France Hoping to Beat Spain at Their Own Game

12 years ago France beat Spain in a thrilling Euro 2000 quarter-final with goals from Youri Djorkaeff and legendary figure Zinedine Zidane. Raul then blazed a last minute penalty over the bar for Spain as France marched on to take a classic Euro 2000 final against Italy 2-1 with a golden goal from David Trezeguet after Sylvain Wiltord had equalised in injury time. Zidane was named player of that tournament and was acclaimed as one the best players ever. He went on to guide France to another final, this time in the 2006 World Cup where they again met Italy but lost on penalties after Zidane scored and then was sent off. A lot has changed in French football since that day in Berlin. At both Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010 all they could manage was one point and bottom spot in their group.

After World Cup 2010 France embarked on a programme to try to restore themselves as one of Europe's footballing powerhouses in the wake of player unrest and revolt. Much-maligned manager Raymond Domenech was replaced by former defender Laurent Blanc and the French started to try to replicate the possession football of the 'golden generation' a few years before. Now much has changed since 2006 and on Zidane's 40th birthday the French will attempt to play as they did in 2006 when they beat Spain 3-1 in the last 16; a win courtesy of the style of play that Spain are now famous for. Spain the reigning European and World champions will have plenty to say about that as they endeavour to continue to become the first nation to win three major tournaments in a row.

Spain play with seven Barcelona players and may play without a recognised striker in the team; as they did in the opening match against Italy. Cesc Fabregas may play as the furthest man forward with the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Silva and Xabi Alonso behind him. However Fernando Torres has shown signs of a return to form and he will be hoping to lead the attack in the absence of the injured David Villa. France have started to play very good passing football with Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema the focal point of their forward line. Newcastle United midfielder Yohan Cabaye has continued on from a good season in England with good performances in the centre so far this tournament while France look relatively settled at the back. France's win over Ukraine was their first win in a major finals since 2006 and were unbeaten in 23 matches before their defeat to Sweden.

Spain will rightly go into this match as favourites but have not hit top form yet in Poland and Ukraine and France will fancy their chances of setting up a semi-final with Portugal. This quarter-final should be another great game in the latest episode in France and Spain's long footballing series.

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.