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England’s fate for the 2012 European Championship qualifying is now known, with a “local derby” to come against Wales in the qualification group. Although England boss Fabio Capello has a get out clause in his contract at the end of the 2012 World Cup, there are hopes abound that he will still be around to lead the nation at Euro 2012, which is jointly being held by the Ukraine and Poland. In their small qualifying Group G, England, one of the top seeds, also drew Switzerland, Bulgaria and Montenegro. If things go well at the 2012 World Cup, then England should be firm favourites to win the group and push on to challenge to become the European Champions.

Scotland drew the short straw after they were drawn in the same group as current European Champions Spain, and similarly tough opposition in the Czech Republic. The Republic of Ireland will fancy their chances against seeded team Russia, while Northern Ireland were drawn against seeded team Italy. With 52 teams in the draw, there are just fourteen places up for grabs, with the nine group winners and best runner up automatically proceeding. There will be a two leg play-off for the other eight runner’s up.

Qualifying for the European Championships, kicks in to gear not too long after the World Cup. Held over the course of just over a year, Euro 2012 qualifying starts in September and concludes in October 2011, with the play-offs held in November. Capello’s men, thanks to their seeding, have landed themselves a nice draw, and there will much expectation on them again. But first things first, there is a World Cup to deal with in South Africa, and England start their 2010 preparations on March 3rd in a home friendly against African Cup of Nations Winners Egypt.

Rep Of Ireland to win Group B – 7/2 at Boylesports
Northern Ireland to win Group C – 25/1 at Boylesports
Scotland to win Group I – 12/1 at Boylesports

Full Group Listing
A: Germany, Turkey, Belgium, Austria, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan
B: Russia, Rep of Ireland, Slovakia, Macedonia, Armenia, Andorra
C: Italy, Serbia, Slovenia, Northern Ireland, Estonia, Faroe Islands
D: France, Romania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Belarus, Albania, Luxembourg
E: Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Hungary, San Marino
F: Croatia, Greece, Israel, Latvia, Georgia, Malta
G: England, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Wales, Montenegro
G: Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Cyprus, Iceland
H: Spain, Czech Republic, Scotland, Lithuania, Liechtenstein

The home nations are all involved in the Euro 2012 draw which takes place on Sunday. The big event, taking place in Warsaw, Poland will happen around 11am, and there is extra interest ahead of the draw, as some of the home nations could end up in the same qualifying group. In fact, with the seeding as it is, there could be one interesting group of England, Wales and either Scotland, the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland, which would certainly set the cat amongst the pigeons in terms of UK pride over national teams.

England, understandably are ranked among the top seeds for the qualifying draw, which means they will avoid other powerhouses such as Spain, Germany, France and Italy. With 51 teams involved in qualifying, there is a race for just 14 places to reach the 2012 finals, which are held jointly by Poland and the Ukraine. The draw will place teams in nine groups, with the winners of those nine groups automatically qualifying. The best of the runner’s up will also get automatic qualification, with the remaining other eight runners-up going into a two-leg play, much the same as what happened for Qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in the European Zone. Poland and Ukraine naturally have already secured their spots as hosts.

England aside, the other home nations will be quickly keen to get back into action and put the disappointment of missing the World Cup behind them. Wales had a poor World Cup qualifying campaign, and it has been over a decade since Scotland were involved in the finals of a major tournament. New boss Craig Levein is hoping to change all that, and has spoken of how keen he is to pit his wits against the auld enemy, England. The Republic of Ireland of course, will be looking to redress all the furore surrounding their World Cup play-off loss against France, after Thierry Henry clearly handled the ball in the build up to France’s crucial winning goal. Northern Ireland performed will in a tough group with World Cup qualifying on the line, but they just could not battle their way into a runner’s-up spot.

There is hope there for all home nations, with Scotland, Northern and Republic of Ireland, all together in seeding pot number 3 for the draw. Wales will be drawn from seeding pot four. While there will be hope and optimism ahead of the qualification, the level of quality throughout the top four seeded groups is quite fierce. As shown during European qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, there are going to be no easy rides, although the likes of Germany, Italy, England and Spain will be favourites to book safe passage. Spain won the 2008 European Championships, thanks to a goal from Liverpool’s Fernando Torres against Germany in the final. The European champions are looking favourites to add the World Cup to their reign of football power.

