Italy Vs. Ireland, 2012 European Championships: Is It Slovakia All Over Again?

You know what really doesn't make Italy fans giggle? Mentioning the 3-2 loss to Slovakia that caused them to crash out of the 2010 World Cup. The azzurri were sitting in exactly this position this time two years ago, having drawn their first two matches in the group stages. This time around, though, Italy can take small comfort in knowing that at least they're not finishing bottom -- Ireland has already taken that dubious honor. Yet if Italy can't manage a win on Monday in Poznan, they're flashing back to Johannesburg once again.

It should be simple enough. Not only have Ireland not managed a single point in Group C, but they haven't looked remotely capable of taking points off their competitors. The defence is a shambles (which anyone who's been forced to spend a season watching Aston Villa should have been able to tell you before this even started). The attack is what you would expect from Giovanni Trapattoni. Watching Ireland, you really wonder...how'd they even get here? And then you remember they beat Estonia in the playoffs.

Italy have the distinct advantage of looking competent -- most of the time, at least. The jury's still out on Mario Balotelli, but it's unlikely he'll start on Monday. Instead, Cesare Prandelli might revert back to a 4-3-1-2, with Antonios Cassano and Di Natale leading the attack. The defence will be totally revamped, with Andrea Barzagli fit again, stepping in to replace Leonardo Bonucci. Christian Maggio and Emanuele Giaccherini, both who have disappointed in the first two matches, make way for Federico Balzaretti and Ignazio Abate as fullbacks, with Daniele De Rossi moving back to midfield.

Barring any meltdowns, this is a team that should be able to easily sweep aside Ireland. Yet even if Italy wins 10-1, their fate is not entirely in their own hands (feet?). A 2-2 draw between Spain and Croatia -- or 3-3, 4-4, you get the idea -- keeps Italy from advancing. Oh, the irony...Italy are dependent on two teams not fixing a match.

Projected Lineups

Italy (4-3-1-2): Gianluigi Buffon; Federico Balzaretti, Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Ignazio Abate; Daniel de Rossi, Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio; Ricardo Montolivo; Antonio Cassano, Antonio di Natale.

Ireland (4-4-2):

Monty the Psychic Metal Disk says: I sense a Slovakia win, 3-2.

Game Date/Time: Monday, June 18th, 2:15 p.m. ET, 8:15 p.m. local

Venue:Municipal Stadium Poznan, Poznan, Poland

TV: ESPN 2 (USA), BBC 3 (UK), TSN 2 (Canada)

Online: ESPN3

We'll have live coverage of both of Monday's games simultaneously in our Euro 2012, Group C Finale StoryStream. For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on twitter.

View the original article here

Netherlands Vs. Denmark, 2012 European Championship: Total Football, Now With More Thuggery!

So much for the beautiful game. The Netherlands now engage in high-level face-breaking. Poor Christian Eriksen. Who could have guessed the Eredivisie would fail to prepare him for Dutch football?

Follow @SBNationSoccer

The Netherlands were once the most admired team in the world for their style of play, even though it won them nothing. Now they play a double pivot with Nigel De Jong and Mark van Bommel. Oh, how the times have changed.

Of course, the Netherlands still have some great attacking players and are by no means boring, but they're not the free-flowing, attacking side that everyone is used to when they hear the name of the country. They look a lot like the team they're going to play on Saturday, Denmark. Just with bigger name players who play for bigger clubs.

They're going up against a Denmark side that beat Portugal in qualifying to get here without going to a playoff, which is coincidentally the exact same way that they qualified for the 2010 World Cup. They're considered by most to be the bottom of the barrel team in this group of death, but it's a group of death because all four teams in the group are very good.

---

Related: Netherlands Team Preview | Denmark Team Preview | Christian Eriksen Profile | Robin van Persie Profile

---

Denmark and the Netherlands play slightly different versions of the world's formation de jour, the 4-2-3-1. Both will play with a true No. 10 in front of a double pivot, but that's where their similarities end. Even though the Netherlands isn't as attacking as they used to be, they're still a pretty fluid side. Denmark will stick to their shape. The Netherlands have very attacking wingers, while Denmark's are two-way players. And, perhaps most importantly, Denmark's two defensive midfielders do not feast on the blood of infants for sustenance. They'll have to hope that someone forgets to deliver Mark and Nigel's daily supply of small children to their hotel.

Dude, where's my total football?

Go talk to a football fan who grew up in the 1970s and they'll wax poetic endlessly about Johan Cruyff and the 'Brilliant Oranje'. Even though the Netherlands has never won the World Cup and Cruyff's team never won the European Championship, they're still talked about endlessly as one of the most brilliant groups of players ever. The likes of Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit played the same beautiful football en route to a 1988 European title. That football is dead.

You hear me? Dead.

See, the Netherlands have this problem where two of their best midfielders are nasty, kick-you-in-the-teeth, down and dirty scumbags. It doesn't really fit with the whole 'Total Football' thing the nation is famous for. So, Bert van Marwijk has decided, 'to hell with tradition, I'm building around my best players', and that got him to a World Cup final in 2010. Good for him! Karate kicks for everyone!

But wait, why do Netherlands have to play two holding midfielders? Denmark's not in their league, right?

