Tag Archives: reign

Can Spain reign without Villa?

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Reigning champions and 5/2 favourites Spain have been dealt a huge blow with the news star striker David Villa will miss this summer’s European Championship.

The Barcelona forward suffered a fractured tibia in December and has been sidelined since.

Vicente del Bosque had stated he would give Villa every chance to prove his fitness but the Spain coach, who will name his 23-man squad on Sunday, has now confirmed the striker will not be heading to Poland and Ukraine.

A Spanish Football Federation statement said: “David Villa spoke with Del Bosque, who relayed that although it was Villa’s wish to be with the team in Poland and Ukraine, that his physical state was ‘not as good’ as would be desirable.”

Villa’s goals were crucial for Spain in their Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010 successes.  The former Valencia man was the top scorer in 2008 and joint top scorer in 2010, narrowly missing out on the golden boot to Germany’s Thomas Muller, who had more assists.

It remains to be seen if Spain can be as dominant as they have been in recent years without Villa’s goals, but they have plenty of quality in other areas and other forwards who could step up and shoulder the goal scoring responsibility.

Chelsea’s Fernando Torres had been considered a doubt for selection after a disappointing campaign at Stamford Bridge but Del Bosque could hand the former Atletico Madrid frontman a place in his 23-man squad with Villa unavailable.  Torres appeared to be recapturing his form towards the end of the season and could view an international competition as a chance to re-establish himself as one of the most feared marksmen in the world.

Torres’ lack of action at club level could be of benefit to Spain, as he will not be suffering the same kind of fatigue other players who have played regularly over the season will be feeling and the Chelsea man can be backed at 20/1 to be the top scorer at Euro 2012.

Another man who could step up and fill the void left by Villa is Athletic Bilbao forward Fernando Lorente, who has seven goals in 20 caps to date and impressed for Bilbao this season as they reached the Europa League final.  Lorente, who is 16/1 to be the top scorer at Euro 2012, is a different type of forward to Villa and Spain may have to adapt their style to get the best out of the Bilbao star, but he is certainly a world class striker who is more than capable of firing Spain to glory at Euro 2012.

Other options include Barcelona’s Pedro, Atletico Madrid’s Adrian and Valencia’s Roberto Soldado, who has enjoyed a fantastic campaign at the Mestalla and has three goals in three Spanish caps to date.

Adrian is yet to receive a call up for the Spain squad, having represented them at youth level, but he has been included in the squad for their friendly fixtures against Serbia and South Korea ahead of Euro 2012, as has Soldado, Torres and Sevilla’s Álvaro Negredo, who has five goals in seven caps to date.

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Royals to reign over Clarets

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Friday’s Championship match pits two of the in-form teams in the division, Reading and Burnley, against one another as the battle for a play-off spot heats up.

The Royals have been steadily climbing the table and currently occupy that coveted sixth place, however, Burnley are desperately trying to claw their back into the play-off picture and three points could go a long way to helping their cause.

These two former Premier League clubs made poor stars to the season but have enjoyed an impressive turnaround in fortunes, Reading winning eight of the last ten to catapult themselves back into the top six.

The Royals came within the width of a post to securing a return to the top flight last season, losing out to Swansea in the play-off final.

As a result of their failure to make it back into the Premier League Reading were forced to sell off the likes of Shane Long and Matt Mills in order to balance the books. It was no surprise then that Reading made a slow start to the season, which has picked up recently following the takeover of Thames Valley Sports Investment.

The takeover by the Russian-backed consortium has given the whole club a lift, especially after they persuaded star winger Jimmy Kebe to sign a new deal.

As far as recent form goes the Royals have produced a mixed bag of results at home, losing to Stevenage in the FA Cup but battering West Ham and Brighton 3-0 in the league.

When they do win at home the Royals have kept clean sheets in six out of seven matches recently. As a result Reading to win 1-0 at 6/1 and 2-0 at 7/1 could well be worthwhile bets.

