Friday 13 June Euro 2008 Match Preview
Euro 2008 Group C Match Previews
Italy vs Romania & Netherlands vs France
by BetOnEuro2008.com
Friday 13th June, 2008
Friday the 13th at Euro 2008: Can Italy stay alive in the “group of death” with a win against Romania and will a lacklustre French squad survive against the dazzling Netherlands?
In what has arguably become the most hotly contested and highly unpredictable section of the Euro 2008 group stages, Italy will desperately be looking for a win against Romania in Zurich in order to keep their Euro 2008 hopes alive, whilst an under-performing France will need to produce some magic to overcome an in-form Netherlands squad. Can Italy and France put aside their latest bad form and record important victories?
Match Number One:
Italy vs Romania,
Letzigrund Stadion, Zurich,
Kickoff at 18:00 CET
Overview:
Italy will be playing Romania in the 13th match of the 13th European Football Championship on no other date than Friday the 13th. With their luck already plagued by the injury of captain Fabio Cannavaro and their 3-0 trouncing at the hands of the Netherlands on Monday – their heaviest defeat in over 25 years - the Italians will need a strong performance and all the luck they can get in Zurich. With Romania promising to "make life hell for the Azzurri” after holding top-contenders France to a 0-0 draw, Italy will have to post a convincing win over the Romanians to stand any chance of making it through to the quarter finals of Euro 2008.
Italian Squad:
After coming under fire this week for what has been viewed as a poor team selection in the first match, Italian coach Roberto Donadoni will no doubt shuffle up his squad for Friday's match. Fabio Grosso is expected to play a big part in the team's defense after putting in one of the better performances against the Dutch, whilst Daniela De Rossi and Andrea Pirlo will most likely be looked upon to control the game from their midfield positions and provide the vision needed to put the game in the right direction. Finally, Luca Toni and new captain Alessandro Del Piero will have the hopes of the Italian nation resting with them as they try to display their usual attacking flair and talent to record a crucial victory and keep the country's hopes alive.
Romanian Squad:
Expect Romania to field a similar side to the one which impressed against France on Monday. Striker Ciprian Marica might be out of the squad after obtaining a concussion in training but most of the remaining team should remain unchanged. The team will hope to continue their good form and produce a similar result against the Italians as they did with the French.
Match Style:
Expect Italy to be on the attack from the beginning, as a draw simply will not do for them. In contrast, the Romanians are not necessarily looking for a win and will most likely try to close down the Azzurri attack and hold them to a goalless draw. However, the Romanians are capable of producing surprise attacks so do not expect them to sit still if the Italians are in weak form.
Players to Watch:
Italy: Luca Toni and Alessandro Del Piero
Putting in a strong performance against Holland after coming off the bench, Del Piero will be looking to find the form which helped him become the top scorer in this year's Serie A. If he can find such form against the Romanians, they will be hard pressed to stop him. Luca Toni also scored 5 goals in his 6 Euro 2008 qualifying appearances and will also be hoping to continue his goal-scoring run.
Romania: Christian Chivu and Adrian Mutu
With both playing in the Serie A (for Inter Milan and Fiorentina respectively), these Romanian stars will certainly know what to expect from their opponents. Chivu played superbly against the French and a similar performance could be what tips the scales against Italy. Chivu recently said of his team's tactics against Italy, “We have a plan and that is not to lose,” and he will certainly be looking to back up such strong words with similar action.
If you are planning on taking part in football betting, then this would definitely be a top choice as Adrian Mutu is one of the craftiest strikers in the game and could unlock the Italian defence with his great reading of attacking situations. Chivu rightly called his teammate “one of the best forwards in Italy and Europe” and has predicted against Italy the return of “the real Adrian Mutu and not the Mutu you saw against France”. If this happens, then we can expect a good game on our hands.
Prediction: Italy have a tendency to start off weakly in tournaments and pick up their game soon afterwards. If this is the case again, then the Italians should return to form and triumph over the impressive Romanians as online betting odds show. However, the most recent Group C matches have shown us that anything is possible, so expect the Romanians to put up an impressive fight.
Match Number Two:
Netherlands vs France,
Stade de Suisse, Bern,
Kickoff at 20:45 CET
Overview:
After two of the most surprising results in their Euro 2008 matches so far, the two competing squads are in different moods than would have been expected after their first encounters. The Dutch are now quietly confident of their chances this year after their stunning victory, whilst France's confidence was dealt a massive blow with their goalless draw. A win will be enough to send Holland through to the next round whilst a draw may even be all they need to qualify for the quarter finals. France, on the other hand, must win else their chances this year may become extremely precarious.
Netherlands Squad:
In spite of everything going their way so far, Coach Marco van Basten is not overestimating his team's chances of making it through to the finals.
"We played well against Italy but you don't win the tournament after one match," van Basten said recently.
It is with this level-headedness that the Dutch will go into the game against France, confident of their chances but not blind to the fact that they will be faced with strong opposition. This mentality has been echoed in recent days by many of the players and so their impressive victory will not blind the Dutch to the challenges faced in their upcoming match.
Without many of his attacking players for the match against Italy, van Basten will be hoping to include some more of his top talent in the match against France. Whilst Sneijder and Van Nistlerooy are expected to form the mainstay of the Dutch attack, Arjen Robben has been confirmed as being ready to play against France and may play a starring role. Also Robin van Persie, whose role in the Dutch team on Monday was only small, may feature strongly after seeming to have recovered from recent injury.
French Squad:
Like his Italian counterpart, French coach Raymond Domenech has been criticised by his team's performance against Romania. But Domenech will be looking to introduce two of his strongest players back to the squad: Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira. If the two are fit enough, they may prove a handful for the Dutch to cope with, and certainly could be the difference between France winning or losing the match.
Match Style:
France will have to be on the attack against the Netherlands throughout the match, but this may be exactly what the Dutch are looking for.
"If one team has to attack it's France,” Van Basten said. “We've already won a game so the pressure is on them.”
With their strength against Italy coming from their superb counter-attack plays, Holland may resort to exactly the same tactics in the hope of downing the second football giant in as many matches. With some of their top stars playing in forward positions for both teams, expect many strong attacking plays on the night in what promises to be a most exciting matchup.
Players to Watch:
Netherlands: Ruud van Nistelrooy (and possibly Arjen Robben).
Van Nistelrooy has proven time and time against that he is certainly a player to look out for. If he continues his attacking flair against the French, then “Les Bleus” may be in for some serious trouble. Also, if Robben is put in the squad, his supreme skill and speed may prove too much for the French defence to handle
France: Thierry Henry (and possibly Patrick Viera).
If Henry has recovered from injury, and he looks to have done so, then we will witness one of the most exciting forward matchups in van Nistelrooy vs Henry. With his style and flair, Henry is perfectly capable of putting in a performance that will carry his team to victory, and the French will no doubt be relying on him to do so.
Prediction:
This match could easily go either way, depending on the overall team performance shown by both squads. If they both continue to play as they did in the first match, then we will almost certainly see a Dutch win. However, if Henry and his fellow teammates can produce what coach Domenech hopes is a “sparkling performance”, then van Nistelrooy and the Dutch will have to produce something special to achieve victory. This one promises to be perhaps the most exciting Euro 2008 match so far.
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