The qualifiers for the 2012 European Championships, will take place between September 2010 and October 2011, and all seedings have been based on the UEFA national team coefficient system.

Pot 1: Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, England, Croatia, Portugal, France, Russia

Pot 2: Greece, Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, Serbia, Turkey, Denmark, Slovakia, Romania

Pot 3: Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Norway, Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Pot 4: Slovenia, Latvia, Hungary, Lithuania, Belarus, Belgium, Wales, FYR Macedonia, Cyprus

Pot 5: Montenegro, Albania, Estonia, Georgia, Moldova, Iceland, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein

Pot 6: Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Malta, Faroe Islands, Andorra, San Marino

Latest Outright 2010 Prices:
Spain – 6/1 at SkyBet
Germany – 8/1 at SkyBet
Italy – 9/1 at Stan James
Holland – 10/1 at Boylesports
England – 12/1 at Bwin

Manchester City have been shortened to general 4-1 second favourites for this season’s FA Cup after another weekend of relative upsets in England’s premier knockout competition. A City second-string cruised past Championship strugglers Scunthorpe in round four but whether the Premier League’s biggest spenders will still have Brazilian striker Robinho among their ranks when they take on Stoke City in the fifth round remains unclear, however. The former Real Madrid star has allegedly already told a Brazilian radio station that he’s joining Santos in his homeland on loan until the end of the season, despite denials by City manager Roberto Mancini. City’s next opponents Stoke were one of those teams responsible for a surprise in the fourth round, knocking out 10-times winners Arsenal. The Potters, who have never reached an FA Cup Final, are now 50-1 chances with Skybet, boylesports and Betfred, to lift the trophy in May. With Manchester United and Liverpool already having already fallen by the wayside and Spurs (8-1 with Blue Square, 888sport and Ladbrokes) being held to a draw by League One  Leeds (80-1 with Betfred and Stan James) Chelsea, the last survivors of the traditional ‘Big Four’ of the Premier League, are now understandably hot favourites to defend their crown, only Ladbrokes putting their head above the parapet by offering odds of 7-4 against the Blues who will face Championship side Cardiif City at Stamford Bridge in round five. Birmingham City may be worth an interest at bet365’s 16-1. Alex McLeish’s side are in teriffic form, underlined by their win at Everton in the last round, and they shouldn’t be unduly worried about a trip to Pride Park to meet an ordinary Derby County (200-1 with boylesports and William Hill) in the last 16. Aston Villa, with one Wembley appearance already booked, are general 7-1 chances having been paired with either Wolves or Crystal Palace while Fulham (general 14-1) will also fancy their chances of further progress with a home tie against either Wigan Athletic (available at 50-1) or League Two Notts County. That’s providing the latter survive another winding-up order this week. South coast near neighbours Southampton (150-1) and Portsmouth (40-1) clash at St Mary’s in perhaps the most attractive of the fifth-round ties.

With Liverpool’s exit from the FA Cup to struggling Championship side Reading, Reds boss Rafa Benitez must now be fearing the moment when his name is taken off the door his Anfield office. This latest disaster follows an early exit from the Champions League and the Carling Cup. From their current league position, it looks as if they will struggle to take fourth place in the Premier League, meaning that they could miss out on the Champions League completely next season. The board have been patient with Benitez, and the players have rallied around him before, but is this now the final nail in the coffin of his Anfield tenure? If not, is the hammer hovering? The people filtering out of the Kop on Wedneday night, after Reading deservedly won the match in Extra Time, will probably want to see him gone sooner rather than later. Fan pressure counts for a lot.

It has been a tough season for Liverpool, and quite a fall from grace from recent times. Just over a year ago they were serious challengers for the Premier League title, and they were a side to be reckoned with in the Champions League. All that has changed though, with directionless performances from what looks like a sub-standard team in terms of quality. Now to compound their woes, star striker Fernando Torres is out for six weeks as he needs to undergo a knee operation, and captain Steven Gerrard is also going to be in the treatment room for a couple of weeks after picking up an injury. Lack of full fitness to their two star peformers has caused them problems all season, primarily highlighting the fact that there is lack of quality in depth at the club.