Wrong! Denmark are actually pretty awesome. No, they don't have Arjen Robben or Robin van Persie, but Christian Eriksen is pretty darn good. The Ajax playmaker might use the Euro 2012 stage to catapult himself into the view of some of Europe's biggest clubs, though he'll have to do a lot to take the spotlight off of fellow young playmaker Alan Dzagoev. As easy as it is to make fun of Holland for being so conservative and playing two complete thugs in their midfield, it's actually a pretty good tactic for dealing with Denmark's best player.

Projected Netherlands Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maarten Stekelenberg; Jetro Willems, John Heitinga, Ron Vlaar, Gregory Van Der Wiel; Nigel De Johg, Mark van Bommel; Ibrahim Affelay, Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben; Robin van Persie

Projected Denmark Lineup (4-2-3-1): Anders Lindegaard; Simon Poulsen, Simon Kjaer, Daniel Agger, Lars Jacobsen; Niki Zimling, William Kvist; Michael Krohn-Delhi, Christian Eriksen, Dennis Rommedahl; Nicklas Bendtner

Monty the Psychic Metal Disk says: The face of the little man who wears No. 8 for Denmark will run red with blood while the men in Orange shirts do a celebratory dance. And later Robin van Persie will score. 1-0 Netherlands.

Game Date/Time: Saturday, 12 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. local

Venue: Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv, Ukraine

TV: ESPN (U.S. - English), ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), BBC One (U.K.), TSN 2 (Canada)

Online: ESPN3

For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

Germany Vs. Portugal, 2012 European Championship: Ronaldo To The Rescue?

Germany went into the 2010 World Cup as dark horses and a young team with promise. Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski were out of form for their clubs, but the trio of Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller, and Sami Khedira was mostly unknown and untested at the international level. They made a fantastic run to the semifinals, where they were outclassed by Spain. Two years later, they're deeper and more experienced.

They bulldozed their way through qualifying in a tough group, against Turkey and Belgium. For their efforts, they've been rewarded a place in the group of death. Their opponents on Saturday are the least accomplished team in the group over the last two major tournament qualifying cycles, Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo's side, one of the best in the world over the last 12 years, is the 'worst' team in their European Championship group. Yes, this is a bit absurd.

Ronaldo isn't the only great player on Portugal's team, and they more than have the goods to pull an upset on any team in the world, but they enter Saturday's game as big underdogs. Portugal might actually have the more in-form players on the pitch -- Jogi Löw might stay loyal to Klose, Müller and Mertesacker despite injuries and bad club form -- but they should struggle to find an answer for Germany's fantastic chemistry and cohesion.

---

Related: Germany Team Preview | Portugal Team Preview | Mario Gomez Profile | Cristiano Ronaldo Profile

---

Portugal has required a playoff to get to both the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. Life under Carlos Queiroz wasn't great, and life under new manager Paulo Bento is getting better slowly. Under his guidance, they faltered in their final qualifying group match against Denmark, which forced them to qualify via a playoff against Bosnia-Herzegovia. If it sounds like the nation of Luis Figo, Manuel Rui Costa and Ronaldo is underachieving, it's because they are, but it's not really Bento's fault.

See, Rui Costa was the last great Portuguese playmaker. They naturalized Deco to replace him, but by that point, Deco wasn't exactly young anymore and he's been out of the picture for a while. Danny surprisingly emerged to take his place, but a terrible injury took him out of the Euros. Someone has to help set up Ronaldo. He can't do everything himself.

Germany don't have Portugal's issues. There's no one superstar who carries the weight of a country on their shoulders, and there are plenty of guys who know how to pass a ball and play in an advanced central role. Marko Marin and Julian Draxler aren't in the team, while Mario Götze might never get off the bench. This is probably the biggest fundamental difference between the two sides.

Who needs defensive midfielders anyway?

Germany's double pivot will probably feature Bastian Schweinsteiger and Khedira, which is a pretty ridiculous pairing on paper. Both players are generally considered to be 'box-to-box' guys and both of them play with a midfielder who sits deeper than them at club level. Portugal play three central midfielders, and none of them are true defensive midfielders. Miguel Veloso will act as one, but he doesn't exactly have a knack for great positioning or muscling people off the ball. This could be a problem, because Germany have Özil. And speaking of him...

Expect a Real Madrid player to be the man of the match

If Portugal win, it'll probably be because Ronaldo willed them to victory. If Germany win, their best player is probably going to be Özil, Ronaldo's partner in crime at Real Madrid. Because Veloso isn't actually a defensive midfielder, there isn't actually going to be anyone doing a good job of preventing Özil from doing whatever he damn well pleases.

Name-drop Andre Schürrle to your unsuspecting friends

Andre Schürrle won't start for Germany, but you can expect to see him make an appearance off the bench. The young Bayer Leverkusen winger/forward has seven goals in 14 appearances for Germany and he looked fantastic in their pre-Euro friendlies. It wouldn't be stunning to see him come off the bench to either change the game in Germany's favor or help them to extend their lead. There's a legitimate argument for him starting over Müller.