A look back at recent meetings between the two teams suggests Reading should win this one, bettering Burnley in their last four meetings.

However, the Clarets have happy memories of the Madejski Stadium having secured a place in the play-off final there in 2009. Burnley were ultimately promoted, but have struggled since coming straight back down the following season.

The board at Turf Moor decided to bring Eddie Howe in as manager in a bid to rebuild the club and after a shaky start their patience finally seems to be paying off. Burnley have lost three of the last 14 in the Championship, winning six of those games to move within five points and four places of Reading and the play-offs.

The Clarets picked up another three points against Barnsley at home in midweek, but it is their away form that has probably been more impressive, winning at the likes of Middlesbrough, Hull City, West Ham and Brighton in recent months.

Howe’s men are 11/4 to claim another victory on the road and with their crippling injury crisis finally starting to ease this price might tempt a few. Reading are 4/5, with the draw 12/5, and as previously mentioned the Royals to win to nil is the best bet if you fancy Brian McDermott’s men.

The Royals look to have the momentum, but as many punters have learned the outcome of matches in the Championship are tough to predict, especially when two in-form clubs meet.

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Juve could end Enrique reign

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Another weekend of Serie A football comes to an end on Monday when Juventus travel to the Olimpico to face this season’s surprise strugglers, AS Roma, in what may be coach Luis Enrique’s last game (AS Roma 11/4, draw 11/5, Juventus 11/10).

The team from the capital invested heavily in the summer but have failed to live up to expectations and currently languish in the bottom half of the table. They know victory on Monday could see them jump to sixth and only eight points short of the European spots.

However, after the 3-0 defeat to Fiorentina last Sunday the fans appear to have lost patience with the team and especially the coach. The red cards that Juan, Fernando Gago and Bojan Krkic picked up in that game means they will be seriously weakened for the clash, especially as they’re already missing Simon Kjaer, Marco Cassetti, Nicolas Burdisso, David Pizarro and Fabio Borini.

However, they still have a number of stars to call on and focal to their success could be the performance of captain and talisman Francesco Totti (15/8 to score a anytime). Like many of his teammates, the 35-year-old has struggled to adapt to Enrique’s system but undoubtedly still has the class to unlock any defence. The former Italy star will be looking to be looking to prove his leadership qualities following the Fiorentina debacle so look out for a big performance from the skipper.

In total contrast to the Giallorossi’s problems, Juventus have been flying this season and know victory will see them reclaim top spot from Udinese, as well as maintain their unbeaten run.

Il Bianconeri nearly came unstuck in the week when they were taken to extra time by Bologna in the Coppa Italia but made it though thanks to a late goal from Claudio Marchisio (11/4 to score at anytime).

Much of their fine form has been down to midfielder Marchisio, who seems to have come of age this season and is developing into a fine playmaker at both club and international level. Like Totti for Roma much of the positive aspects of the Antonio Conte’s side’s play goes through Marchisio so look for him to once again impress of Turin club.

Marchisio’s form could be the deciding factor in the game and Juve should come out comfortable victors, especially with all the problems Roma are experiencing. (Juventus 16/1 to win 3-0).

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Rojita to reign in Spain again

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Bet on SpainFollowing Spain’s shock defeat to England on Saturday, the nation’s under-21s get their chance to impress on Monday when they face their Swiss counterparts in Cordoba (Spain 1/4 for the win).

Much like the senior side, ‘La Rojita’ have been pretty much all conquering in the last few years and were impressive winners of the European Under-21 Championships in Denmark last summer.

Their form has continued and they currently sit top of their qualifying group for Euro 2013 in Israel, having recorded an impressive 6-0 victory over Estonia on Thursday.

Head coach Luis Milla has had to bring in a number of new faces since the triumph in the summer, with the likes of Juan Mata and Javi Martinez now considered permanent members of the senior side. This hasn’t halted their progress though.

