Ireland aim for points in Skopje

Posted on June 3, 2011 by SoccerCapper

By the time the Republic of Ireland kick off their latest Euro 2012 qualification game in Macedonia on Saturday evening, they will know exactly what is required as the race to reach the Ukraine and Poland next year is turning into a four-way fight.

Giovanni Trapattoni’s men arrive in Skopje full of confidence after they lifted the Carling Nations Trophy last Sunday courtesy of a 1-0 win against Scotland, having seen off Wales and Northern Ireland in the previous games without conceding a goal in the process.

But the pressure on their shoulders could be intensified by the time kick-off arrives as Slovakia and Russia, who are level on 10 points with the Irish, will have already finished their respective matches against Andorra and Armenia.

Slovakia’s game is a 1/80 home banker with Totesport as Andorra are pointless from their opening five games, while Ireland will possibly look for Armenia, who are fourth in Group B and just two points off the leading trio, to do them a favour and hold the Russians to a point (11/2 Draw).

In that scenario a win against Macedonia, who have drawn and lost their opening two qualifiers on home soil, could take Ireland two points clear in second spot behind the Slovaks on 13 points.

Trapattoni will be delighted with his defence’s recent solidity and will expect them to keep the Macedonian’s at bay after their exploits against the Scots, Welsh and Ulstermen, despite the absence of the suspended Richard Dunne.

It is the Italian’s attack that could give him some concern as 30-year-old star striker Robbie Keane is battling to shake off a groin injury he suffered in training in order to play.

And with Macedonia’s own defensive record not looking to shabby with only six goals conceded from five matches, the game could require a moment of magic from somebody of Keane’s calibre to ensure they take the maximum points haul they desperately need.

West Brom?s Simon Cox (13/2 First/Last Goalscorer) appears to be the man who will step into the attack should Keane fail to make it and, having recently got his first goal for his country, he will prove to be a very able deputy.

Therefore, we anticipate a tight game (2/1 1 or Less Total Goals) between two teams that are strong in defence, but with Ireland’s superior strike-force, they should have just enough to come out on top.

Prediction: Ireland To Win 90 Minutes @ 23/20
Value Bet: Simon Cox 1st goal Ireland To Win 1-0 Scorecast @ 25/1

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Fabio keen to avoid Swiss miss

Posted on June 3, 2011 by SoccerCapper

England boss Fabio Capello is expected to name his strongest possible team for Saturday’s Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland at Wembley on Saturday.

The Three Lions are the current leaders of Group G but they are level on points with Montenegro, who host Bulgaria on the same day, and Capello is keen to wrap up qualification as soon as possible.

However, star striker Wayne Rooney is suspended and Andy Carroll is sidelined, meaning Aston Villa’s Darren Bent is the most likely candidate to lead the line.

Villa may have struggled throughout the 2010/2011 season but Bent has been in fine form, scoring 11 goals since his January switch to the Midlands club.

Bent is 8/11 to score at anytime, while the former Sunderland man is a much more attractive 10/3 to open the scoring or 9/2 to grab a brace.

England are the heavy 1/3 favourites, with Switzerland 8/1 and the draw 7/2, but the Swiss are a well organised side and they could make things difficult for Fabio Capello’s men. In the Half-Time/Full-Time market a draw/England result is priced at 3/1.

Switzerland may be well organised and relatively strong at the back but their attacking options are limited and lack any real threat going forward.

Capello is also expected to name a back-four of Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Cole, Glen Johnson and John Terry for the tie at Wembley. On paper, and according to the majority of pundits, that is England’s strongest defensive combination and they should be able to keep a clean sheet.

An England clean sheet is priced at 10/11, which is worth some consideration, but England are 11/10 to win to nil and this may be the better option of the two bets.

Rooney’s likely replacement is Theo Walcott, with James Milner or Adam Johnson the other possibilities and the Arsenal winger tends to impress on the international stage. Walcott is also keen to impress Capello after missing out on the 2010 World Cup and the 22-year-old is 7/4 to score at anytime in the match.

