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Williams tips Bale to star

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Ashley Williams believes that Gareth Bale can fire Wales (6/1 in the match betting) to success in the Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland (1/2 favourites to win, 3/1 the draw) in Basel on Tuesday night.

Wales have yet to pick up a point in their qualifying campaign to date, losing away at Montenegro and at home to Bulgaria, both 1-0, and currently prop the table – along with tonight’s opponents.

The Swiss have also lost both of their opening group games, 3-1 at home to England and 1-0 away at Montenegro, and defeat for either side will seriously harm their chances of even finishing second.

Wales captain Williams, who is hoping to shake off an ankle injury, concedes that Ottmar Hitzfeld’s side may well dominate large parts of the game, but he believes that Bale (7/2 to score at anytime) will provide plenty of attacking threat.

“Everyone knows how good a player he is,” said Williams.

“He’s probably going to find it tough when he plays for Wales, especially if we don’t have Craig Bellamy and Aaron Ramsey playing.

“He’s our biggest attacking threat and teams are going to pay special attention to him.

“But I think he’s a good enough player to deal with that.

“They will have a lot of the ball and hopefully we can get it to him on the break and let him do his stuff.

“I think he really gave it a go against Bulgaria, he did make things happen, and if he plays in an advanced role, that’s the way he plays.”

The 1-0 defeat in Montenegro last month saw John Toshack end his six-year reign as the Wales (33/1 to qualify for Euro 2012) boss, with Brian Flynn taking over the senior side on a temporary basis following an impressive spell in charge of the Under-21s.

Flynn is looking to use the two games he is leading the side to make a case for a permanent role, although he did his cause no favours with a 1-0 defeat to Bulgaria on Friday.

However, Flynn has not been helped by a whole host of injuries to his squad which will leave him without 12 players for tonight’s game and Blackpool midfielder David Vaughan insists all the players will be doing their best for the manager.

“No one wants to let him [Flynn] down and hopefully he will get the job, regardless of the results, if we play well,” said Vaughan.

“Hopefully we can do the job for him.

“We have only had a few days’ training with him but if he is around long term I think you will see the benefits in the performances.”

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Toure eyes City silverware

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Kolo Toure says he joined Manchester City (15/2 Premier League Outright) to win silverware and feels they can achieve plenty of success with the squad they have.

The former Arsenal star joined the Eastlands revolution last summer, following an eight-year spell with the Gunners, where he won a Premier League title and two FA Cup winners medals.

Toure believes City (5/2 to win a major trophy in 2010/11) have taken another big step forward this season, including his own form, as they look to break the Premier League dominance of Chelsea and Manchester United.

The 29-year-old told the club’s website: “I came here to win trophies and play Champions League football and that is what we are all working hard to achieve.”

Toure feels he still has “five or six years left” playing at the highest level and wants those years to be packed with success and silverware.

The defender added: “I have played in one great team and I want to be part of another one. People who know me, know that I am as enthusiastic about the game as I have ever been.”

Despite admitting that he is happy with his current form, Toure believes there is still more to come from him and says he feels “much fitter” than he did last season.

He concluded: “Now I am settled in Manchester, I know everyone at the club; I know how it all works and feel very happy and comfortable with the way things are going.”

Roberto Mancini’s men return to Premier League action this weekend, when they travel to Bloomfield Road to face new-boys Blackpool (5/4 to stay up this season).

Ian Holloway will have to prepare his Tangerines side to face City without the benefit of his encouragement from the touchline.

The Blackpool boss has been handed a one-match touchline ban after his outburst at the referee Mike Dean following the home defeat to Blackburn last month.

An FA regulatory commission heard the case in London on Monday and handed him a one-match ban and a fine of £9,500, he will not be allowed any contact with his players during the game this weekend.

After the hearing Holloway apologised for swearing, saying: “You should never swear, I shouldn’t have done it and I apologise.”