Projected Germay Lineup (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer; Philipp Lahm, Holger Badstuber, Per Mertesacker, Jerome Boateng; Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger; Lukas Podolski, Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller; Miroslav Klose

Projected Portugal Lineup (4-3-3): Rui Patricio; Fabio Coentrao, Bruno Alves, Pepe, Joao Pereira; Miguel Veloso, Joao Moutinho, Raul Meireles; Cristiano Ronaldo, Helder Postiga, Nani

Monty the Psychic Metal Disk says: Ronaldo will make Boateng and Mertesacker look silly at least once, but the rest of his team isn't up to the task of containing the Germans. Özil looks like a magician in a 3-1 Germany win.

Game Date/Time: Saturday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local

Venue: Arena Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine

TV: ESPN (U.S. - English), ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), BBC One (U.K.), TSN (Canada)

Online: ESPN3

For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

Netherlands Vs. Denmark, 2012 European Championship: Total Football, Now With More Thuggery!

So much for the beautiful game. The Netherlands now engage in high-level face-breaking. Poor Christian Eriksen. Who could have guessed the Eredivisie would fail to prepare him for Dutch football?

Follow @SBNationSoccer

The Netherlands were once the most admired team in the world for their style of play, even though it won them nothing. Now they play a double pivot with Nigel De Jong and Mark van Bommel. Oh, how the times have changed.

Of course, the Netherlands still have some great attacking players and are by no means boring, but they're not the free-flowing, attacking side that everyone is used to when they hear the name of the country. They look a lot like the team they're going to play on Saturday, Denmark. Just with bigger name players who play for bigger clubs.

They're going up against a Denmark side that beat Portugal in qualifying to get here without going to a playoff, which is coincidentally the exact same way that they qualified for the 2010 World Cup. They're considered by most to be the bottom of the barrel team in this group of death, but it's a group of death because all four teams in the group are very good.

---

Related: Netherlands Team Preview | Denmark Team Preview | Christian Eriksen Profile | Robin van Persie Profile

---

Denmark and the Netherlands play slightly different versions of the world's formation de jour, the 4-2-3-1. Both will play with a true No. 10 in front of a double pivot, but that's where their similarities end. Even though the Netherlands isn't as attacking as they used to be, they're still a pretty fluid side. Denmark will stick to their shape. The Netherlands have very attacking wingers, while Denmark's are two-way players. And, perhaps most importantly, Denmark's two defensive midfielders do not feast on the blood of infants for sustenance. They'll have to hope that someone forgets to deliver Mark and Nigel's daily supply of small children to their hotel.

Dude, where's my total football?

Go talk to a football fan who grew up in the 1970s and they'll wax poetic endlessly about Johan Cruyff and the 'Brilliant Oranje'. Even though the Netherlands has never won the World Cup and Cruyff's team never won the European Championship, they're still talked about endlessly as one of the most brilliant groups of players ever. The likes of Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit played the same beautiful football en route to a 1988 European title. That football is dead.

You hear me? Dead.

See, the Netherlands have this problem where two of their best midfielders are nasty, kick-you-in-the-teeth, down and dirty scumbags. It doesn't really fit with the whole 'Total Football' thing the nation is famous for. So, Bert van Marwijk has decided, 'to hell with tradition, I'm building around my best players', and that got him to a World Cup final in 2010. Good for him! Karate kicks for everyone!

But wait, why do Netherlands have to play two holding midfielders? Denmark's not in their league, right?

Wrong! Denmark are actually pretty awesome. No, they don't have Arjen Robben or Robin van Persie, but Christian Eriksen is pretty darn good. The Ajax playmaker might use the Euro 2012 stage to catapult himself into the view of some of Europe's biggest clubs, though he'll have to do a lot to take the spotlight off of fellow young playmaker Alan Dzagoev. As easy as it is to make fun of Holland for being so conservative and playing two complete thugs in their midfield, it's actually a pretty good tactic for dealing with Denmark's best player.

Projected Netherlands Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maarten Stekelenberg; Jetro Willems, John Heitinga, Ron Vlaar, Gregory Van Der Wiel; Nigel De Johg, Mark van Bommel; Ibrahim Affelay, Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben; Robin van Persie

Projected Denmark Lineup (4-2-3-1): Anders Lindegaard; Simon Poulsen, Simon Kjaer, Daniel Agger, Lars Jacobsen; Niki Zimling, William Kvist; Michael Krohn-Delhi, Christian Eriksen, Dennis Rommedahl; Nicklas Bendtner

Monty the Psychic Metal Disk says: The face of the little man who wears No. 8 for Denmark will run red with blood while the men in Orange shirts do a celebratory dance. And later Robin van Persie will score. 1-0 Netherlands.

Game Date/Time: Saturday, 12 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. local

Venue: Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv, Ukraine

TV: ESPN (U.S. - English), ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), BBC One (U.K.), TSN 2 (Canada)

Online: ESPN3

For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

Germany Vs. Portugal, 2012 European Championship: Ronaldo To The Rescue?

Germany went into the 2010 World Cup as dark horses and a young team with promise. Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski were out of form for their clubs, but the trio of Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller, and Sami Khedira was mostly unknown and untested at the international level. They made a fantastic run to the semifinals, where they were outclassed by Spain. Two years later, they're deeper and more experienced.

