egypt

After their Wembley disappointment, World Champions Spain head off to Cost Rica on Tuesday for an international friendly. The Spaniards, who dominated possession and chances against England on Saturday, will look for a bounce back result. There was nothing in their Wembley performance to deter punters from backing them to win Euro 2012, but it will be interesting to gauge their degree of response. They don’t suffer defeat very often, so this will, to some degree, be a test of character for them away from home. If you want to judge the Spaniards for their value of Euro 2012 betting, then you can watch them live in action with online bookmaker Bet365 courtesy of a live stream. The highly rated online bookmaker are providing a free live stream of Costa Rica v Spain on Tuesday night, which gives you the opportunity for some great live in play betting as well. There is a huge advantage in being able to watch the live action to back up your live in play football betting, and with the amount of free live football streams shown by Bet365, they make the ideal place to do so. Spain are strong favourites to beat the Central Americans, so if Spain start getting among the goals for example, you can judge through Bet365’s live stream, who is going to put the ball in the back of the net next for example, with your live betting!

Along with the Spaniards, 2014 World Cup hosts Brazil are also in action, this time on Monday night as they host Egypt. While the rest of the South American nations are  scrapping it out in a fascinating qualification battle to head to Brazil 2014, the hosts have an easy couple of years for their preparations. After a disappointing Copa America, there is work to be done with the current Brazil side, and you can also see how they are shaping up by watching a live Brazil v Egypt live football stream at Bet365 as well. Another option for Tuesday night, from the full fixture list of international friendlies, is Euro 2012 joint hosts Ukraine, who are hosting Austria. Like Brazil, the Ukraine don’t have any competitive football to look forward to in the immediate future, and you see how they are looking with a live Ukraine v Austria stream at Bet365.

Online bookmaker Bet365, are also showing all South American World Cup 2014 qualification matches with their live stream service, and you can catch a couple of the Euro 2012 play off matches as well. You can see Portugal v Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro v Czech Republic as they scrap for a place at next year’s finals. The live football stream service at Bet365 continues to make the extremely popular and it is a great service provided free for their customers. If you want in on the action, then the bookie offers a free £200 bet for new customers as a welcome bonus. Bet365 will match the value of your first deposit on a new account, up to the maximum of £200, giving you some great free cash to work with!

England striker Wayne Rooney is hoping that the England fans will be behind John Terry on Wednesday night during the friendly against African Cup of Nations Champions, Egypt. Chelsea Captain Terry was roundly booed in his team’s defeat against Wayne Bridge’s Manchester City on Saturday, and this is the first time that he will pull on an England shirt since all of the media barrage he has faced. Terry was stripped of the England captaincy by manager Fabio Capello in light of all the media surrounding Terry, choosing to hand the armband to Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand instead. Ferdinand will be missing from the match, as he was from the Carling Cup final because of injury.

The match against Egypt is just one of three that England have before the World Cup starts on June 11th, with the other two against Mexico and then Japan. Manchester United star, Rooney, was left on the bench for the start of Sunday’s Carling Cup triumph over Aston Villa, but that did not stop him making his mark again as he netted the winner with a header. There were worries that Rooney wouldn’t be fit for the friendly, and the last thing England want is to hear any news about injury their star player. England need him fit and healthy for the World Cup, and Capello has already alluded to the belief that he thinks the England star is being overworked by Alex Ferguson. The fears were over a niggling Rooney knee problem, but Rooney insists that it was because of a stomach virus, and Ferguson wanted an excuse to give him a rest. Thankfully he should be fit for Wednesday, but probably won’t play the whole match.

The race for Rooney’s strike partner hots up, with Carlton Cole and Theo Walcott being named in the squad. Walcott is a move towards getting him more experience, as he hasn’t been on top form this season, with injury problems. Spurs’ Aaron Lennon misses out through injury. While Rooney has urged England to show support for Terry, the vacant left back position, vacated by Terry’s team-mate Ashley Cole because of injury, and Wayne Bridge’s decision not to play for England, will draw the spotlight. Capello has drafted in Leighton Baines from Everton as expected, along with Aston Villa’s Stephen Warnock. These are two recognised left backs, but there is also speculation that Villa’s James Milner may fill in there, but his great form in attacking roles for Villa should warrant him being used further forward.