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Capello backing Rooney to shine

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England boss Fabio Capello believes Wayne Rooney is both physically and mentally ready to make a big impact on Tuesday night’s Euro 2012 clash with Montenegro (England 1/5 to beat Montenegro).

The 24-year-old striker had been a doubt for England’s third match in Group G after picking up an ankle injury but the former Everton man has made a speedy recovery and is set to partner Peter Crouch in attack at Wembley, after Darren Bent was ruled out of the match with a groin injury.

Rooney failed to spark at last summer’s World Cup and has yet to hit the heights for Manchester United this term, with allegations about his private life seemingly affecting his performances and overall state of mind.

But he has been training well with the England squad and the boss believes that his body and mind are now both pulling in the right direction for the vital clash with the surprise leaders of the qualifying group.

“I spoke with Sir Alex who told me, when I decided the squad, that Rooney would be fit because the ankle problem was not so big,” Capello said.

“I spoke with Rooney about the situation, his situation. I monitored him during the training and he trained perfectly, really well.

“He’s focused on the game. He’s happy. He’s smiling a lot. He’s in a good moment, better than he was when we played against Switzerland.”

An England victory would see them take over top spot from the Balkans outfit on goal difference and open up a sizeable gap back to third place, with any one of Bulgaria, Wales or Switzerland possibly sitting in third spot depending on Tuesday’s results (England 1/25 to qualify for Euro 2012).

It appears as though young wingers Adam Johnson and Ashley Young will start for England and try to provide the crosses for Crouch to feed off, and Capello is unconcerned about their lack of playing time at the top level.

“People say they are inexperienced players but the confidence of Adam is good. He’s played three or four games,” he added.

“Ashley Young has also played very well in a couple of games and done well in a more central role for Aston Villa.”

Rio Ferdinand will captain the side after returning to fitness, with Steven Gerrard returning to the ranks after leading the team with distinction.

Much is expected of the Manchester United defender, who missed the World Cup in South Africa through injury and has only just returned to first-team action at Old Trafford, as John Terry is absent through injury and Phil Jagielka is also missing.

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Rio regains skipper role

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Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand believes that regaining the captain’s armband for England (8/1 to win Euro 2012) will help him put aside the disappointment he felt during the World Cup.

The 31-year-old has been named as skipper for England’s Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro at Wembley on Tuesday night.

It’s the first time the former Leeds United defender has been in the England squad since he picked up an injury before the start of the World Cup in South Africa.

Ferdinand was injured during the first England training session in Rustenburg where he sustained knee ligament damage after a collision with team-mate Emile Heskey.

The central defender missed out on the tournament where the Three Lions failed to live up to expectations, going out to old rivals Germany in the knockout stages.

Ferdinand is delighted to have been named as England captain once again, though, after Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard took over the role in his absence.

He said: “It is a great honour to be named England captain.

“It is great to be back playing again.

“Obviously, I’ve been out for a while since the World Cup when I injured my knee.

“I have worked hard on my rehab, worked hard on the training ground at Manchester United, and the staff have been fantastic for me to get to this point,” he added.

Ferdinand has recently returned to action for United (16/5 to win the Premier League) as he looks to rebuild a strong partnership at the back with fellow central defender Nemanja Vidic.

The former West Ham United academy player is happy to be back playing after the disappointment of missing out on leading out his country at a major international tournament.

He said: “It has been well documented that the first 48 hours after I got injured at the World Cup were probably my worst moments in terms of over-analysing and really thinking about the consequences.

“To miss the World Cup was a real big disaster for me.

“But you have to wipe yourself down and get on with it.”

Ferdinand will be looking to earn England another three points against Montenegro as they hope to continue their strong start the Euro qualifiers.

The Three Lions skipper will then be aiming to help United close the gap on rivals Chelsea who currently sit five points above them at the top of the Premier League table.