They bulldozed their way through qualifying in a tough group, against Turkey and Belgium. For their efforts, they've been rewarded a place in the group of death. Their opponents on Saturday are the least accomplished team in the group over the last two major tournament qualifying cycles, Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo's side, one of the best in the world over the last 12 years, is the 'worst' team in their European Championship group. Yes, this is a bit absurd.

Ronaldo isn't the only great player on Portugal's team, and they more than have the goods to pull an upset on any team in the world, but they enter Saturday's game as big underdogs. Portugal might actually have the more in-form players on the pitch -- Jogi Löw might stay loyal to Klose, Müller and Mertesacker despite injuries and bad club form -- but they should struggle to find an answer for Germany's fantastic chemistry and cohesion.

---

Related: Germany Team Preview | Portugal Team Preview | Mario Gomez Profile | Cristiano Ronaldo Profile

---

Portugal has required a playoff to get to both the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. Life under Carlos Queiroz wasn't great, and life under new manager Paulo Bento is getting better slowly. Under his guidance, they faltered in their final qualifying group match against Denmark, which forced them to qualify via a playoff against Bosnia-Herzegovia. If it sounds like the nation of Luis Figo, Manuel Rui Costa and Ronaldo is underachieving, it's because they are, but it's not really Bento's fault.

See, Rui Costa was the last great Portuguese playmaker. They naturalized Deco to replace him, but by that point, Deco wasn't exactly young anymore and he's been out of the picture for a while. Danny surprisingly emerged to take his place, but a terrible injury took him out of the Euros. Someone has to help set up Ronaldo. He can't do everything himself.

Germany don't have Portugal's issues. There's no one superstar who carries the weight of a country on their shoulders, and there are plenty of guys who know how to pass a ball and play in an advanced central role. Marko Marin and Julian Draxler aren't in the team, while Mario Götze might never get off the bench. This is probably the biggest fundamental difference between the two sides.

Who needs defensive midfielders anyway?

Germany's double pivot will probably feature Bastian Schweinsteiger and Khedira, which is a pretty ridiculous pairing on paper. Both players are generally considered to be 'box-to-box' guys and both of them play with a midfielder who sits deeper than them at club level. Portugal play three central midfielders, and none of them are true defensive midfielders. Miguel Veloso will act as one, but he doesn't exactly have a knack for great positioning or muscling people off the ball. This could be a problem, because Germany have Özil. And speaking of him...

Expect a Real Madrid player to be the man of the match

If Portugal win, it'll probably be because Ronaldo willed them to victory. If Germany win, their best player is probably going to be Özil, Ronaldo's partner in crime at Real Madrid. Because Veloso isn't actually a defensive midfielder, there isn't actually going to be anyone doing a good job of preventing Özil from doing whatever he damn well pleases.

Name-drop Andre Schürrle to your unsuspecting friends

Andre Schürrle won't start for Germany, but you can expect to see him make an appearance off the bench. The young Bayer Leverkusen winger/forward has seven goals in 14 appearances for Germany and he looked fantastic in their pre-Euro friendlies. It wouldn't be stunning to see him come off the bench to either change the game in Germany's favor or help them to extend their lead. There's a legitimate argument for him starting over Müller.

Projected Germay Lineup (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer; Philipp Lahm, Holger Badstuber, Per Mertesacker, Jerome Boateng; Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger; Lukas Podolski, Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller; Miroslav Klose

Projected Portugal Lineup (4-3-3): Rui Patricio; Fabio Coentrao, Bruno Alves, Pepe, Joao Pereira; Miguel Veloso, Joao Moutinho, Raul Meireles; Cristiano Ronaldo, Helder Postiga, Nani

Monty the Psychic Metal Disk says: Ronaldo will make Boateng and Mertesacker look silly at least once, but the rest of his team isn't up to the task of containing the Germans. Özil looks like a magician in a 3-1 Germany win.

Game Date/Time: Saturday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local

Venue: Arena Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine

TV: ESPN (U.S. - English), ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), BBC One (U.K.), TSN (Canada)

Online: ESPN3

For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

Germany Vs. Portugal, 2012 European Championship: Ronaldo To The Rescue?

Germany went into the 2010 World Cup as dark horses and a young team with promise. Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski were out of form for their clubs, but the trio of Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller, and Sami Khedira was mostly unknown and untested at the international level. They made a fantastic run to the semifinals, where they were outclassed by Spain. Two years later, they're deeper and more experienced.

They bulldozed their way through qualifying in a tough group, against Turkey and Belgium. For their efforts, they've been rewarded a place in the group of death. Their opponents on Saturday are the least accomplished team in the group over the last two major tournament qualifying cycles, Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo's side, one of the best in the world over the last 12 years, is the 'worst' team in their European Championship group. Yes, this is a bit absurd.

Ronaldo isn't the only great player on Portugal's team, and they more than have the goods to pull an upset on any team in the world, but they enter Saturday's game as big underdogs. Portugal might actually have the more in-form players on the pitch -- Jogi Löw might stay loyal to Klose, Müller and Mertesacker despite injuries and bad club form -- but they should struggle to find an answer for Germany's fantastic chemistry and cohesion.