So how long now will Benitez be at Anfield? Naturally the betting world is jumping all over this, but a statement from Managing Director Christian Purslow, has said that his position is safe. Is that merely the dreaded vote of confidence? Liverpool’s next game is on the weekend at Stoke, and could be a real minefield if they fail to come away with a win. Following that, they have to take on the high flying Tottenham at home. With these games on the horizon, the new and improved Ladbrokes have a very particular bet, which is “Liverpoool not to beat Stoke and Benitez to leave job before midnight Sunday, January 17th” all for the price of 7/1.

Expekt are offering 9/10 on him to go between 19/01/2010 and 22/05/2010 inclusive.
BetFred offer 10/1 on Benitez to leave before the match against Tottenham on January 20th.

Stan James are offering 13/8 on Benitez being the manager on the 1st Day of Next Season, while offering 12/5 on “Any Other Manger”. Kenny Dalglish incidentally is 7/2 with Stan James to be Manager on 1st Day of Season (same price as Jose Mourinho). The real big question though, maybe not when Spaniard Benitez goes, but if he does, who will replace him? This is where the fun really starts, with Victor Chandler offering a list of potential next managers. Jose Mourhino and Kenny Dalgish are at 3/1, while Guus Hiddink is offered at 10/3. Fancy Gerard Houllier coming back? He is at 10/1. The list goes on, including names such as Martin O’Neill, David Moyes, Harry Redknapp and Alex McLeish, who, to be fair, it is hard to see them leaving their current positions. For some reason, the name that caught my eye was Didier Deschamps at 33/1, as he would probably bring some of the good passing football that is associated with Liverpool. Or maybe Sven Goran Eriksson at 50/1 would be the man to fill the hot-seat? Check out Victor Chandler for a comprehensive list.

Boylesports are taking a slightly different approach to the whole situation, by offering odds on “What Will Happen First?” for Liverpool specials:
Liverpool to win major trophy with another manager – 4/7
Liverpool win major trophy with Rafa Benitez – 11/4
Rafa Benitez wins major trophy with another team – 7/2

The miserable season of course though, doesn’t just affect the manager. One way Benitez would probably be able to invest in some new players, would be to sell off his star striker, Fernando Torres. He would command millions all across Europe, and Boylesports offer 1/6 for Torres to be playing in the English Premier League next season, and 7/2 on him being in the Spanish Primera Liga.

Sol Campbell is looking likely to step back into an Arsenal shirt. He has been hanging around the footballing wilderness as a free agent after being released from his five year contract at Notts County after just a month or so. League Two football clearly wasn’t right for the big man, and after eating up column inches in the back pages of the tabloids about where he will end up, it looks as if he will sign with his old team Arsenal, at club at which he spent 5 years. This is something of a surprise, as age is not on Campbell’s side, but he turned out for the Gunners reserves, playing 45 minutes, and now the speculation is that he will be signed as cover for the Arsenal defence.

Clearly this would be no long term signing, but can his experience add something to the Gunner’s charge for the title. Campbell won the Premier League twice in his spell at the North London side, and Championship leaders Newcastle looked favourite to sign him at one point. But it seems as if he is going back to the scene of some of his most successful football. Arsene Wenger is still full of praise for Campbell, especially about his commitment and passion for the beautiful game. Whether he is fit enough to play 90 minutes in the Premier League will be Wenger’s call of course, but that is not a role for which he will be signed.

Campbell will be a stop gap in covering for the main core of the Arsenal back four, which is William Gallas and Thomas Vermaelen. Philippe Senderos has been sending out not-too-subtle signs that he wants to leave the Emirates, so Campbell will add some cover if that is happen during the January transfer window. Campbell, on a short term contract, would probably be cheaper than Wenger going shopping for a starting centre-half, which is something the Frenchman is not too keen on doing. He doesn’t often go flashing the cash around. It buys him time to let some of  his youngsters develop further.