Switzerland’s most likely goalscorer, if they do manage to break England’s resolve, is Bayer Leverkusen striker Eren Derdiyok. Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld has chosen uncapped duo Innocent Emeghara, 22, and Admir Mehmedi, 20, as his other forward options and it remains to be seen if they will be able to rise to the occasion.

Derdiyok does not have an outstanding pedigree in terms of international goals but he is a talented striker and can be backed at 10/3 to score at anytime, or 11/1 to score the last goal. Derdiyok’s Leverkusen team-mate Tranquillo Barnetta could be another option as an anytime goalscorer and the 26-year-old winger is 9/2 to score at anytime.

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Five things we learnt…

Posted on May 30, 2011 by SoccerCapper

It has been another superb weekend of sport around the globe with Barcelona’s Champions League victory the highlight. As the dust settles on the various results and performances what have we actually learnt from the two days of action?

1. Barcelona are in a league of their own

The Champions League final was billed as a clash between the most skilful side in the world and the hard work and graft of Manchester United, but on the night it was clear that skill was going to win out as it became men against boys.

United won the Premier League title by nine points and many in the sport believed that they would have enough tactical nous to contain the likes of Lionel Messi to avenge the defeat in Rome two years ago.

But the Argentinian star ran the show and the Red Devils were chasing shadows for much of the match, with the statistic of United having only one shot on target in the entire 90 minutes a true reflection of the dominance of the Spanish giants.

Sir Alex Ferguson summed it up when he labelled the defeat as a “hiding” and his description of the Catalans as the “best team he has faced” proves just how brilliant they were.

Pep Guardiola played down the pre-match hype that his current squad could be considered as “great”, but it is hard to argue against it now and the rest of Europe will be playing catch-up with the La Liga champions over the next few years if they manage to keep the current players together for any length of time.

2. Jonathan Trott is a “proper” Test batsman

He may not have been born in England but all English cricket fans will be thankful that Trott decided to throw his lot in with the Three Lions as his double century against Sri Lanka proved that his appetite for runs remains insatiable (England 10/1 to beat Sri Lanka 1st Test).

The South African-born star may not get everyone out of the bar to watch his innings but he does what he is paid to do – score runs.

There have been any number of England batsmen who have come into the side over the past 20 years and played lovely little cameo innings before giving it away but Trott just goes on and one in an uncomplicated fashion.

If it is a good ball he leaves it or blocks it, while bad balls invariably get put away for runs, and his Test record is nothing short of phenomenal.

It has to be remembered that he played his first Test under two years ago and the Warwickshire man has already scored 1,803 runs at an average of 66.77, with six centuries and five fifties.

England have ambitions to be the number one Test side in the world and with Trott in the ranks it may just be possible.

3. The right man is at the top of the golf world rankings

Luke Donald has become the new world number one after his victory in the BMW PGA Championship on Sunday and there is nobody who would argue that he does not deserve it.

The Englishman has been the most consistent golfer this year and it was fitting that he beat the man who he has replaced at the top of the standings in a play-off at Wentworth, with Lee Westwood dropping down to number two (Donald 14/1 to win US Open).

Both men are world-class players and it is great for European and English golf to have the top two in the world (Europe evens to win 2012 Ryder Cup).

Donald has already won in the states this term, with victory at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona, and he almost made it two wins at the Heritage, only losing out in a play-off to Brandt Snedeker.

The Hemel Hempstead-born star is known as one of the nicest men on Tour and it is great to see him rewarded for all the hard work he has put into his game.

4. At least one Ferguson will be smiling on Monday

Dad Sir Alex may have been down in the mouth after United’s defeat to Barcelona but his son, Darren, has led Peterborough back to the Championship with victory over Huddersfield in the League One play-off final.

The 39-year-old began the season in charge of Preston North End but was sacked in late December last year.

He had previously enjoyed success at London Road, securing back-to-back promotions to guide Posh from League Two into the Championship, and it was not long before they came calling once again, with Ferguson installed as Gary Johnson’s successor on January 12.