One surprise name in the England defensive corps, was that of Ryan Shawcross, from Stoke, who would be in line for his debut if he makes an appearance. His call up game just hours after a wayward tackle broke the ankle of Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey, in Stoke’s first defeat of the year. It has been Stoke’s stubborn displays which has earned Shaw cross a call up to the senior squad. The left side of midfield will also be contested, as Chelsea’s Joe Cole, who had made the spot his own, hasn’t been selected for the squad, instead Stewart Downing makes a comeback to the England fold, after nearly a year on the sidelines. Birmingham keeper Joe Hart, after a string of impressive performances, is one of three keepers alongside David James and Robert Green.

This friendly match does have some importance, as it will be the final match before Capello names his provisional squad for the World Cup on May 12th, while the final squads have to be named for FIFA on June 1. It is a big opportunity for players to stake a claim for a World Cup spot, especially with the likes of Ashley Cole and Rio Ferdinand missing, it could also be a chance for one of the strikers to step forward, should the worst happen, and Rooney can’t start. Egypt should not be too much of a pushover, not on the back of their performances at the African Cup of Nations, where they successfully defended their title. They looked a confident passing side, with an eye for attack, and for goal. They missed out on the 2010 World Cup, after being eliminted by Algeria in qualification decider.

England v Egypt Stats: The two sides have only met twice, and only once in competition at Italia 90.
The first time was a friendly in 1986, in Cairo. England won 4-0 with goals from Trevor Steven, own goal, Danny Wallace and Gordon Cowans. The second meeting between the two teams was at the 1990 World Cup, in Cagliari, where England won 1-0 with a goal from Mark Wright (assisted by Paul Gascoigne).

Match Prices:
England to win: 4/11 at Bet365
Draw: 4/1 at SkyBet
Egypt to win: 8/1 at Paddy Power

England Squad v Egypt:
Keepers: David James, Rob Green, Joe Hart
Defenders: Wes Brown, John Terry,  Matthew Upson, Joleon Lescott, Ryan Shawcross, Leighton Baines, Stephen Warnock.
Midfielders: James Milner, David Beckham, Theo Walcott, Frank Lampard, Gareth Barry, Steven Gerrard, Michael Carrick, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Stewart Downing.
Forwards: Emile Heskey, Jermain Defoe, Wayne Rooney, Peter Crouch, Carlton Cole.

The African Cup of Nations bows out, in what is hoped will be a classic final between Egypt and Ghana. Kick Off is at 4pm on Sunday, and with the strength that Egypt have displayed throughout the tournament, they will start as favourites against the young Ghanaians. Egypt’s path to the final has been relatively untroubled, as shown in the semi final match where they demolished Algeria 4-0. Algeria finished the match in some disgrace, with three players having been sent off, and their goalkeeper lucky to have played as much as he did after apparently head-butting the referee. Chaouchi had been incensed in the way Egypt’s opening goal, a penalty was scored.

Algeria have shown nothing that should cause any worry to their World Cup Group opponents, which include England. In fact, their game looked to be based on a lot of physical endeavour without much skill. Egypt on the other hand, who were beaten in the World Cup Qualifying Play Off by Algeria, look quite the flowing technically gifted unit. This will put them in good stead against an enthusiastic Ghana, who are short of a lot of their best players. Although Ghana have been riddled with injuries to starting players, it is with some credit they have reached the final, especially after losing their opening group match so badly to the Ivory Coast. Egypt go into the final with a full squad at their disposal, apart from Mahmoud Fathalla who is serving a suspension.

This is the first time that the two sides have ever clashed at the African Cup of Nations and the Pharaohs look to have all the aces in their pack. But, as shown, Ghana simply will not lie down. One positive aspect which they can take from the tournament, is that the crop of youngsters which have been playing, have gained some invaluable experience ahead of the World Cup, which should only ensure that the African side have a lot of strength in the depth to rely upon. Their progress has largely been built upon success, as they have been sneaking narrow wins thanks to the clean sheets they have been managing to achieve.

