No easing off now we are champions, pledges Cesc Fabregas

CESC Fabregas insists there is no chance of Spain easing off now they are record breakers.

The former Arsenal star was most pointed in the rejection of Spain being a boring side immediately after their four-goal UEFA League 2012 hammering of Italy in Kiev on Sunday night.

It certainly seems harsh to pick holes in a team that has just become the first to win three major international tournaments on the trot, including the World Cup.

And the manner of their performance in the Olympic Stadium, and the players responsible for it, does not offer much hope of any change.

Midfielder Xavi is the elder statesman of the outfield contingent. And, at 32, he still has plenty of miles in the tank.

Skipper Iker Casillas is 31 but in an era when goalkeepers often play at the highest level until they are approaching 40, that is hardly a problem either.

So, if a weakness is to be exploited by the teams eager to nick the World Cup from Spain's grasp at Brazil 2014, it may be mental, as players who have won everything try to keep themselves motivated.

But Fabregas has got some bad news for Spain's rivals. La Roja are not finished yet.

"Everyone thought we would be finished after we won the Euros and the World Cup," said Fabregas.

"They thought we might ease off a bit but here we are again.

"No-one has done the triple before and we are very proud of it.

"We are lucky to have had a lot of good experiences at a young age.

"Hopefully that and the success we are having now mean we will be stronger for those experiences when we're older."

Fabregas made a significant contribution to Spain's success, just not in the way he would have imagined.

An orthodox midfield player at Arsenal, in Poland and Ukraine coach Vicente Del Bosque discovered a new role for the 25-year-old.

In a team without a striker, Fabregas was the one asked to become a 'false nine'.

"It's the first tournament in my life that I have played as a striker," the Barcelona man said.

"It was difficult at the beginning but I got used to it very well and I am really proud of this."

- Simon Stone

Article source: http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/euro-2012/other-news/no-easing-off-now-we-are-champions-pledges-cesc-fabregas-3155723.html

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UEFA EURO 2012 Updates

The UEFA European Football Championship together with Euro 2012 consists of three stages --  the qualifying group stage, the play-off and the 16-team final tournament (Poland and Ukraine from 8^th of June to 1^st of July 2012.

Fist Match will be Czech Republic vs. Portugal.

Date: June 22, 2012 

Time: 2:45 AM GMT + 8:00

Place: National Stadium Warsaw, Warsaw (POL)

Referee: Howard Webb

Below is the Fixture for Euro 2012 Quarter – finals Schedule (GMT + 8:00), provided with match date and also the stadium and city name.

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EURO 2012 MATCH 8 | UKRAINE to Battle SWEDEN

EURO 2012 MATCH 8 | UKRAINE to Battle SWEDEN Live 2:45AM GMT+8

Possible Line-Up

UKRAINE

Pyatov,Husyev, Khacheridi, Mykhalik, Selin,Timoschchuk, Nazarenko, Konoplyanka,Yarmolenko
Devic, Voronin

SWEDEN

Isaksson, Lustig, Melberg, Granqvist, Olsson, Elm, Svensson, Kallstrom, Larsson, Toivonen
Ibrahimovic

Head-to-head

·         The two countries have met on three previous occasions - all friendlies - and two of those matches came last year.

·         Both sides recorded 1-0 away wins, Ukraine's coming in June 2008, Sweden's in August 2011. The draw was played out in Cyprus in February 2011. Afterwards the sides contested a penalty shoot-out which Ukraine won 5-4.

Ukraine

·         Ukraine are the only debutants at Euro 2012. The first four European Championships (1960-1972) were won by newcomers but none have been since.

·         Of all the 368 players at Euro 2012, Andriy Shevchenko has enjoyed the longest international career. He made his debut in 1995.

·         Oleg Blokhin's men are the only side at Euro 2012 without a British-based player in their squad.

·         Only two players, Andriy Voronin and Anatoliy Tymoschuk, play outside of Ukraine.

·         As co-hosts they will have the crowd behind them, but Blokhin's men have lost four of their last eight home outings.

·         After Poland's 1-1 draw with Greece, none of the last eight hosts have won their opening games at the Euros.

·         The Ukrainians are yet to find the back of the net in open play at a major tournament finals.

·         Ukraine boss Blokhin scored against their Group D opponents in a friendly game for the Soviet Union in 1982.

Sweden

• Olof Mellberg is set to represent Sweden at a fifth major tournament. He is yet to miss a single minute at any of the finals he's been present at.
• Sweden coach Eric Hamren has selected nine players aged 30 or older - the highest number of thirty-somethings at Euro 2012.
• Kim Kallstrom recorded seven assists during qualifying for Euro 2012, equal highest along with Germany's Mesut Ozil and Hungary's Balazs Dzsudzsak.

·         Since their semi-final appearance when hosting the tournament in 1992, the Swedes have managed just two wins from 10 ten games.

·         AC Milan forward Ibrahimovic (pictured right) has netted in his last three matches for his country.

·         Hamren's men scored in all 10 games in their qualifying campaign, bagging more than one goal in eight of them.