---

Related: Germany Team Preview | Portugal Team Preview | Mario Gomez Profile | Cristiano Ronaldo Profile

---

Portugal has required a playoff to get to both the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. Life under Carlos Queiroz wasn't great, and life under new manager Paulo Bento is getting better slowly. Under his guidance, they faltered in their final qualifying group match against Denmark, which forced them to qualify via a playoff against Bosnia-Herzegovia. If it sounds like the nation of Luis Figo, Manuel Rui Costa and Ronaldo is underachieving, it's because they are, but it's not really Bento's fault.

See, Rui Costa was the last great Portuguese playmaker. They naturalized Deco to replace him, but by that point, Deco wasn't exactly young anymore and he's been out of the picture for a while. Danny surprisingly emerged to take his place, but a terrible injury took him out of the Euros. Someone has to help set up Ronaldo. He can't do everything himself.

Germany don't have Portugal's issues. There's no one superstar who carries the weight of a country on their shoulders, and there are plenty of guys who know how to pass a ball and play in an advanced central role. Marko Marin and Julian Draxler aren't in the team, while Mario Götze might never get off the bench. This is probably the biggest fundamental difference between the two sides.

Who needs defensive midfielders anyway?

Germany's double pivot will probably feature Bastian Schweinsteiger and Khedira, which is a pretty ridiculous pairing on paper. Both players are generally considered to be 'box-to-box' guys and both of them play with a midfielder who sits deeper than them at club level. Portugal play three central midfielders, and none of them are true defensive midfielders. Miguel Veloso will act as one, but he doesn't exactly have a knack for great positioning or muscling people off the ball. This could be a problem, because Germany have Özil. And speaking of him...

Expect a Real Madrid player to be the man of the match

If Portugal win, it'll probably be because Ronaldo willed them to victory. If Germany win, their best player is probably going to be Özil, Ronaldo's partner in crime at Real Madrid. Because Veloso isn't actually a defensive midfielder, there isn't actually going to be anyone doing a good job of preventing Özil from doing whatever he damn well pleases.

Name-drop Andre Schürrle to your unsuspecting friends

Andre Schürrle won't start for Germany, but you can expect to see him make an appearance off the bench. The young Bayer Leverkusen winger/forward has seven goals in 14 appearances for Germany and he looked fantastic in their pre-Euro friendlies. It wouldn't be stunning to see him come off the bench to either change the game in Germany's favor or help them to extend their lead. There's a legitimate argument for him starting over Müller.

Projected Germay Lineup (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer; Philipp Lahm, Holger Badstuber, Per Mertesacker, Jerome Boateng; Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger; Lukas Podolski, Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller; Miroslav Klose

Projected Portugal Lineup (4-3-3): Rui Patricio; Fabio Coentrao, Bruno Alves, Pepe, Joao Pereira; Miguel Veloso, Joao Moutinho, Raul Meireles; Cristiano Ronaldo, Helder Postiga, Nani

Monty the Psychic Metal Disk says: Ronaldo will make Boateng and Mertesacker look silly at least once, but the rest of his team isn't up to the task of containing the Germans. Özil looks like a magician in a 3-1 Germany win.

Game Date/Time: Saturday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local

Venue: Arena Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine

TV: ESPN (U.S. - English), ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), BBC One (U.K.), TSN (Canada)

Online: ESPN3

For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

Germany Vs. Portugal, 2012 European Championship: Ronaldo To The Rescue?

Germany went into the 2010 World Cup as dark horses and a young team with promise. Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski were out of form for their clubs, but the trio of Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller, and Sami Khedira was mostly unknown and untested at the international level. They made a fantastic run to the semifinals, where they were outclassed by Spain. Two years later, they're deeper and more experienced.

They bulldozed their way through qualifying in a tough group, against Turkey and Belgium. For their efforts, they've been rewarded a place in the group of death. Their opponents on Saturday are the least accomplished team in the group over the last two major tournament qualifying cycles, Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo's side, one of the best in the world over the last 12 years, is the 'worst' team in their European Championship group. Yes, this is a bit absurd.

Ronaldo isn't the only great player on Portugal's team, and they more than have the goods to pull an upset on any team in the world, but they enter Saturday's game as big underdogs. Portugal might actually have the more in-form players on the pitch -- Jogi Löw might stay loyal to Klose, Müller and Mertesacker despite injuries and bad club form -- but they should struggle to find an answer for Germany's fantastic chemistry and cohesion.

---

Related: Germany Team Preview | Portugal Team Preview | Mario Gomez Profile | Cristiano Ronaldo Profile

---

Portugal has required a playoff to get to both the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. Life under Carlos Queiroz wasn't great, and life under new manager Paulo Bento is getting better slowly. Under his guidance, they faltered in their final qualifying group match against Denmark, which forced them to qualify via a playoff against Bosnia-Herzegovia. If it sounds like the nation of Luis Figo, Manuel Rui Costa and Ronaldo is underachieving, it's because they are, but it's not really Bento's fault.

See, Rui Costa was the last great Portuguese playmaker. They naturalized Deco to replace him, but by that point, Deco wasn't exactly young anymore and he's been out of the picture for a while. Danny surprisingly emerged to take his place, but a terrible injury took him out of the Euros. Someone has to help set up Ronaldo. He can't do everything himself.

