Denmark are not novices when it comes to the Euros, and have some quality players in their ranks that leaves them in contention for the title. The Danes prefer a 4-3-3 formation and they play well with a lone striker in Nicklas Bendtner, supported by the talented midfielder Christian Eriksen. In 1992 Denmark clinched a shock victory over Germany to lift the European Championship, but after that they have only...
12:13 PM, Jun 04, 2012
Portugal are unfortunate enough to find themselves in the Euro 2012 'Group of Death' and the odds are stacked up against the 2004 runners-up as they will have to face Germany and Netherlands who are seen as the clear favourites to go through to the next round. Portugal are known for their free-flowing and attacking football, but they are highly dependent on Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani. The two wingers have...
12:11 PM, Jun 02, 2012
Once again the Netherlands go into a tournament with a reputation as one of the red-hot favourites. Over the years, they have been one of the best sides in the world, be it at the Euros or the World Cup. The 2010 World Cup runners-up have got some quality players in their ranks but the question is whether they have enough fire in their belly to go all the way?...
12:01 PM, Jun 02, 2012
Hoenderloo: Netherlands playmaker Wesley Sneijder believes Euro 2012 will be more difficult to win than the World Cup, where the Dutch finished as runners-up two years ago. Bert van Marwijk's side have tricky draw with Denmark, Germany and Portugal awaiting in Group B. "It will be very difficult, because for me, the Euros is more difficult than the World Cup because you don't have the teams from Africa or wherever...
11:20 PM, Jun 01, 2012
Munich: Joachim Low has insisted that Germany still have to improve in the wake of their 2-0 friendly win over Israel on Thursday. The national team coach was generally pleased with his side's performance after they had lost their previous match 5-3 against Switzerland, but he was adamant that they need to be better if they are to have success this summer. "It was a pretty decent final test, this...
02:11 PM, Jun 01, 2012
Leipzig: Germany worked hard for a 2-0 win over Israel in a Euro 2012 warm-up match on Thursday with Mario Gomez and Andre Schuerrle on target in their final test before next month's tournament. The three-time European champions, among the title favourites, dominated with a performance that was a marked improvement on their 5-3 defeat by Switzerland on Saturday. However, they wasted close to a dozen clear chances on a...
09:16 AM, Jun 01, 2012
Rotterdam: The Netherlands got their European Championship preparations back on track Wednesday with a 2-0 win over Slovakia thanks to an own goal and a second-half strike from Rafael van der Vaart. The Dutch needed a spark to ignite their sputtering campaign after losing 3-2 to Bayern Munich last week followed by a lackluster 2-1 defeat to Bulgaria on Saturday. It came in the form of Ibrahim Afellay, who was...
09:04 AM, May 31, 2012
Frankfurt: Brazil-born striker Cacau was dropped from Germany's squad for the European Championship in Poland and Ukraine on Monday. Cacau struggled in his Bundesliga club Stuttgart and was mostly coming off the bench during the season. He was in the Germany squad at the World Cup in South Africa two years ago. "It was my great goal to be able to play at the Europeans after being at the World...
02:49 PM, May 29, 2012
Amsterdam: Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk on Saturday included 18-year-old defender Jetro Willems and winger Luciano Narsingh in his final 23-man European Championship squad that has a wealth of attacking options but could be frail in defence. The squad includes the topscorer from the English Premier League, Arsenal captain Robin van Persie, and the German Bundesliga in Klaas-Jan Huntelaar of Schalke. Van Persie will be hoping to carry his league...
03:52 PM, May 28, 2012
Hamburg, Germany: Hulk scored two goals in the first half to help Brazil beat Denmark 3-1 on Saturday at the start of a four-match tour ahead of the London Olympics. Hulk scored in the eighth and 40th minutes, either side of an own goal by Niki Zimling, as a young but polished Brazil side brushed off a team headed to next month's European Championship in Poland and Ukraine. Nicklas Bendtner...
10:16 AM, May 27, 2012
Leiria, Portugal: Portugal lacked fire and flair and were held to 0-0 at home by Macedonia on Saturday in a warm-up match for the European Championship. Portugal's rare goal threats came mostly from Cristiano Ronaldo's long-range efforts, but the captain had little support and couldn't break down Macedonia's packed defence on his own. Nani's late entrance upped the pace, but Portugal still lacked a spark. Portugal also drew their previous...
10:10 AM, May 27, 2012
Amsterdam: Bulgaria surprised the Netherlands 2-1 on Saturday in a friendly that showed the World Cup runners-up are struggling to find their trademark fluency ahead of the European Championship. Substitute Ilian Micanski scored the winning header in injury time. Robin van Persie gave the Netherlands the lead on the stroke of half-time, running onto a pass over the Bulgaria defence by Wesley Sneijder and volleying home with his left foot...
10:02 AM, May 27, 2012
Basel, Switzerland: Germany suffered for resting their Bayern Munich players as Switzerland forward Eren Derdiyok scored a hat-trick in a wild 5-3 victory over the European Championship contenders in a friendly on Saturday. Derdiyok exploited unusual disarray in the German defence to convert assists from the outstanding Tranquillo Barnetta in the 21st, 23rd and 49th minutes. Defender Stephan Lichtsteiner and midfielder Admir Mehmedi added goals in the 67th and 74th...
09:28 AM, May 27, 2012
Rotterdam: Defenders Wilfred Bouma and Jetro Willems were the surprise names in the Netherlands squad for Euro 2012 with Vurnon Anita, Siem de Jong, Adam Maher and Jeremain Lens all missing out. Coach Bert van Marwijk cut his provisional 27-man squad to the required 23 ahead of a friendly against Bulgaria in Amsterdam later on Saturday. PSV Eindhoven's Bouma, 33, won his last cap for the Dutch during the previous...
07:12 PM, May 26, 2012
Denmark: Denmark head coach Morten Olsen has announced Jores Okore and Nicklas Pedersen as the final members of his 23-man squad for Euro 2012. Okore makes the squad after impressing for newly-crowned Danish champions Nordsjaelland during the season, while Pedersen, who plies his trade at Groningen, is a familiar face in the national team's setup, with three appearances in the Euro 2012 qualifiers. "After a very good year, Jores has...
09:38 AM, May 25, 2012
With Euro 2012 around the corner and international squads being announced, managers around the world and scouts from top clubs will be on the lookout ...
01:23 PM, May 24, 2012
Madrid: Cristiano Ronaldo has expressed his disbelief at Rio Ferdinand's exclusion from the England squad for Euro 2012, praising the defender as "one of the best". In the lead-up to Roy Hodgson's announcement of his squad, debate focused on whether either of John Terry or Ferdinand would make the cut due to the Chelsea captain facing charges of allegedly racially abusing Anton Ferdinand, the younger brother of the Manchester United...
12:54 PM, May 23, 2012
