World Cup preview; Groups E & F

Carrying on from my previews of the first four groups yesterday, I now take a look at groups E & F at this year's World Cup in Brazil.

Group E:

Ecuador:  This will be just the South American's third appearance at a World Cup final's and they've been placed in a pretty interesting group that could become quite tight with the teams in it. They're a team with plenty of pace in their attacking areas and that is outlined by former Man City striker Felipe Caicedo and Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia. Frickson Erazo should bring them some solidity at the back and will be used to the conditions as he currently plays for Brazilian side Flamengo. They recently drew 2-2 with England which means on their day they could perhaps cause an upset for the French and Swiss. Prediction: Fourth in the group having lost every game.

Switzerland: The Swiss are ranked pretty highly in the FIFA World Rankings, and are one of the seeded teams believe it or not. They are an extremely efficient side and were the only team to beat the 2010 winners Spain at the last World Cup. I wouldn't be surprised if they went far in the competition but with people favouring the American sides, they may come unstuck later in the tournament. They have a nice mix of youth and experience which should serve them well. Barnetta is one to watch, as is Bayern's Xherdan Shaqiri. Their defence meanwhile consists of Djourou and Senderos which some might feel is a big fault. However, in Diego Benaglio they have a solid goalkeeper. Prediction: Second in the group behind France but to bow out in the last 16.

France: The French go into this competition off the back of a disastrous 2010 campaign which sparked a lot of controversy within the French national side. They only qualified for these finals through a play-off too and even with that they were 2-0 down to Ukraine after the first leg. However they now look a rejuvenated side and their worst looks to be behind them. You feel they will be a little short when it comes to the latter stages but they do have some real quality in the team. They'll have to live with the absence of Frank Ribery though who will miss the World Cup through injury. They look very solid at the back, have some good creative outlets and have Giroud & Benzema up front. Prediction: Despite their recent troubles I'm tipping them to top the group and go onto reach the quarters.

Honduras: Like Ecuador, this will be Hondorus' third appearance at a World Cup. They managed to finish above of Mexico in qualifying which is an achievement but you can't see them doing particularly well in Brazil. They drew 0-0 with England meaning, like with Ecuador they could perhaps spring a few surprises knowing they can match one of the better sides in World football. Their ability to score goals will be reliant upon Carlo Costly whilst they also bolster Stoke's Wilson Palacios, Hull's Maynor Figueroa and Wigan's Roger Espinoza. Prediction: Won't get out of the group but will win their only game against Ecuador to finish in third.

Group F:

Argentina:  Argentina are being tipped as one of the favourites to win the tournament but I personally can't see all the hype. The conditions are being talked about a lot and that's probably why pundits see them going far. Many of their renowned players don't seem to perform on the biggest stage of them all though. Lionel Messi will be absolutely pivotal but he is yet to really show what he can do internationally. Their star studded attack is obviously one of the main reasons they could go far, Aguero and Higuain with of course Messi is freighting. Their midfield is perhaps the only weakness in a squad with Di Maria being their main creative outlet. Zabaleta, Garay and Mascherano means they should be solid at the back though. Prediction: Definitely have the potential to go far in the competition. I think at most they can reach the semi-finals but other people seem to think differently.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: This is Bosnia's first appearance at a World Cup finals as an independent nation but it's difficult to predict how they'll do. They do have some extremely good talent and if they play well then they could be a team to watch in Brazil. Edin Dzeko of course will be pivotal to their side, as will midfielder Miralem Pjanic. They meanwhile boast goalkeeper Asmir Begovic and if he has a good tournament, then Bosnia could be a difficult team to score against. Prediction: May well make it out of the group but their lack of major tournament experience could prove to be their downfall. I think they'll finish second in the group though but get knocked out in the last 16.

Iran: Now, I'm going to admit, my knowledge of Iranian football isn't very extensive, and that probably just about sums up their chances at this year's World Cup in Brazil. They are managed by former Manchester United assistant manager, Carlos Queiroz which means they certainly should be tactically astute. Their main player will probably be Fulham's Ashkan Dejagah whilst they also have former Bolton man, Andranik Teymourian in their squad. Prediction: Not really difficult to predict how they'll fare in Brazil, bottom of the group without winning a game.