·         Each side have one victory from the previous three meetings between the two, with the other match being drawn.

source: http://epltipsonline.blogspot.com/2012/06/euro-2012-match-8-ukraine-to-battle.html

EURO 2012 MATCH 7 | France and England Meet Again in UEFA 2012

EURO 2012 MATCH 7 | France and England Meet Again in UEFA 2012 Live 12:00AM GMT+8

England (probable) : Hart, Johnson, Terry, Lescott, Cole, Milner, Gerrard, Parker, Downing, Welbeck, Young.

France (probable) : Lloris, Debuchy, Mexes, Rami, Evra, Cabaye, Diarra, Malouda, Nasri, Ribery, Benzema.

There has been a 714-day wait between England's disappointing World Cup exit and their opening Euro 2012 game.

Much has happened since then - but most of it during the last six months. First there was Uefa's two-game suspension for Wayne Rooney as a result of his sending off in qualifying. Then, in February, Fabio Capello quit as head coach following the FA's decision to strip John Terry of the captaincy for a second time.

Most recently a spate of injuries has seen pundits and punters alike write Roy Hodgson's England off before the tournament has even begun. Can the new England manager and his class of 2012 change opinions on the pitch when it matters most?

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

·         France beat England 2-1 in their opening match of Euro 2004, the last competitive meeting between the two countries. Zinedine Zidane scored an injury-time double after Frank Lampard had headed England ahead.

·         Their only other European Championship finals meeting was a goalless draw in Malmo at Euro 92.

·         France are unbeaten in five matches against England (W4, D1), and have won the last three. Their last defeat was at Le Tournoi on 7 June 1997, when Alan Shearer scored the only goal.

France

·         Laurent Blanc could emulate Germany's Berti Vogts, the only man to win the European Championship as both player and coach (in 1972 and 1996).

·         Les Bleus have claimed just two points from six group matches at the last two major tournaments.

·         France scored 15 times in qualifying - Greece (14) are the only side at Euro 2012 who netted fewer. The Danes and the Czech Republic also scored 15, with the Czechs' tally including three play-off goals.

·         Karim Benzema has scored more goals (seven) and recorded more assists (five) than any other French player since Blanc took over.

·         In 202 minutes of football for France, Olivier Giroud has delivered three assists and scored one goal.

·         Only five players have featured in the Champions League and European Championship final in the same season. France could potentially add two more names to this group in the form of Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery and Chelsea midfielder Florent Malouda.

England

·         England have played in the most European Championships (seven) without managing to win the tournament. They have also been eliminated in the group stage four times, more than anyone else.

·         They have failed to win their opening match in all seven previous European Championships (D3, L4). They have lost the last two - 3-2 v Portugal in 2000 and 2-1 v France in 2004.

·         Manager Roy Hodgson has faced France once before in international football. His Switzerland side won 2-1 against them in a friendly match in Lausanne in May 1992.

·      Sixteen of the 19 goals that England have scored since the turn of 2011 have come in the opening hour.John Terry and Joleon Lescott have started just two games together for England - both wins against Andorra in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. 

source: http://spainleagues.blogspot.com/2012/06/euro-2012-match-7-france-and-england.html

Euro 2012 EUFA handicaps 12bet | Russia Vs Czech Match Preview

Euro 2012 EUFA handicaps 12bet

Group Stage Russia Vs Czech Match Preview


Russia will come into the go with as powerful favorites in many experts sight after their amazing displaying during determining. Dick Advocatt's men lead Team B with seven benefits from their ten trips.

Read More http://epltipsonline.blogspot.com/2012/06/euro-2012-eufa-cash-rewards-12bet.html

RIVALRY BETWEEN JUVENTUS AND NAPOLI EXTENDS TO COPPA ITALIA 2012 FINAL

Juventus and Napoli are set to face one another in this year’s Coppa Italia Final. The match will light the fire of northern and southern Italy’s rivalry once again, as the north’s Juventus hosts the Coppa Italia final with visiting Napoli from the south aiming to win against Italy’s strongest football club.

Juventus is a powerful contender for this match, beating Milan with an aggregate score of 4-3 in the semi-finals to reach the finals. It also became the third team in the history of the Serie A to go on undefeated the whole season when it won this year’s title. It is also Italy’s most successful football club, gaining the most titles and supporters throughout its history.

Napoli, on the other hand, will not take the pressure lightly. The Azzurri is capable of competing against the mighty Old Lady. Napoli did not lose to Juventus in 4 matches before its recent defeat versus the Turin-based club in this year’s Serie A. The Naples-based club enjoyed 3-1 and 3-0 wins and maintained two draws against Juventus in the Serie A matches of 2010/2011 and 2011/2012, respectively.

Can Juventus win the double this season or will Napoli win for the first time since 1987?

Read more http://englishmatches.com/rivalry-between-juventus-and-napoli-extends-to-coppa-italia-2012-final/

France Ligue: Toulouse FC vs. Montpellier HSC Match Preview

Toulouse FC vs. Montpellier HSC Live at 01:00 AM GMT+8.






Watch the live combat of this two team at 12bet.com.