But it is with the Arsenal coaching team that Campbell has been training, since his short lived tenure at Notts County. He is undoubtedly a presence and can bring some valuable international experience, and a winning attitude to the Gunners. Arsenal’s next Premier League match is on Sunday at Bolton. Just how much difference will Campbell make if he does sign? Arsenal have a tie against FC Porto in the First Knockout Stage of the Champions League and sit third in the Premier League, just three points behind leaders Chelsea. This is a great opportunity to look at Arsenal now, and some special bets that you can pick up on them from around the many online bookmakers. How much could the presence of Campbell affect these outcomes?

Premier League January 17th
Bolton to win: 11/2 at Paddy Power
Draw: 3/1 at Bet365
Arsenal to win: 4/7 at SkyBet

Arsenal to Win Premier League:
9/2 at BetFred

Arsenal to Win Champions League:
10/1 at Coral

Next Arsenal Permanent Manager (at Victor Chandler)
Martin O’Neill – 10/1
Guus Hiddink -12/1
Jose Mourinho – 12/1
Boro Primorac – 16/1

Trophy Multiples
No Trophies – 4/9 at Paddy Power
Win a Major Trophy – 7/4 at Coral

Is it just me or does the managerial merry-go-round revolve that quickly nowadays that the game appears to be shed experienced head coaches more quickly than the average Christmas tree drops its needles? Championship side QPR are a prime example. The board may be fronted by multi-millionaires but any business acumen they may have acquired in other fields seems to go out of the window where football is concerned. Paul Hart recently became the R’s ninth manager in two years but, significantly, has only signed a contract until the end of the season. Given Rangers‘ predeliction for change, that may yet prove optimistic. There have been some very bizarre decisions taken in boardrooms this season. Steve Gibson, chariman of Middlesbrough and a man with a reputation for his patience with managers, decided to dispense with Gareth Southgate’s services with his team just a point off the top of the table. Since Southgate’s departure, Boro have fallen away dramatically and, at the time of writing, now lie in the bottom half of the Championship a full 20 points off the pace – isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing! Then. of course, there’s the strange case of Manchester City. On the same weekend that Manchester United lost 3-0 to Fulham, Liverpool surrendered tamely at bottom club Portsmouth and Chelsea were held to a draw at struggling West Ham, City were putting four past Sunderland at Eastlands. Mark Hughes‘ reward, his P45! City chief executive Gary Cook has already admitted that Roberto Mancini had been offered Hughes‘ job the day before the Welshman was sacked but denies there has been a players’ rebellion in lieu of the decision. That hasn’t, however, put off Skybet pricing up a market on which high-profile star will be first to leave the City Of Manchester Stadium. Robinho, who has hardly endeared himself to City fans of late, is the 11-4 market leader while the oft-outspoken Craig Bellamy is a 9-2 chance with Paddy Power. The Irish firm also make former Inter boss Mancini 1-2 to still be in charge of City this time next year.

We have compiled a brief list of this weekends more eye-catching matches. This will include some of the biggest teams from around Europe and some key clashes from some of Europe’s biggest leagues. We will highlight if we have found any possible TV Coverage for a specific game but, if not, you could always try using websites such as; IraqGoals & Atdhe. They have a wide array of games on show throughout the course of the weekend, although, the quality will obviously not be the same as if you were watching it on your very own TV.

Blackburn Rovers V Burnley – 13:00 GMT SkySports 1 (English Premiership)

Wigan Athletic V Manchester City – 16:00 SkySports 1 (English Premiership)

Lazio V Sampdoria – 14:00 GMT Betfair Live Video (Italian Serie A)

AC Milan V AS Roma – 19:45 GMT Betfair Live Video (Italian Serie A)

Osasuna V Athletico Madrid – 20:00 SkySports 1 (Spanish La Liga)

Personal Highlight – AC Milan V AS Roma

Two of the more prestigious team in Italy do battle once again as Carlo Cudicini takes his Roma side to the San Siro to take on AC Milan with the Milan boss; Leonardo, a Brazilian great, under immense pressure to not only improve Milan’s results but also get the side playing attractive football. Roma made a terrible start to the season but they have shown signs of improved form and they will be aiming to keep their season firmly on track, albeit it a very tough venue.

AC Milan, despite their severe dip in form which has seen them fail to win any of their previous league fixrures, are the favourites to beat an old foe but they were thumped the last time a big side came a calling, in a 4-0 defeat at home to Inter Milan.

