3 points.
Kilmarnock 2-1 St Mirren - Killie to edge this one.

Sunday, 23 September 2007
Hibernian 2-1 Celtic - Celtic hate travelling to Easter Road, Hibs to cause an upset.
Rangers 3-0 Aberdeen - Rangers should get back on winning ways.

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