Day 4 at Wimbledon
Surprises galore at Wimbledon yesterday, as Caroline Wozniacki went crashing out and British youngster Heather Watson went sailing through (they were not playing each other, mind you). we're expecting more from Andy Murray today, and hopefully the weather will be a little better than it was today. The covers came across the outside courts and the roof across Centre, leaving us with little choice of action. But hey, at least there is something to watch, even when it's raining!
Portugal vs Spain (Semi-final)
Donetsk plays host to the first semi-final of this 2012 tournament with Portugal set to take on tournament-favourites Spain. Portugal won their quarter-final against the Czech Republic by just the single goal, whilst Spain made it through with a 2-0 victory over France. The winner will go on to play either Germany or Italy in the final. The stakes are high. I think the only head to head stat we need today is that Spain have only beaten Portgual twice in the last 54 years. Could that all be about to change?
Day 3 at Wimbledon
I wrote yesterday's thread too early to have the order of play, but I have sussed it out now! Roger Federer will be first on Centre Court, with Clijsters and Djokovic following closely behind. Sharapova will make an appearance on Court 1 playing Pironkova, whilst Heather Watson will be up first on Court 2 for her second round match. Also in action today: Sabine Lisicki, Li Na (Na Li? Never quite figured that out), Kimiko Date-Krumm (who I remember for an awesome match against a Williams), and Sam Stosur. Another great day ahead.
Day 2 at Wimbledon
This year's championships are just a day old and are already providing some fabulous tennis. We've seen Djokovic and Federer go through in relatively straight forward fashion, with Sharapova following them after just a slightly hesitant second set. Venus Williams was sadly knocked out in the first round, although given the illness and injury she has been battling recently, it won't have come as a complete surprise. Sam Stosur, Li Na and Sabine Lisicki have all made it safely through to the second round. Today, many more hopefuls will attempt to join them.
Day 1 at Wimbledon
The fabulous Wimbledon tournament kicks off today with the ladies and gentlemen, all dressed in white, participating in their inaugural matches to try and make it through to the second round. Coming up on court today, we'll see Maria Sharapova in action, along with Kim Clijsters in a tough first match against Jankovic. We've also got Roger Federer on Court 1, whilst Djokovic kicks things off on Centre Court at 1pm.
England vs Italy (Quarter-final)
The last quarter-final match has arrived, with England taking on Italy in a bid to be the team to face Germany in the semi-finals. England (somehow) managed to win two of their group stage matches, with a draw making up the third, whilst Italy had one convincing win and two draws to their name. However, Italy have been known to make life hard for themselves in the group stages, only to improve exponentially when it comes to the one-on-ones. In the fabulous BBC head to head stats, we have this nugget: "The 22 previous meetings have produced nine wins for Italy, seven for England and six draws."
Spain vs France (Quarter-final)
Spain won two of their group rounds with a pretty impressive number of goals. All predictions have them facing Germany in the final. First, though, they face France. A couple of the French squad opted to miss training to look after small injuries, like a blister, but are expected to be fully fit for the match this evening. The team won a group match, lost a group match, and drew a group match, so your money would have to be on Spain to go through. The winner will face Portugal in the next round.
Germany vs Greece (Quarter-final)
Winners of Group B, Germany, now face the challenge from the runner up of Group A, Greece - with Germany riding high on three successive victories so far. Greece also have the small problem of their captain facing a one match ban after picking up a yellow card in the game against Russia. There are political tensions surrounding the match but it will come down to the players to get their team through to the semi-finals. Whoever wins will take on the victor of the England/Italy match.
Czech Republic vs Portugal (Quarter-final)
The first of the quarter final events gets underway today, with the winners of Group A taking on the runners up of Group B. Portugal have so far used the same starting line up in each of their three matches, presumably believing it a winning formula. Captain of the Czech side, Tomas Rosicky, is suffering from an Achilles injury that he sustained during their match against Greece. He's not likely to start the match but might be available as a substitute. Whoever wins this will go on to play the winner of Spain against France.
England vs Ukraine and Sweden vs France (Group D)
England scraped through a win against Sweden in the last match, but it was by no means easy. Now they take on Ukraine, who will have the advantage of the home crowd cheering them on. Roy Hodgson knows this, though, saying: "All hosts are tough nuts to crack." France and England sit top of the table for now, both with four points after a draw and a win each. Ukraine are third, with everything to play for. Sweden take on group leaders France, having lost both their previous matches by a single goal each time.