Roma, after defeats in their opening two fixtures, have remained unbeaten since, recording three wins and two draws since. They have earned draws in their previous two away outings, neither against noteworthy teams but they would take a draw here.

It’s a battle between the two old foes England and Germany in Thursday’s Euro 2009 Final. Germany have been the powerhouse in Women’s International Football for some years and haven’t lost in 18 matches against the English. The England women however, are the only team to have taken points off the Germans in a major tournament, when they forced a scoreless draw in the 2007 World Cup. As the excitement grows ahead of the final, there have been a lot of polite complements flying around as the two managers pay mutual respect to their final opponents.

Hopefully the familiar figure of captain Faye White will be back in an England shirt, after the influential defender fractured a cheekbone in the quarter final win over the Finnish. If selected, she will have to appear with a Gazza-style face-mask to protect the injury. The dynamic Karen Carney will be hoping for a start after coming on and changing the face of the attack in the second half against Holland, and she could be a game winner. With Karen Smith and Eniola Aluko going forward, the England women have outstanding players who can score goals, but haven’t managed to be as tight as they would like at the back.

The odds do look ominous for the English women, as Germany hasn’t lost an international since 1999. More than that, the points which England took off them in the World Cup draw, was the only game which they haven’t won. Their form in Euro 2009 has been equally impressive, with scoring at an average of three goals a game played. The main German threat comes from Birgit Prinz, who is the Golden Girl of Women’s Football. She is a big and powerful opponent, an awkward presence which the England defence will need to be tactically aware of to shut down. But even in shutting down Prinz, they have Inka Grings who is even more of a prolific goal scorer. The Germans are powerful, skilfully and physically dominant, the English will need to compete on physical, mental and skill levels.

The England women will have a tough task on their hands, but it comes down to one game on the day, and no winning streak lasts forever. They will need to tighten up at the back, which is possibly where the weakness of the team lies. It would however, be the perfect opportunity to dole out a defeat to the Germans in the most meaningful game of European football. Despite starting slowly in the competition, only just securing progress in their last group game, England have definitely gone from strength to strength, and Hope Powell’s team have looked tactically aware against the Finnish and the Dutch in the quarter and semi final matches respectively. They handled the long ball aerial power of Finland, and broke down the defensive rear guard tactics of the Dutch.

Perhaps the national Women’s team can draw some inspiration from seeing the senior men qualify in emphatic style for the World Cup 2010, having beaten Croatia 5-1 (hopefully the Frank Lampard to score first at 8/1 advice was taken, and from a penalty too!). If ever there was an incentive for the English national team to win a final, then it will be to do so against the Germans. They will head into the match as underdogs, but winning a final against the best team in the World, would make a victory all that much sweeter.

Germany to win – 2/9 at Ladbrokes
England to win – 10/3 at Totesport

Betting tip. National pride aside, it will take a monumental effort from England to claim this major tournament victory. They have the skill to do it, but Germany have looked a different class throughout the tournament. You can expect both teams to score goals, and its unlikely to be too cagey. A 3-1 Germany win will fetch 11/1 at ExtraBet.

Wednesday, September 9th
8.00pm Kick Off at Wembley

England midfielder David Beckham could be back in a different kind of England shirt in the summer, this time one of the English Premier league club shirts. His season for LA Galaxy finishes in November, and Becks has stated that he has options to come back to England. Last year Becks was loaned out to AC Milan, who, reportedly are keen to have him back. He’s clearly not stating any names of clubs involved in taking him on loan until he returns to LA for March, but he knows the importance of keeping up his full fitness during the MLS off season. The World Cup is just around the corner, and a fit Becks is a bonus to have on the bench.

Beckham has leadership and experience, and will be somewhat embittered by the failure to qualify for Euro 2008 when the Croats beat them in the last qualifying game at Wembley. That game has been much talked about in the run up to Wednesday’s clash, but coach Fabio Capello has been keen to dismiss talk of the players being single mindedly out for revenge. Taking a cool approach, Capello pragmatically stated that the disastrous defeat for England had no bearing on current events. It was in the past and that is where it should stay, and that watching videos of that game now will not help the current English position. Instead Capello has been studying the most important games of the Group 6 Qualifying matches, including Croatia’s struggle to overturn Belarus, and how successful England were when they defeated Croatia 4-1 earlier in the campaign thanks to an Aaron Lennon hat trick.