Germany don't have Portugal's issues. There's no one superstar who carries the weight of a country on their shoulders, and there are plenty of guys who know how to pass a ball and play in an advanced central role. Marko Marin and Julian Draxler aren't in the team, while Mario Götze might never get off the bench. This is probably the biggest fundamental difference between the two sides.

Who needs defensive midfielders anyway?

Germany's double pivot will probably feature Bastian Schweinsteiger and Khedira, which is a pretty ridiculous pairing on paper. Both players are generally considered to be 'box-to-box' guys and both of them play with a midfielder who sits deeper than them at club level. Portugal play three central midfielders, and none of them are true defensive midfielders. Miguel Veloso will act as one, but he doesn't exactly have a knack for great positioning or muscling people off the ball. This could be a problem, because Germany have Özil. And speaking of him...

Expect a Real Madrid player to be the man of the match

If Portugal win, it'll probably be because Ronaldo willed them to victory. If Germany win, their best player is probably going to be Özil, Ronaldo's partner in crime at Real Madrid. Because Veloso isn't actually a defensive midfielder, there isn't actually going to be anyone doing a good job of preventing Özil from doing whatever he damn well pleases.

Name-drop Andre Schürrle to your unsuspecting friends

Andre Schürrle won't start for Germany, but you can expect to see him make an appearance off the bench. The young Bayer Leverkusen winger/forward has seven goals in 14 appearances for Germany and he looked fantastic in their pre-Euro friendlies. It wouldn't be stunning to see him come off the bench to either change the game in Germany's favor or help them to extend their lead. There's a legitimate argument for him starting over Müller.

Projected Germay Lineup (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer; Philipp Lahm, Holger Badstuber, Per Mertesacker, Jerome Boateng; Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger; Lukas Podolski, Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller; Miroslav Klose

Projected Portugal Lineup (4-3-3): Rui Patricio; Fabio Coentrao, Bruno Alves, Pepe, Joao Pereira; Miguel Veloso, Joao Moutinho, Raul Meireles; Cristiano Ronaldo, Helder Postiga, Nani

Monty the Psychic Metal Disk says: Ronaldo will make Boateng and Mertesacker look silly at least once, but the rest of his team isn't up to the task of containing the Germans. Özil looks like a magician in a 3-1 Germany win.

Game Date/Time: Saturday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local

Venue: Arena Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine

TV: ESPN (U.S. - English), ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), BBC One (U.K.), TSN (Canada)

Online: ESPN3

For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

Germany Vs. Portugal, 2012 European Championship: Ronaldo To The Rescue?

Germany went into the 2010 World Cup as dark horses and a young team with promise. Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski were out of form for their clubs, but the trio of Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller, and Sami Khedira was mostly unknown and untested at the international level. They made a fantastic run to the semifinals, where they were outclassed by Spain. Two years later, they're deeper and more experienced.

They bulldozed their way through qualifying in a tough group, against Turkey and Belgium. For their efforts, they've been rewarded a place in the group of death. Their opponents on Saturday are the least accomplished team in the group over the last two major tournament qualifying cycles, Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo's side, one of the best in the world over the last 12 years, is the 'worst' team in their European Championship group. Yes, this is a bit absurd.

Ronaldo isn't the only great player on Portugal's team, and they more than have the goods to pull an upset on any team in the world, but they enter Saturday's game as big underdogs. Portugal might actually have the more in-form players on the pitch -- Jogi Löw might stay loyal to Klose, Müller and Mertesacker despite injuries and bad club form -- but they should struggle to find an answer for Germany's fantastic chemistry and cohesion.

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Related: Germany Team Preview | Portugal Team Preview | Mario Gomez Profile | Cristiano Ronaldo Profile

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Portugal has required a playoff to get to both the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. Life under Carlos Queiroz wasn't great, and life under new manager Paulo Bento is getting better slowly. Under his guidance, they faltered in their final qualifying group match against Denmark, which forced them to qualify via a playoff against Bosnia-Herzegovia. If it sounds like the nation of Luis Figo, Manuel Rui Costa and Ronaldo is underachieving, it's because they are, but it's not really Bento's fault.

See, Rui Costa was the last great Portuguese playmaker. They naturalized Deco to replace him, but by that point, Deco wasn't exactly young anymore and he's been out of the picture for a while. Danny surprisingly emerged to take his place, but a terrible injury took him out of the Euros. Someone has to help set up Ronaldo. He can't do everything himself.

Germany don't have Portugal's issues. There's no one superstar who carries the weight of a country on their shoulders, and there are plenty of guys who know how to pass a ball and play in an advanced central role. Marko Marin and Julian Draxler aren't in the team, while Mario Götze might never get off the bench. This is probably the biggest fundamental difference between the two sides.

Who needs defensive midfielders anyway?

Germany's double pivot will probably feature Bastian Schweinsteiger and Khedira, which is a pretty ridiculous pairing on paper. Both players are generally considered to be 'box-to-box' guys and both of them play with a midfielder who sits deeper than them at club level. Portugal play three central midfielders, and none of them are true defensive midfielders. Miguel Veloso will act as one, but he doesn't exactly have a knack for great positioning or muscling people off the ball. This could be a problem, because Germany have Özil. And speaking of him...