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Terry injury blow for England

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England coach Fabio Capello’s selection plans for the Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro (England 1/5, Montenegro 10/1, Draw 9/2 90 Minutes) at Wembley on Tuesday have been hit by the news defender John Terry has been forced to pull out with a back injury.

The 29-year-old Chelsea skipper appears to have suffered a recurrence of an old injury which required surgery to rectify back in 2006.

And, while it is not known how severe the injury is, Capello has sent Terry back to Stamford Bridge for treatment and the Blues will hope he will not face a lengthy absence from their bid to retain the Premier League title (Chelsea 8/13 Outright).

Terry’s absence means that Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, who is making his comeback from the knee injury that ruled him out of the World Cup finals, is set to partner either Manchester City’s Joleon Lescott or Bolton’s Gary Cahill in the centre of defence for the game.

Cahill was drafted into Capello’s plans when Everton’s Phil Jagielka pulled out due to a hamstring problem, while Aston Villa winger Stewart Downing came into the reckoning when Tottenham’s Aaron Lennon withdrew with back trouble.

However, the Football Association has revealed that it will make do with the players currently available to them, despite Terry’s withdrawal.

Terry’s absence means he has only played one game for England since the World Cup – a friendly win against Hungary in August – after a hamstring injury ruled him out of the opening two Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland.

Lescott performed well in the win against the Swiss in Basle and will no doubt pip Cahill for a start alongside Ferdinand on Tuesday.

The Three Lions go into the game aiming to continue their 100% start to their qualifying campaign against a Montenegro side which tops Group G (England 1/7 Group Winner) after winning their opening three matches.

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Collins downbeat on Euro hopes

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James Collins has conceded that Wales need a ‘miracle’  if they are to make it through to Euro 2012 as they head to Basel to face Switzerland (1/2 to beat Wales) on Tuesday night.

The Welsh couldn’t have made a worse start to their qualifying campaign, losing their opening two matches to Montenegro and Bulgaria, failing to score a goal in both.

Defeat in the opening game with Montenegro (11/1 to win Group G) saw the end of John Toshack’s time in charge of the Wales (50/1) team.

Brian Flynn has taken over on a temporary basis and built up Friday’s match against Bulgaria as a must win contest.

The former Wrexham boss also promised the Welsh public goals but failed to deliver as the Bulgarian’s came away from Cardiff City Stadium with a 1-0 win.

Flynn must now try and pick up his disillusioned players for the game against Switzerland, who are also winless from their first two matches.

The caretaker boss will be without some key men for the trip to Basel with skipper Craig Bellamy absent along with Sam Ricketts, Chris Gunter, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Collison, Joe Ledley and Robert Earnshaw, most of who would have started on Tuesday night had they been available.

To make matters worse Wales haven’t won on Swiss soil for 12 years as they look to avoid losing their first three qualifiers for the first time in 40 years.

Collins has almost admitted defeat in their bid to reach a first major championship since the 1958 World Cup, claiming they can’t expect to be in the Ukraine and Poland in two years time when they have lost their first two matches.

“Miracles are needed to if we are to get second place in this group,” said Aston Villa defender Collins.

“And we can’t expect to qualify after losing our first two qualifiers.

“Everyone has to up their game and performance.

“And being one of the older players, I must show some of the younger boys how and lead by example.”

Wales fans will certainly be hoping for a better performance from the one they got on Friday night when a lacklustre team was punished by a well organised Bulgarian outfit.

Despite the qualification campaign being just two games old Wales appear to be on the brink of another collapse in their bid to reach a major tournament and are now 33/1 to qualify for Euro 2012.

With Montenegro on nine poins and England on six it would take a huge turnaround of fortunes if Wales are to reach Euro 2012.

However, Tuesday’s opponents are also desperate for a win, with Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld telling his side they must beat the Welsh if they are to reach Euro 2012.

“We desperately need a win so that we can release the tension and we have got to beat Wales on Tuesday to start our recovery,” said the German.