Croatian team coach Slaven Bilic has been spouting a little bit of rhetoric ahead of the match, as he initiated the role of being protagonist in the mind games. He insisted that under Italian Fabio Capello, England had lost some of the English-ness that had always made them difficult to play against. One can only assume he will be referring to the physical force of past English teams which relied on long balls and a big physical presence up front. That certainly is not the Italian’s way, as England displayed at times in their friendly match against Slovenia on Saturday. There were passages of creative midfield play, that were slick and decisive, and with Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard at the heart of the team, there is a good balance of both power and finesse. John Terry and Wayne Rooney certainly won’t be pulling out of any physical challenges.

After thanking former West Ham and Everton defender Bilic for saving him the trouble of a thinking up a team talk, Capello’s main headache before the game has been who will be the second striker. Will he stick with Heskey up front to create room for Rooney, or will he start with the red hot Jermain Defoe who has netted five times in the last three England games? The coach knows, but he’s just not telling yet. The other main position up for contention is in Beckham’s position on the right wing. With the former Captain starting on the bench, the position will be filled by either Shaun Wright-Phillips or Aaron Lennon. Guesses will be that it will be Heskey and SWP lining up for kick off.

The only positive thing that came out of that night in 2007 in the 3-2 defeat, was the fact that it meant Steve McClaren was no longer going to be England manager. The history and disappointment of that Wembley night will still be on the minds of the few participants who were there though. Only Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry are likely starters on Wednesday from that rainy Wembley line-up. Motivation for the English should come simply from the fact that there is a World Cup place with the nation’s name on it. That is something Capello recognises as being more important than revenge.

England – 8/13 at Bet365
Draw – 11/4 at BetFred
Croatia – 11/2 at William Hill

Betting Tips. England should win, and the bookies recognise that. With the home crowd and vital points at stake, it should be a done deal. It will probably be worth backing up the England win bet with some other tasty tempters such as these…

First Scorer: Frank Lampard – 8/1 at Labdrokes. Big Frank can pop up at any time. If Rooney’s able to win a penalty again when it matters, this truly would be an awesome pick.

England to win 1-0 – 11/2 at SkyBet. A sensible bet. It’s unlikely this is going to be a high scoring match, with England not wanting any slip ups, and the fact that the late goal conceded against the Slovenians, was down to incredibly lazy defending, should have been driven home by Capello.

England Women will now await the winners of tournament favourites Germany and somewhat surprise semi-finalists Norway in the Final of the Women’s Euro 2009. A fine display in the semi final against Holland, saw England prevail after extra time of a match in which it looked as if Hope Powell’s team had blown their chances. The Dutch employed large defensive tactics, which simply encouraged England to attack more and more. The English women created numerous chances after the scores had been levelled, creating more than enough opportunities to win the match in regular and extra time.

Eniola Aluko had opened the scoring for England, but the lead lasted all of three minutes as sloppy defending let the Dutch steal in for success on a rare attack. After the equaliser, it only looked as if there was going to be one possible winner, with England pushing on and creating a hatful of chances which were squandered. The late winner in the second half of Extra Time gave the English the deserved win, and they will now, after making hard work of the group stages, make a final appearance. It was Jill Scott’s header which secured the place in the final of the tournament, which is taking place in Finland.

It wasn’t until the second half that England really started making inroads into the Dutch defence, who appeared to be playing with 9 women behind the ball for most parts. The victory however, means that England will play in the final of a major tournament for the first time since 1984. It has been a long wait, and at times in this competition, their survival has hung by a thread. But collectively the team and the tactics have grown in the quarter and semi final appearances and that should give great heart that the women can bring back the trophy. Full back Casey Stone seems to think so, as she stated in an interview that they haven’t even hit third gear yet!

The Final will be played on Thursday in Helsinki.

To win Euro 2009 – all prices at Ladbrokes
Germany – 4/11
England – 5/2
Norway – 9/1