Portugal obliged and won thanks to a late goal by Silvestre Varela. They should have put the game to bed before that when Ronaldo, of all people, missed on a one-on-one with the Danish keeper. Ronaldo's been disappointing so far, contrary to Nani who's the source of danger in the Portuguese attack.
Tomorrow sees Spain clash with Ireland, a game in which the holding champions will be keen to get 3 points. Trappatoni, the Irish manager, is sensing an upset, but I don't think so. Xavi and his teammates will create chances and unless they are on a totally misfiring day, they should have enough to bag the 3 points. I advise them as a Win.
The other game sees Italy against Croatia. I think both have done better than what was expected of them in their first game and it will be a matter of which of the 2 will accompany Spain to the next round. So it is a game both cannot afford to lose. I will give a slight advantage to the Italians here because over the years, they've proved to be mentally stronger than the Croats. They can find a way to win even if the other team is superior. I believe the Italians are value as a draw-no-bet and that is the recommendation.
Win: Spain
Draw-no-bet: Italy
Showing posts with label Trappatoni. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trappatoni. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Friday, June 8, 2012
Loaded week-end
Off to a promising start in the Euros with the Greeks and Polish drawing. In tennis, Nadal and Djokovic also won as expected, setting up a final that promises to be a spectacle for the ages.
A fully-loaded week-end it looks to be. Here are my views on the week-end matches.
Netherlands v/s Denmark. It's hard to go against the Dutch here although Denmark will certainly give them all they can handle. But in this Group of Death, Holland need to ensure they get the full 3 points as their remaining games are against Germany and Portugal. A draw-no-bet for the Dutch here looks safe.
Germany v/s Portugal. Portugal's performance in these Euros depend on their main man, Christiano Ronaldo. If he has a good tournament, so will the national team. Germany will be their solid selves and it's hard not to see them go through. I see Germany as a good draw-no-bet as well.
Spain v/s Italy. The Italians are struggling right now and they don't look anywhere as good as their predecessors. That said, they should never be discounted because they almost always rise up on the big occasions. Spain is the best team in the tournament, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll be winners at the end. They shouldn't be beaten by this Italian team though, and are taken as a safe draw-no-bet as well.
Ireland v/s Croatia. I think the Irish could be the surprise package of this group and of the Euros in general. I like the work of Trappatoni and he's got the experience in these kinds of tournaments. Croatia are capable of the best and worst, and they now have a really good striker in Everton's Jelavic. I still like Ireland's chances here, and they look to be the best value draw-no-bet of the week-end.
Back to Roland Garros where the best 2 players will square off in Sunday's final. Will it be Djokovic's first or Nadal's seventh? I think the Spaniard looks as good as ever, and will be all too aware that if he can't beat the Serb here, he won't beat him anywhere else. The French Open is his territory and he will be pumped up for it. Djokovic is the best among the rest on the surface and can give the Spaniard a real game, but at the end, it should be business as usual for Nadal. He is recommended to win it all.
Saturday's woman final between little-known Italian Errani and Sharapova. This is a fantastic opportunity for the Russian to win her first French Open and hence complete the career Grand Slam. She should be able to do it and is selected to win as well.
Finally, news just eked out that I'll Have Another will not compete in Saturday's Belmont Stakes, hence killing off any hopes of a Triple Crown winner. That clears the way for either Union Rags or Dullahan to win it. Union Rags as a Place looks safe and is the recommendation. For long punters, Street Life as a Place could also be the way to go because this horse will finish the best of them all.
A fully-loaded week-end it looks to be. Here are my views on the week-end matches.
Netherlands v/s Denmark. It's hard to go against the Dutch here although Denmark will certainly give them all they can handle. But in this Group of Death, Holland need to ensure they get the full 3 points as their remaining games are against Germany and Portugal. A draw-no-bet for the Dutch here looks safe.
Germany v/s Portugal. Portugal's performance in these Euros depend on their main man, Christiano Ronaldo. If he has a good tournament, so will the national team. Germany will be their solid selves and it's hard not to see them go through. I see Germany as a good draw-no-bet as well.
Spain v/s Italy. The Italians are struggling right now and they don't look anywhere as good as their predecessors. That said, they should never be discounted because they almost always rise up on the big occasions. Spain is the best team in the tournament, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll be winners at the end. They shouldn't be beaten by this Italian team though, and are taken as a safe draw-no-bet as well.