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Houston defends defensive Scots

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Peter Houston has defended the negative tactics employed by Scotland during their 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Czech Republic on Friday evening (Scotland 7/1 to qualify for Euro2012).

The Scotland assistant boss admitted that the squad was disappointed with the result but believed that the side was “unlucky to lose to a goal from a set play”. He also stressed that his players had “worked their socks off” in the hope of getting a result.

The Scotland manager Craig Levein was heavily criticised for the negative approach in Prague, where he adopted a 4-6-0 formation in the hope of picking up a point. The plan backfired when the Czechs scored the only goal of the game in the 70th minute but Houston stressed that he thought Scotland were unfortunate in defeat.

He highlighted the fact that the Scots rarely concede a goal from a set play but also stressed that the game is now “over and done with” and that he is looking forward to facing world champions Spain at Hampden Park on Tuesday evening (Scotland 13/2, draw 10/3, Spain 1/3).

Defending Levein’s tactics, he said: “The only regret we’ve got is that we’ve lost the game. It’s over and done with now, we can’t look back, we’ve got to look forward and what a way to look forward – playing Spain at Hampden.

“We’ve got to put that to bed and start to think positively and take something from that match.

“We are keen to play the world champions in what will be a difficult game. Footballers like to play at the top level and nobody is better than the world champions.”

Scotland have four major doubts ahead of the clash, with Tottenham defender Alan Hutton, Wigan centre-back Gary Caldwell, West Brom midfielder Graham Dorrans and Rangers utility man Steven Whittaker all missing Sunday’s training session.

However, Houston has admitted “the majority, if not all” would be available for selection on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Scotland were handed a boost when Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher was fit to train after suffering a knock against the Czechs.

Caldwell participated in Prague for 75 minutes and Houston has not dismissed the possibility of him making back-to-back appearances. If he does, it will be a major achievement as Friday was his first action for club or country this season following a hip operation.

Speaking about Caldwell, Houston stressed: “He has been feeling good, he knows he’s been out for a while but nobody knows his body better than himself, and he was keen to do something today and he’s putting himself up for selection.”

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Tevez admits he could quit football

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Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has admitted he is disillusioned with football and could quit the game (City 15/2 to win Premier League).

The Argentine forward has reiterated the comments he made over the summer, when he said he could quit professional football because he struggles to motivate himself.

He admits that he currently feels drained and that the stress of being one of the most high profile players in the Premier League is affecting his body and mind.

Despite this, he has been instrumental in the improvement of City’s form so far this season, which has seen the Eastlands outfit overcome a shaky start to the season to sit in second place in the Premier League.

The striker has also lead by example as City’s captain after being handed the armband by boss Roberto Mancini. However, this has done little to reinvigorate him and he has now told The News of the World that he is thinking of quitting, citing the number of games he has played this season as being contributory to his tiredness.

The 26-year-old said: “I’m an old guy now, and I started to think about some stuff. For example, I am less tolerant as a person today than I was a few years ago.

“Then I think – what happens if I quit football as long as I am okay in my life?

“When I talk about quitting, I mean quitting football, not just the national team. But at the moment I still don’t know if this is going to be in one month, one year, three or five years.

“I have the idea of quitting in my mind. Maybe one of these days, I will just wake up and say no more football.”

As well as professional issues, Tevez has admitted that his workload is affecting his family life. He says that since playing in England he has not shared a single Christmas or New Year with his nearest and dearest and this is contributing to his lack of enjoyment with life as a footballer.

City fans will be hoping that Tevez does not decide to hang up his boots just yet, particularly as he is in such influential form, having scored five League goals this season. They currently sit four points behind League leaders Chelsea but they are the team in form having beaten the Blues 1-0 at Eastlands before backing this up with a 2-1 success against Newcastle.

Roberto Mancini will be hoping that this form continues in City’s next game against Blackpool next Sunday.

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Montenegro bullish on England

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Montenegro centre back Miodrag Dzudovic says his team are not intimidate by England and believes his high-flying nation can record a famous victory over Fabio Capello’s side (1/5 to beat Montenegro) on Tuesday night.