Like the full side, the under-21 team is built around a core of players from Barcelona and at the heartbeat of this is creative midfielder Thiago Alcantara. Having starred in the aforementioned success in Denmark, Thiago has been superb this season and is now a regular in the Barca line-up, with coach Pep Guardiola often tinkering with his formation just to fit the mercurial youngster in. He will undoubtedly be pivotal in Andalucía and his performance could be the difference between victory and a draw for the Spanish (19/5 for the draw).

Another Spaniard to look out for is Athletic Bilbao forward Iker Muniain who for a long time has been tipped to become one of Europe’s top players. Having resisted the advances of a number of the continent’s big clubs, he finally appears to be fulfilling his potential. Now a regular at club and international level, Muniain’s pace and trickery can unlock any defence so expect him to get on the scoresheet at some point on Monday night.

Despite all this, Switzerland (15/2 to win) themselves are not a side to be discounted and will be looking to cause an upset at the El Arcangel. Much like Spain, Switzerland are currently experiencing somewhat of a ‘Golden Generation’ but have elected to put them straight into the senior side rather than blooding them in the juniors.

They are currently in good form after beating Georgia 5-0 on Thursday. Look out for striker Steven Zuber who bagged a hat-trick in that win. Zuber is a tricky individual and could cause the Spanish rearguard some major problems. With the confidence he gained from the Georgia demolition, he will fancy his chances of making an impact.

However, despite Switzerland’s fine form, Spain on paper look far stronger. Any team with the likes of Thiago and Muniain will fancy their chances against anyone so expect a comfortable victory for the European champions (Spain 10/1 for a 4-0 win).

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Manchester duo enjoy PL reign

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Following another rip-roaring weekend in the Premier League, it’s the two Manchester clubs that sit at the top of the table with three wins out of three apiece. City’s 5-1 demolition of Spurs was overshadowed by United’s amazing 8-2 rout of Arsenal but can Roberto Mancini’s men have the last laugh and end up Premier League champions come May?

Mancini’s City (2/1 Premier League outright) seem to have totally transformed themselves over the summer and, following several high-profile arrivals, now appear a free-flowing attacking side after being criticised last term for being too conservative. They were simply irresistible in Sunday’s 5-1 away victory at White Hart Lane and will be hard to stop this season.

Key to this has been the signing of Argentinian Sergio Aguero, whose movement and intelligence on the field seem to have given them a whole new dimension.

However, their real star so far has been Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko (7/2 top scorer) who, after a disappointing period following his transfer in January, is now the league’s top scorer after hitting four on Sunday.

With it looking more and more likely that striker Carlos Tevez will be staying at the club, City now look a major threat – both at home and abroad.

However, their local rivals United (11/10 outright) will undoubtedly have something say about that after their sensational 8-2 win over Arsenal on Sunday.

Although the Gunners had a number of their stars missing for the Old Trafford clash, United still produced an amazing display.

Wayne Rooney was the star-man, netting a hat-trick, and he will be looking to finally win the Premier League Golden Boot award after coming close on a number of occasions (3/1 Premier League top scorer).

Liverpool (16/1 Premier League outright) were another side to impress at the weekend and Kenny Dalglish’s second honeymoon at the club is continuing. His troops keep improving and the 3-1 win over Bolton has raised expectations further at Anfield.

In Luis Suarez they have one of the stars of the season so far and, with the likes of Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing supplying the ammunition, they may even now be considered an outside bet for the title.

And so to Arsenal. The Gunners have been many neutral fans’ favourite side over the last few seasons but at the minute they are floundering.

Injuries and suspensions were part of their downfall on Sunday but the recent departures of star duo Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri have left them bereft of world class players and boss Arsene Wenger is under pressure to spend big money on replacements.

He may not have the time, though, with the transfer window closing on Wednesday and Arsenal already face a real fight to get themselves back into the top four.

So, despite it still only being the end of August, the weekend just gone may turn out to be one of the most pivotal in the season.

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