Greece Hoping for 2004-esque Performance Against Germany

Greece are in a crisis that could affect the whole of Europe, especially the Germans. The Greeks are angry at Chancellor Merkel for carrying on the austerity plan despite of the worsening situation in Greece where Euro 2012 has taken a back seat so far as a result of the elections. With a government finally now in place, coupled with the success of the Greek football side so far, attention will turn to a much-anticipated quarter-final with Germany. This is also a great opportunity for Greece to get their own back on a country that has not done them many favours in recent months. 

However they face a side that they have never beaten in eight matches, losing five times. Despite this the Germans have never beaten Greece in a major tournament and their only previous meeting in a European Championship ended 0-0 in 1980. Back then Greece had no real football history and it was their first appearance at a major finals which they departed at the group stage. Their next appearance came in World Cup 1994 where the first round once again proved a step too far. Although in 2001 legendary German coach Otto Rehhagel took over the manager's job and improved results brought them Euro 2004 qualification. This was a great achievement in itself and some bookmakers priced them at 150/1 to win the tournament. Nevertheless this did not deter them and they shocked Portugal, France, Czech Republic and then hosts Portugal again in the final to win an astonishing title. 

Rehhagel became a legendary figure in Greece as a result and they also qualified for Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010; at one point holding eighth place in the FIFA World Rankings. When he resigned as manager many Greeks became sceptical of whether or not they could carry on as a top footballing side. Despite these fears they have continued to exceed expectations and qualified for this year's tournament as group winners over the more-fancied Croatia. So far at the finals Fernando Santos's side have surprised many in qualifying for the knock-out stages which they did with a shocking 1-0 win over Russia. This will give them hope of doing well against an excellent German side who still look like they could move up another gear. 

Mario Gomez is rumoured to be replaced in the starting line-up by Miroslav Klose who is a lofty second in the list of Euro and World Cup finals goals with 16. The Germans have an array of attacking talent behind him in Mesut Ozil, Thomas Meuller and Bastian Schweinsteiger. Added to this is a powerful back-line led by captain Phillip Lahm and Bayern Munich defender Holger Badstuber. However the Greeks will be hopeful of catching out the Germans on the counter-attack who do have a lack of pace. But Joachim Loew's team will be confident of scoring goals and have not failed to score in 19 international matches, the longest ever scoring streak tied with Uruguay. 

Europe expects victory for the three-time winners but as Greece have proved in the recent past they should never be written off. They are always hard to beat and play as a team with great passion and fight. Germany will feel they have much more quality and that a professional performance should be enough to seal a smooth passage into the semi-finals. 

Ukraine Desperate for England Scalp in Hostile Donetsk

When the Ukraine national football team was reformed after the break-down of the Soviet Union in 1994 they struggled to compete at the highest level. Despite there being many talented Ukrainian players like Andrei Kanchelskis, Sergeu Yuran and Oleg Salenko; most of them chose to play for Russia after it was named the official replacement for the USSR. As a result the national team failed to put their stamp on the world game.

In the years that followed they improved rapidly as players of the calibre of Andriy Shevchenko, Anatoliy Tymoshchuk and Serhiy Rebrov emerged. Surprisingly though they failed to reach the finals of a major tournament as they lost in play-offs for World Cups 1998 and 2002 and Euro 2000. After a disastrous Euro 2004 qualifying campaign current coach Oleh Blokhin took over at the helm. After his appointment results immediately improved and they qualified for the 2006 World Cup where they made a great run to the quarter-finals. They beat Tunisia and Saudi Arabia to reach the last 16 where they overcame Switzerland on penalties after a 0-0 draw. Their run was ended in the last eight by eventual champions Italy as they fell to a 3-0 defeat.

However the Yellow-Blues were well accepted after the World Cup and went on to reach a record high of 11 in the FIFA World rankings the following Autumn. As their top players like Shevchenko and Voronin started to lose form Ukraine started to slip down the footballing ladder; narrowly missing out on Euro 2008 before losing in yet another play-off, this time to Greece, for a place in World Cup 2010. They did beat England in that 2010 campaign in Dnipro after goalkeeper Rob Green was sent off. Despite Shevchenko missing the resulting penalty the Ukraine scored through a deflected Sergiy Nazarenko strike to claim a 1-0 win.

Tonight they face England again in what is probably the biggest match in Ukrainian football history. As co-hosts for Euro 2012 they stunned Sweden in the opening game, coming from behind to win 2-1 with goals from all-time record goalscorer Shevchenko. Despite a 2-0 defeat to France a win tonight would ensure qualification. Many of the players have big tournament experience as players like Shevchenko, Tymoshchuk and Voronin played in Germany in 2006. However now they have other dangerous players in their side such as Nazarenko and Dynamo Kiev duo Yarmolenko and Aliyev.

This evening England are sure to face a hostile reception from the Donetsk crowd in their search for the point that will give them a place in the last eight. They will also be facing a talented group of players desperate to reach the knock-out stages of a major competition for the second time and make up for all those play-off defeats of the past. For many of the Ukrainian players it could be a last hurrah and they will certainly make the most of it.

Italy Hoping for No Match-Fixing Today as They Look to Quieten Their Critics

Going into World Cup 2006 there was a cloud surrounding Italy amidst match-fixing allegations that ended with Juventus being stripped of two Serie A titles and being relegated. The scandal also saw AC Milan, Lazio, Fiorentina and Reggina deducted points. Many supporters and pundits alike thought that this would hamper their World Cup campaign and that they would struggle in Germany. However this did not come to pass as the Rossoneri won their fourth World Cup with a penalty shoot-out win over France.

This summer they entered Euro 2012 with similar accusations surrounding the squad with seven Italian suffering points deductions. Similarly to 2006 people have been quick to write of Italy's chances saying that the scandal will affect the players; while some say the Italian squad is too old and that they will not score enough goals. True, there are are a few older players in the 23 but they bring great experience to the side, especially players like Andrea Pirlo and Gianluigi Buffon who won the World Cup in 2006. The attack is not too shabby either with the enigmatic Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli their main goal threat with Antonio di Natale and Antonio Cassano perfectly capable of hitting the back of the net. 

If Spain and Croatia draw 2-2 that would automatically eliminate Italy who have suffered a similar fate before. Ironically, considering Italy's bad match-fixing reputation, back in 2004 Denmark and Sweden played out a 2-2 draw to ensure the Italians exited the competition. Goalkeeper Buffon quashed fears of that happening again suggesting that Spain would not stoop that low: "It would be a joke all across Europe and I don't think it will happen. I do not think that Spain, a world champion with players like Xavi or Iniesta, would sully their prestige with a pact. It's different to the Sweden-Denmark case, because Spain are better than Croatia, not at the same level."

Despite this the facts remain the same: If Croatia can upset Spain then they will finish as group winners and Italy will definitely drop out of the tournament if they fail to beat Ireland. The 1968 winners will be expected to comfortably get past the Irish green army after they were comfortably brushed aside in their opening two games. The Italian fans do not seem to be holding high hopes of winning the championship this time around, akin to the England fans' expectations. However a convincing win today will probably give them a place in the knock-out rounds and they will be quietly confident of proving the non-believers wrong.