Egypt have won the African Cup of Nations six times out of seven appearances in the Final. This is the seventh final that the Black Stars of Ghana have appeared in, with four titles under their belt. Egypt will be expected to add a seventh African Cup of Nations title to their honour role. It should be a matter of how long it takes their sharper experience and creativity to break down the young guns of Ghana.

Match Prices
Egypt to win: 21/20 at Boylesports
Draw: 23/10 at Totesport
Ghana to win: 10/3 at Ladbrokes

It is all about major rivalries in the semi finals of the African Cup of Nations, both of which takes place on Thursday, January 28th. The first of the two rivalries, stem from the Western African clash between Ghana and Nigeria. This is one of the most fiercest, passionate rivalries in world football, and adds extra spice to the semi final encounter. Nigeria won through their Quarter Final match against Zambia on a penalty shoot out, and it is fair to say that they weren’t the better of the two sides over the 120 minutes. Time and time again the plucky Zambians simply tore the Nigerians apart, they just couldn’t find the back of the net unfortunately. Nigeria are a shadow of their former selves, which entertained so at World Cups past, and whilst Ghana on paper are a lot stronger, they have their own problems to concern them.

Ghana have been plighted with injuries which has hampered their play at the African Cup of Nations. Still, they have made it to the semi finals, and with the Ivory Coast out of the way, who knows? They don’t have the influential Michael Essien though, as the Chelsea man is back in London recovering from an injury which should keep him out of action for at least 6 weeks. But the young Ghanaians are giving things a go, if not quite living up to the expectations of the full, strong starting eleven. Naturally the two sides have come up against each other before in the tournament, and it was Ghana who triumphed in the Quarter Final stage in 2008 over Nigeria. There is a place in the final awaiting the victor on Thursday, and many are leaning towards it being Ghana.

Ghana to win: 9/5 at Bet365
Draw: 21/10 at SkyBet
Nigeria to win: 2/1 at Stan James

The other semi final rivalry needs no introduction at all, but it’ll get one. Egypt v Algeria draws recent memories of the bitter rivalry, which over spilled into violence between the two sets of supporters, as the nations battled each other to reach the World Cup Finals. The Algerian team bus was pelted with stones when it showed up in Egypt for the final group match of qualifying. On that day, Egypt scored a 2-0 victory, which meant that both nations finished with identical records. There was no way to separate the two of them, so things had to be decided by a one- off play-off match. Naturally this was held on neutral territory, and it was to some surprise that it was the Algerians which came through.

In the World Cup draw, Algeria landed themselves in England’s Group, but at the African Cup of Nations, they have looked a long way short of the kind of quality that Egypt have showed. Egypt demolished one of the tournament favourites, Cameroon 3-1 in their Quarter Final match, while Algeria finally rose to the occasion, beating favourites Ivory Coast 3-2 in extra time. The Ivory Coast had their chances, but Algeria stuck to their guns, scoring an incredibly late equaliser in normal time, only to surprisingly snatch the lead and the victory afterwards. Before that showing, Algeria had only managed one goal in their three group matches. Egypt are the better side, and they are showing it. If things go to form, then they will be in the final on Sunday.

Algeria to win: 12/5 at Coral
Draw: 9/4 at Totesport
Egypt to win: 6/4 at Stan James

African Cup of Nations Outright Winner
Egypt to win: 7/4 at Expekt
Ghana to win: 10/3 at Boylesports
Nigeria to win: 4/1 at Coral
Algeria: 4/1 at Ladbrokes

The Quarter Finals of the African Cup of Nations start on Sunday, with two of the pre-tournament favourites in action. The African Cup of Nations, marred by the terrible attack on the Togo team bus, has managed to turn towards the positive, and live up to expectations by providing some thrilling footballing action. Right from the opening match which finished in an exhilarating 4-4 draw, there has been plenty of action to enjoy, largely fuelled by some upsets. The Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Ghana have all had their difficult matches, with Egypt looking by far the strongest team in the competition so far.