Expect a Real Madrid player to be the man of the match

If Portugal win, it'll probably be because Ronaldo willed them to victory. If Germany win, their best player is probably going to be Özil, Ronaldo's partner in crime at Real Madrid. Because Veloso isn't actually a defensive midfielder, there isn't actually going to be anyone doing a good job of preventing Özil from doing whatever he damn well pleases.

Name-drop Andre Schürrle to your unsuspecting friends

Andre Schürrle won't start for Germany, but you can expect to see him make an appearance off the bench. The young Bayer Leverkusen winger/forward has seven goals in 14 appearances for Germany and he looked fantastic in their pre-Euro friendlies. It wouldn't be stunning to see him come off the bench to either change the game in Germany's favor or help them to extend their lead. There's a legitimate argument for him starting over Müller.

Projected Germay Lineup (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer; Philipp Lahm, Holger Badstuber, Per Mertesacker, Jerome Boateng; Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger; Lukas Podolski, Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller; Miroslav Klose

Projected Portugal Lineup (4-3-3): Rui Patricio; Fabio Coentrao, Bruno Alves, Pepe, Joao Pereira; Miguel Veloso, Joao Moutinho, Raul Meireles; Cristiano Ronaldo, Helder Postiga, Nani

Monty the Psychic Metal Disk says: Ronaldo will make Boateng and Mertesacker look silly at least once, but the rest of his team isn't up to the task of containing the Germans. Özil looks like a magician in a 3-1 Germany win.

Game Date/Time: Saturday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local

Venue: Arena Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine

TV: ESPN (U.S. - English), ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), BBC One (U.K.), TSN (Canada)

Online: ESPN3

For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.

View the original article here

Germany Vs. Portugal, 2012 European Championship: Ronaldo To The Rescue?

Portugal have Cristiano Ronaldo. Otherwise, they're not as good as Germany. Expect to see a great performance from Ronaldo's club teammate Mesut Özil.

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Germany went into the 2010 World Cup as dark horses and a young team with promise. Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski were out of form for their clubs, but the trio of Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller, and Sami Khedira was mostly unknown and untested at the international level. They made a fantastic run to the semifinals, where they were outclassed by Spain. Two years later, they're deeper and more experienced.

They bulldozed their way through qualifying in a tough group, against Turkey and Belgium. For their efforts, they've been rewarded a place in the group of death. Their opponents on Saturday are the least accomplished team in the group over the last two major tournament qualifying cycles, Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo's side, one of the best in the world over the last 12 years, is the 'worst' team in their European Championship group. Yes, this is a bit absurd.

Ronaldo isn't the only great player on Portugal's team, and they more than have the goods to pull an upset on any team in the world, but they enter Saturday's game as big underdogs. Portugal might actually have the more in-form players on the pitch -- Jogi Löw might stay loyal to Klose, Müller and Mertesacker despite injuries and bad club form -- but they should struggle to find an answer for Germany's fantastic chemistry and cohesion.

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Related: Germany Team Preview | Portugal Team Preview | Mario Gomez Profile | Cristiano Ronaldo Profile

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Portugal has required a playoff to get to both the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. Life under Carlos Queiroz wasn't great, and life under new manager Paulo Bento is getting better slowly. Under his guidance, they faltered in their final qualifying group match against Denmark, which forced them to qualify via a playoff against Bosnia-Herzegovia. If it sounds like the nation of Luis Figo, Manuel Rui Costa and Ronaldo is underachieving, it's because they are, but it's not really Bento's fault.

See, Rui Costa was the last great Portuguese playmaker. They naturalized Deco to replace him, but by that point, Deco wasn't exactly young anymore and he's been out of the picture for a while. Danny surprisingly emerged to take his place, but a terrible injury took him out of the Euros. Someone has to help set up Ronaldo. He can't do everything himself.

Germany don't have Portugal's issues. There's no one superstar who carries the weight of a country on their shoulders, and there are plenty of guys who know how to pass a ball and play in an advanced central role. Marko Marin and Julian Draxler aren't in the team, while Mario Götze might never get off the bench. This is probably the biggest fundamental difference between the two sides.

Who needs defensive midfielders anyway?

Germany's double pivot will probably feature Bastian Schweinsteiger and Khedira, which is a pretty ridiculous pairing on paper. Both players are generally considered to be 'box-to-box' guys and both of them play with a midfielder who sits deeper than them at club level. Portugal play three central midfielders, and none of them are true defensive midfielders. Miguel Veloso will act as one, but he doesn't exactly have a knack for great positioning or muscling people off the ball. This could be a problem, because Germany have Özil. And speaking of him...

Expect a Real Madrid player to be the man of the match

If Portugal win, it'll probably be because Ronaldo willed them to victory. If Germany win, their best player is probably going to be Özil, Ronaldo's partner in crime at Real Madrid. Because Veloso isn't actually a defensive midfielder, there isn't actually going to be anyone doing a good job of preventing Özil from doing whatever he damn well pleases.

