Barcelona: Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas insists that he will be 100 percent fit for the start of Euro 2012. The Barcelona man suffered a thigh injury shortly after coming on as a substitute in Friday night's Copa del Rey final win over Athletic Bilbao and has been ruled out of action for 10 days. The news has cast some doubt on Fabregas' participation in his country's tournament opener against Italy...
12:10 PM, May 28, 2012
Schruns (Austria): Striker Roberto Soldado was left out of Spain's squad for Euro 2012 on Sunday, despite his scoring exploits this year, as coach Vicente del Bosque lamented the absence of "irreplaceable" David Villa. There were no major surprises as Del Bosque discarded the younger players who have been part of the world and European champions' provisional squad at a training camp in the Austrian Alps. Instead, he included 19...
08:59 PM, May 27, 2012
Madrid: Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas is set to miss a big chunk of Spain's preparations for Euro 2012 after being ruled out for seven to 10 days with a hamstring strain, the Spanish club said on Saturday. Fabregas picked up the injury to his right thigh when he came on for the last 10 minutes of Barca's 3-0 King's Cup final win over Athletic Bilbao on Friday. The former Arsenal...
12:43 PM, May 27, 2012
Dublin: Shane Long gave Ireland a morale-boosting 1-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina ahead of the European Championship on Saturday but midfielder Keith Fahey was ruled out of the tournament through injury. Fahey has been struggling with a groin problem since he joined the squad and he pulled up in the friendly on Saturday. After scans, coach Giovanni Trapattoni decided to replace Fahey with Paul Green, who is without a club since...
10:56 AM, May 27, 2012
St. Gallen, Switzerland: Adrian Lopez scored and set up a goal on his debut as Spain beat Serbia 2-0 to get their European Championship preparations off to a winning start on Saturday. Spain coach Vicente del Bosque, without his Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao regulars and with Chelsea pair Fernando Torres and Juan Mata watching from the stands, gave five players their first caps for the European and world champions at...
09:49 AM, May 27, 2012
Rome: Italy coach Cesare Prandelli has said he trusts Mario Balotelli "100 per cent" when he says he would never let Italy down by getting sent off. Balotelli, who has attracted headlines as much for his eccentric behaviour as for his play over the last season, rejected the suggestion that he would be a risk for the national team. "When I heard Balotelli say that he wouldn't ever leave Italy...
11:36 PM, May 24, 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: Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso has said that Spain will need to be at their best to retain their European Championship title. La Roja enter Euro 2012 as the bookmakers' favourite after winning the last edition of the tournament, as well as World Cup 2010, but Xabi Alonso thinks his side face a difficult task to secure the title in Poland and Ukraine. "It gets harder and harder to...
09:52 AM, May 24, 2012
Madrid: Cristiano Ronaldo has declared that Spain, Germany and Netherlands are the favourites to win the European Championships this summer. The tournament gets underway on June 8 and the 27-year-old touted the trio of nations as the main contenders to lift the trophy. "Spain have a good chance. Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, why not? But the first three have the great chance to win: Spain, Germany and Netherlands," Ronaldo said...
09:38 AM, May 23, 2012
Barcelona: Barcelona have confirmed that David Villa will not be going to Euro 2012 with Spain after losing his battle for fitness following a broken leg. The striker's inclusion in Vicente del Bosque's final 23-man squad has been in doubt since he fractured his tibia during the Blaugrana's Club World Cup semi-final win over Al-Sadd in December. However, the former Valencia man had returned to training in the past month...
08:28 AM, May 23, 2012
Milan: Mario Balotelli has assured Italy coach Cesare Prandelli that he will be on his best behaviour for the duration of the Azzurri's Euro 2012 campaign. The Manchester City forward's antics have dominated the headlines in Britain throughout the season, leading to speculation that he would not be trusted to lead the line at Euro 2012. However, Balotelli has stated that he is ready to curtail his erratic behaviour in...
09:04 PM, May 21, 2012
Madrid: Coach Vicente del Bosque recalled Fernando Torres along with fellow Chelsea teammate Juan Mata for Spain's warm-up matches ahead of the upcoming European Championship. The struggling Torres had been dropped for Spain's most recent friendly, but the striker managed to make the squad after Chelsea won the Champions League on Saturday. Torres said on Sunday that he had had the worst moments of his career with Chelsea this season...
08:46 PM, May 21, 2012
Kiev: A psychic pig is set to take over where Paul the Octopus left off at the 2010 World Cup by predicting the results of matches at the European championships in Ukraine and Poland. Kiev's city government said on Friday it would wheel out the porky tipster to give daily forecasts once the tournament kicks off next month. "A unique oracle hog, a real Ukrainian pig and a psychic which...
12:01 AM, May 19, 2012
Barcelona: Barcelona doctor Ricard Pruna has declared that David Villa could play for Spain at Euro 2012. The 30-year-old striker is in a race against time to be fit for this summer's showpiece event after sustaining a fractured tibia in December during the Club World Cup in Japan. Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has refused to rule out including Villa in his squad for Poland and Ukraine, and Pruna is...
08:57 AM, May 17, 2012
Ireland winger James McClean will complete a remarkable six months when he pulls on his country's green jersey at the European Championship. McClean was an unknown quantity trying to prove himself in Sunderland's reserves at the start of the year. Rewind to last season and he was toiling in the Irish league with hometown club Derry City. But a change in coach has sparked a run of impressive performances in...
12:46 PM, May 13, 2012
With Spain and Italy in the same group, Croatia are going to have some work to do at the European Championship. The Croatians reached the quarter-finals four years ago, and a large chunk of the team that lost to Turkey are back for the tournament in Poland and Ukraine. "We showed in 2008 that we know how to play and we will be ready again," Croatia coach Slaven Bilic said....
12:36 PM, May 13, 2012
Milan: Italy coach Cesare Prandelli has confirmed that Mario Balotelli, Antonio Cassano and Antonio Di Natale are all likely to make his squad for Euro 2012, but ruled out call-ups for experienced attackers Alessandro Del Piero and Francesco Totti. The national team boss is expected to announce a provisional 30-man squad for this summer's tournament on Sunday, before eventually trimming his roster down to 23 players for the finals. And...
05:00 PM, May 12, 2012