Croatia vs Spain and Italy vs Republic of Ireland (Group C)
The Group C table going into these final matches favours Spain and Croatia who have both one win and one draw to their credit. Italy have to beat the Republic of Ireland to stand a chance of going forward, and given Ireland's performance in the last match against Spain, that doesn't seem to be too much to ask. All eyes on Spain, who, along with Germany, are one of the favourites to reach the final. They scored four goals against Ireland which gives them the momentum to keep their hold at the top of the table.
Portugal vs Netherlands and Denmark vs Germany (Group B)
Germany are one of the favourites for this competition, and have won both their two group matches so far. They haven't played against Denmark in the Euros since 1992, when the Danes took victory in the final. Germany have the odds against them to go through to the next round, but the same cannot be said for Netherlands. They need to win by two goals to Portugal, and have Germany beat Denmark as well. Portugal have a fully fit squad of 23 players for the coach to choose from, after defender Miguel Lopes has recovered from man-flu.
Czech Republic vs Poland and Greece vs Russia (Group A)
The group stages head into their final round as we head back to Group A to watch all four teams battle it out to decide who gets to move forward. Poland need to beat the Czech Republic to go through to the next round, but they've only managed to secure two 1-all draws so far in the competition. Czech Republic could scrape through with a draw, but will be looking for a win to make it through. The real trouble is for Greece who sit bottom of the table and must win against Russia to stand any chance of moving forward. Russia have been unbeatable for their last 16 matches, however.
Sweden vs England (Group D)
The England team are back on the pitch tonight, hoping to fare a little better than their 1-all draw over France in the first game. They've had haircuts and everything, so they're bound to be a lot better this time. However, the stats are against them. England haven't beaten Sweden for the previous seven meetings, and they've also found the 15th June unlucky - they've lost on this day on two separate Euro championship occasions. Meanwhile, Sweden will put most of their hopes on super striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic who has scored in the last four matches for his country.
Ukraine vs France (Group D)
If omens are your thing, Ukraine captain Andriy Shevchenko getting hit by a car after their win against Sweden must signal something. He was not badly injured, and is likely to be part of their lineup this evening. Their 2-1 win over Sweden was slightly better than France's 1-all draw over England, but France have the advantage in the head-to-head. Their last meetup saw the French team beat Ukraine 4-1, with the final three goals coming in the very late stages of the match.
Spain vs Republic of Ireland (Group C)
The remaining two teams of Group C get together to play each other for the first time of the tournament. Ireland will be recovering from a bashing by Croatia, whilst Spain drew their first match against Italy. Spain may be slightly on the back foot after star player Cesc Fabregas has picked up a thigh injury and may not be fit to play. For fact fans, Ireland have never won their second group match of any major competition. They'll be hoping to change that statistic today.
Italy vs Croatia (Group C)
Italy managed to secure an unexpected draw in their first match against Spain, but now face the challenge of Croatia. The latter managed a 3-1 win over Ireland, so they're not shy of scoring a few goals. Apparently, the Italian team are collectively the shortest of the tournament, with a 5ft 5 player the actual smallest. He is called the "Atomic Ant" in Italy, but hey, perhaps being a short team will just make them nimble. However, Croatia have won all five of the countries head-to-head matches.
Netherlands vs Germany (Group B)
Here we have what the BBC are calling a "tantalising Group B clash", which could be because these were the top two goal-scoring nations of the qualifiers. What kind of crazy score might we see this evening? Our highest goal tally so far is 4, I'm sure we can do more. Germany and the Netherlands have met each other a whopping 38 times, with Germany winning 14 of those clashes and the Netherlands 10. It's also interesting to note that Germany's team that beat Portugal last match was the youngest the country has fielded.
Denmark vs Portugal (Group B)
The second set of matches for Group B get underway this evening, with Denmark (winners of their opening match against Netherlands) and Portugal (losers of their opening match against Germany) set to play each other at the Lviv Arena. My limited knowledge would have put Portugal as the favourites for this, but apparently they finished behind Denmark in qualifying for the Euros, and, of course, in the last World Cup. However, Portugal have never failed to make it out of the group stages of the Euros - since group stages were put in place.
Poland vs Russia (Group A)
The remaining two participants in Group A get together to fight for points as joint-hosts Poland take on group leaders Russia. Their last game saw Russia score just the four goals, whilst Poland secured a one goal apiece draw. Poland have the added issue of their favoured goalkeeper being banned, so a deputy will have to stand in. The pair have met in three friendlies in recent years, and taken one win each. I assume the other one was a draw. However, Russia are unbeaten in their last 15 matches. And did I mention they won the last one 4-1? A tough opponent.