Name-drop Andre Schürrle to your unsuspecting friends

Andre Schürrle won't start for Germany, but you can expect to see him make an appearance off the bench. The young Bayer Leverkusen winger/forward has seven goals in 14 appearances for Germany and he looked fantastic in their pre-Euro friendlies. It wouldn't be stunning to see him come off the bench to either change the game in Germany's favor or help them to extend their lead. There's a legitimate argument for him starting over Müller.

Projected Germay Lineup (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer; Philipp Lahm, Holger Badstuber, Per Mertesacker, Jerome Boateng; Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger; Lukas Podolski, Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller; Miroslav Klose

Projected Portugal Lineup (4-3-3): Rui Patricio; Fabio Coentrao, Bruno Alves, Pepe, Joao Pereira; Miguel Veloso, Joao Moutinho, Raul Meireles; Cristiano Ronaldo, Helder Postiga, Nani

Monty the Psychic Metal Disk says: Ronaldo will make Boateng and Mertesacker look silly at least once, but the rest of his team isn't up to the task of containing the Germans. Özil looks like a magician in a 3-1 Germany win.

Game Date/Time: Saturday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local

Venue: Arena Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine

TV: ESPN (U.S. - English), ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), BBC One (U.K.), TSN (Canada)

Online: ESPN3

For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.

View the original article here

Peliculas Online

Netherlands Vs. Denmark, 2012 European Championship: Total Football, Now With More Thuggery!

So much for the beautiful game. The Netherlands now engage in high-level face-breaking. Poor Christian Eriksen. Who could have guessed the Eredivisie would fail to prepare him for Dutch football?

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The Netherlands were once the most admired team in the world for their style of play, even though it won them nothing. Now they play a double pivot with Nigel De Jong and Mark van Bommel. Oh, how the times have changed.

Of course, the Netherlands still have some great attacking players and are by no means boring, but they're not the free-flowing, attacking side that everyone is used to when they hear the name of the country. They look a lot like the team they're going to play on Saturday, Denmark. Just with bigger name players who play for bigger clubs.

They're going up against a Denmark side that beat Portugal in qualifying to get here without going to a playoff, which is coincidentally the exact same way that they qualified for the 2010 World Cup. They're considered by most to be the bottom of the barrel team in this group of death, but it's a group of death because all four teams in the group are very good.

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Related: Netherlands Team Preview | Denmark Team Preview | Christian Eriksen Profile | Robin van Persie Profile

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Denmark and the Netherlands play slightly different versions of the world's formation de jour, the 4-2-3-1. Both will play with a true No. 10 in front of a double pivot, but that's where their similarities end. Even though the Netherlands isn't as attacking as they used to be, they're still a pretty fluid side. Denmark will stick to their shape. The Netherlands have very attacking wingers, while Denmark's are two-way players. And, perhaps most importantly, Denmark's two defensive midfielders do not feast on the blood of infants for sustenance. They'll have to hope that someone forgets to deliver Mark and Nigel's daily supply of small children to their hotel.

Dude, where's my total football?

Go talk to a football fan who grew up in the 1970s and they'll wax poetic endlessly about Johan Cruyff and the 'Brilliant Oranje'. Even though the Netherlands has never won the World Cup and Cruyff's team never won the European Championship, they're still talked about endlessly as one of the most brilliant groups of players ever. The likes of Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit played the same beautiful football en route to a 1988 European title. That football is dead.

You hear me? Dead.

See, the Netherlands have this problem where two of their best midfielders are nasty, kick-you-in-the-teeth, down and dirty scumbags. It doesn't really fit with the whole 'Total Football' thing the nation is famous for. So, Bert van Marwijk has decided, 'to hell with tradition, I'm building around my best players', and that got him to a World Cup final in 2010. Good for him! Karate kicks for everyone!

But wait, why do Netherlands have to play two holding midfielders? Denmark's not in their league, right?

Wrong! Denmark are actually pretty awesome. No, they don't have Arjen Robben or Robin van Persie, but Christian Eriksen is pretty darn good. The Ajax playmaker might use the Euro 2012 stage to catapult himself into the view of some of Europe's biggest clubs, though he'll have to do a lot to take the spotlight off of fellow young playmaker Alan Dzagoev. As easy as it is to make fun of Holland for being so conservative and playing two complete thugs in their midfield, it's actually a pretty good tactic for dealing with Denmark's best player.

Projected Netherlands Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maarten Stekelenberg; Jetro Willems, John Heitinga, Ron Vlaar, Gregory Van Der Wiel; Nigel De Johg, Mark van Bommel; Ibrahim Affelay, Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben; Robin van Persie

Projected Denmark Lineup (4-2-3-1): Anders Lindegaard; Simon Poulsen, Simon Kjaer, Daniel Agger, Lars Jacobsen; Niki Zimling, William Kvist; Michael Krohn-Delhi, Christian Eriksen, Dennis Rommedahl; Nicklas Bendtner

Monty the Psychic Metal Disk says: The face of the little man who wears No. 8 for Denmark will run red with blood while the men in Orange shirts do a celebratory dance. And later Robin van Persie will score. 1-0 Netherlands.

Game Date/Time: Saturday, 12 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. local

Venue: Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv, Ukraine

TV: ESPN (U.S. - English), ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), BBC One (U.K.), TSN 2 (Canada)

Online: ESPN3

For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.

View the original article here