This article is part of the Guardian’s Women’s Euro 2022 Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 16 countries who have qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from two countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 6 July.
Overview
The team that impressed the world by surprisingly reaching the quarter-finals of the 2019 World Cup is back, with the same core group of players and some young tyros. This could be the last chance for this golden generation to make their mark but in some ways a European Championship could be even more difficult than a World Cup and the bookmakers consider Italy eight teams likelier favourites for…
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has not ruled out continuing his striker-less experiment against Ireland at Euro 2012 on Thursday.
The sides clash in a crucial Group C encounter in Gdansk, with both teams failing to taste victory in their first matches of the tournament.
Spain – who played out a 1-1 draw against Italy on Sunday – have been criticised for playing without a recognised striker in their 4-3-3 formation.
Despite having the likes of Fernando Torres, Fernando Llorente and Alvaro Negredo at his disposal, del Bosque opted to use Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas at the top of a three-man attack that included David Silva and Andres Iniesta.
It was a controversial move and Italy – who played a 3-5-2 formation that crowded the midfield – suc…
FIFA has confirmed Qatar will host the Club World Cup in both 2019 and 2020 before the competition undergoes a substantial revamp.
Champions League winners Liverpool will be among the teams competing for this year s title, which is expected to take place in December.
The two tournaments will act as warm-up events for the 2022 World Cup, which will also be held in Qatar.
Those finals are being played in November and December in order to avoid the extreme summer temperatures in the Gulf state.
FIFA s next council meeting will include a discussion about potential hosts for the 2021 Club World Cup, when the tournament to be expanded to 24 teams as part of a major remodelling.
Real Madrid have won the past three Club World Cups and no team outside Spa…
Lorenzo Pellegrini s red card was the decisive moment in Italy s 2-2 draw with Belgium on Thursday, so says Luciano Spalletti.
Italy dropped points for the first time in Nations League Group A2 despite Andrea Cambiaso and Mateo Retegui handing the Azzurri a two-goal advantage.
But five minutes before the interval, Pellegrini was shown a straight red card for a tackle on Arthur Theate. The Roma midfielder had first been given a yellow by the referee before a VAR review.
As he left the field, several whistles from the fans were aimed at Pellegrini, who became the first Italy player to receive a straight red card since Domenico Criscito in June 2018.
Maxim De Cuyper reduced the deficit two minutes later before Leandro Trossard sealed a share of the spoils i…
Spain became the first country to win three successive internationals tournaments with a 4-0 win over Italy in the final of Euro 2012.
Goals from David Silva, Jordi Alba, Fernando Torres and Juan Mata sealed the biggest ever final margin over surprise finalists Italy at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev on Sunday, as Spain retained the title they won under Luis Aragones in Austria and Switzerland four years ago.
Together with their 2010 FIFA World Cup triumph in South Africa, Vicente Del Bosque s side have now earned the right to be considered one of the greatest teams in the history of international competition.
Spain took the lead as early as the 14th minute through Manchester City midfielder Silva, who headed home Cesc Fabregas cut-back after some good work down th…
Carlo Ancelotti has described 2022 as one of his most special years after guiding Real Madrid to Champions League and LaLiga glory.
Los Blancos victory over Liverpool in Paris in May saw Ancelotti become the first coach to win Europe s premier club competition on four occasions.
The 63-year-old, who has been linked with the vacant Brazil job, has reflected on a wonderful year and believes it ranks with the best in his career.
This is a special year that came after a fairly troubled period, he told Il Foglio.
It was thought that my career was coming to an end. It was a unique season because of how we won, especially in the Champions League.
Spectacular comebacks, overturning all predictions with a thousand difficulties to overcome. I consider th…
Santi Cazorla s remarkable resurgence from a career-threatening injury continues after he was named in the Spain squad for the first time since 2015 for Euro 2020 qualifiers against Faroe Islands and Sweden.
The final three years of Cazorla s Arsenal spell were wrecked by serious physical problems, starting with knee ligament damage in November 2015, before issues with his Achilles tendon arose.
Initially the midfielder suffered from two bouts of Achilles tendonitis, but his skin in the surrounding area began to deteriorate and infection set in, resulting in the loss of 10 centimetres of the tendon.
Even after having reconstructive surgery and a skin graft, Cazorla was warned he may never be able to walk properly again, let alone play football.
But after …
For the second straight Sunday, both of our NFL survivor pool picks — savvy and safe — were spot on. The latter of those two categories advancing to Week 7 of the schedule unblemished.
We still have more than 80 percent of the 32 teams at our disposal but with fortunes flipping and injury reports growing by the game, selecting a solid survivor pool pick is getting trickier — even when leaning on those big favorites… And boy do we have some big-ass faves in Week 7.
Here are my Week 7 survivor pool picks — savvy and safe — as well as one team to avoid. Good luck.
…
Sunday night football will feature Week 2 preseason action between the visiting Baltimore Ravens and the Arizona Cardinals. I’m suggesting bettors ignore the noise around the visitor’s preseason record and instead look at the lineups both teams will be rolling out.
Big-name starters are not expected to see the field Sunday night on both sides but it’s the Cards and the points that have me leaning on a side despite likely playing their No. 3 and No. 4 quarterbacks.
Find out my free best NFL picks and predictions for SNF’s preseason battle between the Ravens and Cardinals.
…
Football. Is. Back.
Sure, it may just be the preseason. But it’s been so long, it’s a joy just to have football back in our lives to dissect, watch, and love.
The Minnesota Vikings enter 2023 fresh off a 13-4 performance that earned them first place in the 2022 NFC North Division.
They’ll look to get the wheels turning in Game 1 of the preseason against the Seattle Seahawks, who went 9-8 a year ago.
Preseason NFL odds are very arbitrary, but this spread really doesn’t make a ton of sense. Read on for my best bet and full NFL preseason picks and predictions for Vikings vs. Seahawks on Thursday, August 10.