The Glasgow-born tactician led them to fourth in the table but they were too good for the side that finished eight points above them, and now the hard work of trying to establish Peterborough in the Championship will begin.

It did not work out for him last time he led the club into the second tier of English football but Ferguson is a more experienced manger now and it would be no surprise to see a top-half finish next season.

5. Andy Murray must feel he is cursed

Murray has never really threatened to win a clay-court tournament until this season when two narrow defeats in the semi-finals in Monte Carlo and Rome proved that he has finally mastered the art of playing on the slowest surface.

He has yet to drop a set at Roland Garros this year and was cruising to victory over Michael Berrer when he managed to twist his ankle, and it showed his determination to succeed that he actually improved his performance to destroy the German and set up a fourth-round clash with Viktor Troicki (Murray 4/11 to beat Troicki).

It would have been hard enough for a fully-fit Murray to get past Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals and then have to beat probably Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer to win the title, but now it may well be mission impossible (Djokovic evens favourite to win French Open).

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Can EPL new-boys survive?

Posted on May 30, 2011 by SoccerCapper

It was jubiliation for Swansea at Wembley on Monday as they grabbed the final promotion spot up into the Premier League by beating Reading in the Championship play-off final. They join QPR and Norwich as top-flight new-boys for next season but will the promoted trio be able to stay up? Here we assess their chances.

Swansea

The Swans will be mixing it with the big boys for the first time since 1983 and, in beating Reading in the Championship play-off showdown, they become the first-ever Welsh club to make it into the Premier League.

As Blackpool found out 12 months ago, winning at Wembley can provide the platform to give any side the momentum needed to have a real crack at the Premier League.

However,the Seasiders’ attacking, gung-ho approach, which initially worked wonders but ultimately proved to be their downfall, needs to be taken note of by Brendan Rodgers and proves a more measured approach to tackle the top flight is needed.

In Rodgers they have one of the most respected young coaches in the game and he is unlikely to make the same mistakes as Ian Holloway but they will need to make some astute additions to their squad over the summer if they are to hold on to their place after a season back in the big time.

Players with plenty of Premier League experience will have to be drafted in, no doubt on the cheap, to bolster a squad which can be moulded into a hard-to-beat top-flight side. They do have attacking talent in the shape of Nathan Dyer, Stephen Dobbie and Scott Sinclair but more will be needed if they are to stay up.

We envisage a busy summer at the Liberty Stadium as Rodgers prepares a squad for the big test that lies ahead and, while the canny Ulsterman faces his ultimate challenge, we reckon he can succeed where Holloway failed and keep the Swans up.

Verdict: Stay up

Norwich

Paul Lambert has done a superb job at Carrow Road and leading the Canaries to successive promotions is the stuff of dreams for a side regularly part of the top flight in the 90s.

This achievement cannot be underestimated and they are likely to claim a few Premier League scalps in East Anglia next term, such is the vociferous atmosphere the home fans will generate. But a real struggle looks on the cards for Norwich unless serious investment is forthcoming into Lambert’s squad over the summer.

The Scot will have to delve into the free transfer market of released top-flight journeymen to beef up his squad while he will hope the likes of Grant Holt and Andrew Crofts can handle the step up in class. He will also look to bring players in on loan again and persuading Arsenal and Liverpool to give them Henri Lansbury and Dani Pacheco for the season could be key.

Verdict: Relegated

QPR

Rangers romped to the Championship title and then survived a potential points docking to ensure they are back in the Premier League despite a nervous few days at the end to the season.

There is undoubted raw talent in Neil Warnock’s side with the likes of Adel Tarabt and Wayne Routledge but, again, money will need to be pumped into the squad for them to be competitive next season.

Despite having mega-rich owners, Warnock may only be given around £10million to improve his squad over the summer. That should give him scope to find some important players and they have the resources and experience to ensure the club’s long-term plan of establishing themselves in the Premier League can be achieved.

Verdict: Stay up

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Five things we learnt at the weekend