The eastern Europeans have made a very impressive start to qualification for Euro 2012, winning their first three matches against Bulgaria, Wales and Switzerland all by the same scoreline of 1-0.

Friday’s win against the Swiss moved them to the top of Group G ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Wembley.

Montenegro (11/1 Group G winners) were expected to be the whipping boys of the group but have so far proven to be tough nuts to crack.

Having only been formed as an independent country four years ago the tiny nation, which has a population of around 627,000, are punching above their weight heading into the top of the table clash with England.

Despite England’s dominant displays at Wembley, Zlato Kranjcar’s side are confident about their chances of pulling off a famous victory over the world renown Three Lions.

Dzudovic believes they have nothing to fear and says he isn’t worried about having to deal with Wayne Rooney, given the striker’s recent form.

“We respect England, but we can beat England,” said Dzudovic.

“We don’t fear them and we don’t fear Rooney.

“We know who he is, one of the best players not just in Europe but in the world, but we know he’s not been playing well for many games and that gives us more hope. In football, everything is possible.”

The Manchester United hitman will be hopeful of proving Dzudovic wrong when they meet on Tuesday, Rooney having struggled with his fitness and problems off the field since the summer.

The 24-year-old has scored just twice for club and country since the start of the season and will have a tough time adding to his tally given Montenegro’s steely defensive record in qualifying, keeping clean sheets in all three of their matches thus far.

Fellow Montenegro (10/1 to beat England) defender Stefan Savic has echoed his team mate’s bullish comments by insisting they are capable of stopping Rooney and co.

“We go to London without pressure and we can surprise them,’ Savic added. ‘But we’re not just going for the shopping.”

England will be hoping they can burst Montenegro’s bubble, although they will have to do it without Aaron Lennon after the Tottenham winger withdrew from the squad.

Lennon has a sore back and has been replaced by Stewart Downing, who joins Bolton?s Gary Cahill as a late arrival in the squad after Cahill was brought in for Phil Jagielka.

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Cahill gets England nod

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Gary Cahill has been called up by England to replace the injured Phil Jagielka for Tuesday’s Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro at Wembley (1/7 to win Group G).

The Everton defender was forced to sit out training on Friday after suffering a hamstring injury earlier in the week.

Jagielka, who started last month’s win in Switzerland, underwent a scan and the medical team confirmed he would not be able to play any part against Montenegro (11/1 to win Group G).

The 28-year-old has now been replaced by Bolton’s Cahill, although Fabio Capello is expected to recall Rio Ferdinand and John Terry to the starting line-up.

England should also be able to call upon Gareth Barry in midweek, after the Manchester City returned to the Three Lions (8/1 Euro 2012 Outright Winners) camp.

Barry was allowed to have additional time at home because of personal reasons, but the midfielder is likely to start on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, there remain question marks over whether Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere will play any part for the senior squad.

The Gunners’ youngster is expected to team up with Capello’s men despite featuring for the Under 21’s on Friday evening.

Wilshere played a key role in helping Stuart Pearce’s men claim a 2-1 victory over Romania at Carrow Road, in the first leg of their Euro 2011 play-off.

Pearce said afterwards: “I spoke with Fabio before the match was played, and I think Jack will be meeting up with the seniors.

“Part of me is pleased that he is going, as it shows to the rest of the squad the pathway which is there for the players, part of me would have liked to have him in Romania.

“However, we feel as if we have quality in the squad and whomever plays will do themselves proud on Tuesday.”

England are currently second in Group G having played a game less than Montenegro, who defeated Switzerland 1-0 on Friday evening.

Tuesday’s match will be England’s final game of the year, with Euro 2010 qualifying not resuming until March 2011.

Following the international break, Capello will take his squad to Cardiff to face Wales (33/1 to qualify for Euro 2012), still pointless in the group, on Saturday March 26.

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