Showing posts with label Wales. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wales. Show all posts

Monday, February 24, 2014

Euro 2016 qualifying draw: England face Switzerland and Slovenia


England have been handed a straightforward qualifying campaign for Euro 2016 while Scotland and the Republic of Ireland will face each other for a place at the finals in France.

Roy Hodgson's side were drawn in Group E along with Switzerland the team he led to the 1994 World Cup finals – Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania and San Marino.

England have never played Lithuania, but San Marino have been regular opponents in 1993 they famously scored after only 8.3 seconds against England after an attempted back-pass by Stuart Pearce.

England went on to win 7-1 and have scored at least five goals in the four games they have played. Estonia should also pose little problem, with England playing them twice in 2007 and winning 3-0 home and away. Switzerland will be the biggest challenge, having secured a 2-2 draw at Wembley in qualifying for Euro 2012.


Scotland and the Republic have tough campaigns ahead after being drawn together in Group D along with Germany, Poland and Georgia, as well as Uefa's newest member Gibraltar, who were drawn to Group C with Spain but were switched to D for political reasons.

Wales have a shot at a play-off place or better in Group B, where they will face Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belgium, Israel, Cyprus and Andorra.

It is a similar story for Northern Ireland, who were drawn in Group F with Greece, Hungary, Romania, Finland and the Faroe Islands in a competitive-looking group.

The top two in each group will qualify for the 24-team final tournament along with the hosts France. The best third-placed team will also qualify, with the eight other third-placed sides playing off for the remaining four spots.

This will be the first European Championship with 24 teams and there has been criticism and suggestions that the expanded number of teams will dilute the quality of the tournament.

Hodgson however disagrees, saying the standard of football has improved across Europe.

He told uefa.com: "Going back to the 70s, when you had the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, there was nothing like 54 teams we have today. There was a much smaller pool.

"Now, the tournament's much bigger and qualifying becomes more difficult because the teams who used to be happy just to play the so-called bigger nations and play at San Siro or at the BernabĂ©u – they come to beat you."

Groups for Euro 2016 qualifying
Group A: Holland, Kazakhstan, Iceland, Latvia, Turkey, Czech Republic

Group B: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus, Andorra, Wales, Israel, Belgium

Group C: Spain, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Belarus, Slovakia, Ukraine

Group D: Germany, Gibraltar, Georgia, Scotland, Poland, Republic of Ireland

Group E: England, San Marino, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovenia, Switzerland

Group F: Greece, Faroe Islands, Northern Ireland, Finland, Romania, Hungary

Group G: Russia, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, Austria, Sweden

Group H: Italy, Malta, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Norway, Croatia

Group I: Portugal, Albania, Armenia, Serbia, Denmark

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Sunday, February 9, 2014

Swansea vs. Cardiff: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info for South Wales Derby 2014

One of the oldest rivalries in football will resume as Swansea City takes on Cardiff City in the South Wales derby.
These two clubs have battled in various divisions of English football and will now compete for the second time this season in the Premier League. While Cardiff won the first contest 1-0 at home, Swansea will try not to allow a double on their home turf.
Cardiff enter the match seven places behind Swansea in the league table, although only three points separate the two. This means that a victory in this battle could pull them even with their rival in the standings.
The fans are certainly ready for this competition and the players will be as well as both sides want to get the better of their opponent. With pride and standing in the league table on the line, this is certain to be an exciting battle.

Who will win? Swansea Cardiff Draw Submit Vote vote to see results Who will win? Swansea 66.7% Cardiff 33.3% Draw 0.0% Total votes: 3
When: Saturday, Feb. 8
Where: Liberty Stadium, Swansea, Wales
Time (U.S.): 12:30 p.m. ET
Time (U.K.): 5:30 p.m. GMT
Watch (U.S.): NBC
Watch (U.K.): Sky Sports 1, BBC One
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra
Odds (via SkyBet): Swansea (8-11), Cardiff (15-4), Draw (13-5)

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