Angola v Ghana
The first of the Quarter Final Matches on Sunday, sees host nation Angola, who won their group, play Michael Essien’s Ghana. Sadly though Essien has been ruled out of action for about six weeks after picking up an injury during training, and that has just compounded the injury problems which the nation has. They are fielding a largely young side, with so many players sitting on the sidelines. While the can’t field their strongest side, they will probably take positives that their back up players are getting some action and experience ahead of the 2010 World Cup later in the year. If they can field a full side there, they should be a handful for any team. Fortunately this draw has been kind to them, and they have a great chance to progress against Angola.
Angola to win: 6/4 at SkyBet
Draw: 11/5 at Totesport
Ghana: 12/5 at Bet365

Ivory Coast v Algeria
This should be a banker for Didier Drogba and his Ivory Coast side. They had a slow start to the competition, where they only managed a 0-0 draw against Burkina Faso, but their strong victory over Ghana ensured that they progressed. Many believe that this is the time for the Ivory Coast to come good, having had a consistent team for the past few years. This really does represent their best chance of lifting the trophy. Their opponents Algeria really haven’t shown anything of note in the tournament, and have only managed one goal. If Fabio Capello has been studying the tapes, he will be confident that they are not going to cause any kind of surprise threat at the World Cup where they are in the same group as England.
Ivory Coast to win: 4/6 at BetFred
Draw: 11/4 at Bet365
Algeria: 5/1 at Coral

Egypt v Cameroon
The Egyptians, who somehow didn’t qualify for the World Cup against what appears to be a much weaker Algeria side, are looking in red hot form. They are the current African Cup of Nations champions, after upsetting Cameroon in the final of the last competition. Now Cameroon have a chance at revenge, but to be honest, they haven’t been as good as had hoped really. They have struggled for fluency and consistency, losing to Gabon and struggled to beat Zambia after going behind, and then could only manage a 2-2 draw against Tunisia. Not in great form, but still a serious threat if they can get their act together. Unfortunately, by them not winning their group, they have landed themselves a very tough quarter final draw.
Egypt to win: 17/11 at Expekt
Draw: 9/4 at Totesport
Cameroon to win: 2/1 at Ladbrokes

Zambia v Nigeria
Zambia, surprise winners of the group, after coming from bottom to top after the last round of group matches, will now fancy their chances against Nigeria. The Nigeria that are playing here, are not of the same quality as which some will remember from World Cup’s past. They simply have fallen a long way back from that sort of quality, and that will give Zambia some good heart to make it through to the last four of the competition. Their last group match victory over Gabon saw them steal top spot in the group, but Nigeria, who seriously got given a football lesson by Egypt in their group, will be favourite. They bounced back well after that and should on paper be stronger than Zambia. The winners of this match will play either Angola or Ghana, so there is even more incentive to progress, as they’ll avoid Egypt and Ivory Coast until the final.
Zambia to win: 4/6 at Coral
Draw: 13/5 at SportingBet
Zambia to win: 5/1 at Stan James

*Note that “Draw” will usually represent the score at the end of 90 minutes of play. As this is a knock-out stage, drawn matches will go to extra time and then penalties.

The African Cup of Nations is rapidly heading towards the Quarter Final stages, with Sunday’s two matches already lined up. As expected, the Ivory Coast and the injury stricken Ghana are through, while England’s World Cup 2010 opponents Algeria have managed to qualify from their group. Algeria, in all honesty, have not looked like any kind of threat throughout their group stage matches at all, and come the big tournament in South Africa in June, England should not have too much to worry about.

Algeria finish on level points with Mali, but qualified in second spot, simply because they won the head to head battle against Mali, who they defeated 1-0. Mali may be feeling a little hard done by, as they were at least entertaining in front of goal, hitting seven in their three matches. How many did Algeria score? Just the one in three games, but it proved to be a crucial one. Now we will see how they fare against the tournament favourites, Ivory Coast, and it will give a good indication of just what level they are at.

Ironically, the team which Algeria beat in the World Cup Qualifying Play-Off, Egypt, have looked one of, if not the, strongest team in the tournament, and have produced far better quality than what Algeria have. The current holders do pose a real threat to Ivory Coast’s hopes, as they look good enough to go and reclaim the title. Egypt won their group easily, by three victories from their three matches. In their somewhat abridged group after Togo‘s withdrawal, the Ivory Coast finished top ahead of Ghana. Both of those fancied teams though, did struggle to get a result against stubborn Burkina Faso, with Ghana’s 1-0 victory over them, enough to get them through. Ghana, who are missing a lot of first team choices, got hit with further bad news, when Chelsea’s Michael Essien was ruled out for the rest of the tournament through injury.