Ireland v/s Croatia. I think the Irish could be the surprise package of this group and of the Euros in general. I like the work of Trappatoni and he's got the experience in these kinds of tournaments. Croatia are capable of the best and worst, and they now have a really good striker in Everton's Jelavic. I still like Ireland's chances here, and they look to be the best value draw-no-bet of the week-end.
Back to Roland Garros where the best 2 players will square off in Sunday's final. Will it be Djokovic's first or Nadal's seventh? I think the Spaniard looks as good as ever, and will be all too aware that if he can't beat the Serb here, he won't beat him anywhere else. The French Open is his territory and he will be pumped up for it. Djokovic is the best among the rest on the surface and can give the Spaniard a real game, but at the end, it should be business as usual for Nadal. He is recommended to win it all.
Saturday's woman final between little-known Italian Errani and Sharapova. This is a fantastic opportunity for the Russian to win her first French Open and hence complete the career Grand Slam. She should be able to do it and is selected to win as well.
Finally, news just eked out that I'll Have Another will not compete in Saturday's Belmont Stakes, hence killing off any hopes of a Triple Crown winner. That clears the way for either Union Rags or Dullahan to win it. Union Rags as a Place looks safe and is the recommendation. For long punters, Street Life as a Place could also be the way to go because this horse will finish the best of them all.
Win: Nadal, Sharapova
Draw-no-bet: Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Ireland.
Place: Union Rags
Friday, November 11, 2011
Euro 2012 Playoffs
Enchanted Dream was a disappointing unplaced; reading her trainer's comments, she apparently did not take to the fibresand, but she did well on her last appearance on it. I think that she got outpaced and the 7 furlongs was a little on the sharp side for her. A longer distance would have suited her better.
In a few hours, the Euro 2012 playoffs will commence and I unreservedly think Portugal, Ireland and the Czechs are going to go through. No surprise there as they are favourites of their ties. As regards Turkey against Croatia, I think the underdogs Turks have a great chance to qualify; at this stage, mental toughness will shine through and the Turk national team certainly has the edge over the Croats in this regard. For value punters, Turkey is the one to look at, in my opinion, in these playoffs
Portugal should be able to overcome Bosnia over 2 legs. They not only can count on Christiano Ronaldo, but also a cast of other big-game players like Nani, Meireles etc. The Portuguese to qualify is the recommendation.
Ireland will not have a better chance to qualify as they play Estonia. Trappatoni is a master trainer who will get his tactics right; I hope the Irish go through because of the injustice suffered at the hands (no pun-intended!) of the Thierry Henry fraud in the World Cup 2010 playoffs. I think they will and recommend to qualify as well.
Finally, it looks to be close between the Czechs and Montenegro but the former boast a much richer pedigree in the competition. They are maybe slightly weaker than the Czech teams of a few years back, but still a formidable force to reckon with. I recommend the Peter Cech and his acolytes to go through.
To qualify: Ireland, Portugal, Czechoslovakia
In a few hours, the Euro 2012 playoffs will commence and I unreservedly think Portugal, Ireland and the Czechs are going to go through. No surprise there as they are favourites of their ties. As regards Turkey against Croatia, I think the underdogs Turks have a great chance to qualify; at this stage, mental toughness will shine through and the Turk national team certainly has the edge over the Croats in this regard. For value punters, Turkey is the one to look at, in my opinion, in these playoffs
Portugal should be able to overcome Bosnia over 2 legs. They not only can count on Christiano Ronaldo, but also a cast of other big-game players like Nani, Meireles etc. The Portuguese to qualify is the recommendation.
Ireland will not have a better chance to qualify as they play Estonia. Trappatoni is a master trainer who will get his tactics right; I hope the Irish go through because of the injustice suffered at the hands (no pun-intended!) of the Thierry Henry fraud in the World Cup 2010 playoffs. I think they will and recommend to qualify as well.
Finally, it looks to be close between the Czechs and Montenegro but the former boast a much richer pedigree in the competition. They are maybe slightly weaker than the Czech teams of a few years back, but still a formidable force to reckon with. I recommend the Peter Cech and his acolytes to go through.
To qualify: Ireland, Portugal, Czechoslovakia
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