But Ghana’s reward for their triumph over Burkina Faso, is a quarter final tie against host nation Angola. Angola won their group, looking very entertaining for both good and bad reason, ahead of Algeria. Not even the fancied Cameroon have been producing to their expected level, and some of the performances by the top African teams, will have cast a little doubt over how competitive they just may be at South Africa 2010.

In Group 4, the last one to be settled, Cameroon’s defeat in their first game to the Gabon, means that there is the potential of them playing Egypt if they finish as runners up in their group. If Cameroon can get ahead of the Gabon in the final round of group matches, then they will have the slightly easier task against Nigeria. Cameroon had to scrape out a 3-2 win over Zambia in their second match, so just a point in their final match against Tunisia, who have looked surprisingly dull, will get them through to the Quarter Finals.

January 21 Group Matches
Cameroon to win: 10/11 at BetFred
Draw: 13/5 at Stan James
Tunisia to win: 15/4 at Stan James

Gabon to win: 8/5 at Expekt
Draw: 9/4 at Boylesports
Zambia to win: 2/1 at Stan James

January 24th Quarter Finals
Angola to win: 17/10 at ExtraBet
Draw: 9/4 at Coral
Ghana to win: 13/8 at Blue Square

Ivory Coast to win: 11/17 at Bwin
Draw: 11/4 at 888Sport
Algeria to win: 9/2 at SportingBet

African Cup of Nations Outright Winner
Ivory Coast – 2/1 at ExtraBet
Egypt – 4/1 at Extrabet
Cameroon – 6/1 at Ladbrokes
Nigera – 8/1 at Totesport
Ghana – 9/1 at Ladbrokes

While the snowy weather will see many matches postponed in England throughout January, there should be no such problems in Angola, where the 27th African Cup of Nations will take place. While many Premier League managers would describe this tournament as nothing more than an inconvenience, there’s no denying that this is a vibrant competition featuring many of the world’s best footballers. It’s also an opportunity to check out several of the teams who will be lining up at the 2010 World Cup, although here are a few pointers when it comes to placing your bets on the ANC.

1)    The host nation tends to do well

Home advantage shouldn’t be underestimated in Angola, especially when you consider that every host nation has qualified for the knockout stages since 1992. Furthermore, since the biennial competition began in 1957, there have only been four occasions when the team playing on home soil hasn’t reached the semi-finals. Benfica’s Pedro Mantorras is a classy striker who can certainly help them on their way out of Group A, while former Manchester United forward Manucho should also be a force to be reckoned with. While we shouldn’t place too much pressure on a team that’s just emerged from a civil war, it’s worth noting that Tunisia (2004) and Egypt (2006) both won the competition recently as hosts.

2)    Egypt have won the last two renewals

While Egypt winning the tournament on home soil in 2006 was a great achievement, it was even more impressive when they successfully defended their crown two years later. While the Pharaohs controversially missed out on a World Cup place after losing in a play-off to Algeria, it might make them all the more determined to win this tournament and complete a hat-trick. Although Mido and Amr Zaki will not be featuring for the Egyptians this time around, the team have a quality striker in Mohamed Zidan, while former Spurs midfielder Hossam Ghaly will bring plenty of experience.

3)    There should be plenty of goals scored

While many people associate the ANC as a competition featuring low-scoring matches, this trend was bucked in 2008 and there’s every reason to suggest that the goals will be flying in this time around. Of the 32 matches played two years ago, 19 featured three goals or more, with five of the six Ivory Coast games involving Over 2.5 Goals. While Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou offer plenty in attack, the Cote D’Ivoire are also vulnerable at the back.

The Ivory Coast are currently favourites (5/2 Stan James) to win the 2010 African Cup of Nations, although the market leaders will have to cope with high expectations and their last triumph came along in 1992. Two victories and one runner-up place in the past five tournaments suggest that Cameroon (11/2 Sporting Bet) might be a better bet at twice the odds, especially with the excellent Samuel Eto’o leading the line.