Nigeria: The Super Eagles come into this tournament off the back of a continental win with the African Cup of Nations at the beginning of last year. They meanwhile also participated in the Confederations Cup so will have already had experience of what to expect in Brazil. They could perhaps make it out of their group but they will be reliant on their attack which consists of Emenike and Odemwingie whilst also bolstering the non-scoring Shola Ameobi. They have pace on the wings in Moses and Musa but their defence, against Argentina, will probably be ripped to shreds. Prediction: Third in the group, just behind Bosnia.

Euro 2012 Review: England beat Ukraine to reach quarters

England completed a far from convincing win in their final group D game against co-hosts Ukraine as Wayne Rooney returned from suspension to pop up with the vital goal. Rooney was the only change to the side that had beat Sweden last Friday as he came in for Andy Carroll. The England striker was far from his best , missing a free header from 4 yards out in the first half, but early into the second half he made up for it, as he got onto the end of Gerrard's deflected cross to nod the ball home from a yard out. The final score in Donetsk finished England 1-0 Ukraine. The result meant that England had managed to avoid Spain meaning they are to play Italy in the quarter-finals after finishing top of their group.

Wayne Rooney returned from suspension to head England into the quarter-finals

The other game of the day sprung a suprise as France suffered a defeat at the hands of Sweden. Sweden were playing for nothing but pride after already knowing their fate of being knocked out before the game had started. However it was a great performance from the Swedes as goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovich and Seb Larsson meant the final score finished Sweden 2-0 France in Kiev.

Those final group results mean that the lineup for the quarter-finals has now been decided and are as follows...

Czech Republic v Portugal - 21st June in Warsaw
Germany v Greece - 22nd June in Gdansk
Spain v France - 23rd June in Dontetsk
England v Italy - 24th June in Kiev

Euro 2012 Review: England come from behind to beat Sweden

Day 8 saw England return to action as they played Sweden in the capital city of Ukraine, Kiev. England made just one change to the side that drew with France as Andy Carroll came in for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The change meant that Ashley Young moved out to the left wing as Carroll partnered Welbeck up front.

England were the first team to score first in their match as Steven Gerrard found the head of Andy Carroll who nodded the ball past Isaksson in the Swedish goal. The score was still 1-0 at half time. However everything changed after the break as a double from defender Olof Mellberg left England fearing yet another defeat to Sweden. Roy Hodgson then brought on Theo Walcott who completely changed the game around as he scored a brilliant swerving effort from outside the box to equalise for England. He then set up the winner as he raced past two Swedish players before finding Welbeck who backheeled the ball into the back of the net to send the fans crazy. The final score finished Sweden 2-3 England.

The earlier game in the day was between England's group D rivals as France took on Ukraine. The game took a while to get going as on 4 minutes the referee had to stop play because of severe weather conditions. A massive rain and lightning storm had hit Donetsk which forced play to be suspended. The players did eventually get back on the pitch though but the game didn't go the co-hosts way as Samir Nasri was once again a key player for the French. However, this time he didn't score as Jeremy Menez and Newcastle United's Yohan Cabaye grabbed the goals which sent France top of the group ahead of England in Group D. The final score in Dontesk finished Ukraine 0-2 France.

Walcott was brought on as a substitute and completely changed the game around for England

Euro 2012 Review: Day 4 - England start with a draw

Day four of the Euro's saw the first round of group matches come to an end as England played France, and Ukraine played Sweden in Group D.

England started their Euro 2012 journey with a draw against a much fancied French side containing the likes of ex-Arsenal man Samir Nasri. However, it was England who strung the first suprise as 18 year old Arsenal man Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain started as Theo Walcott was on the bench. Laurent Koscielny was amongst the French substitutes. The game was pretty evenly matched but perhaps France had a bit more possession than England. However it was England who struck first. Gerrard's looping free-kick found the head of Lescott who found the back of the net. France were level just 9 minutes later though as Nasri found room on the edge of the box before firing inside Joe Hart's near post. Before that though Hart had managed to prevent a storming header from Diarra to keep England ahead whilst Milner also missed a great opportunity after going round the keeper. The final score in Donetsk finished England 1-1 France.

The other game in the group saw co-hosts Ukraine take on Sweden in a brilliant end to end game. It wasn't until after the break though that any goals were scored. Sweden were the side who were to open the scoring as Ibrahimovich got ahead of his man to poke the ball past Pyatov. The Swedes weren't ahead for long as Shevchenko rose the highest to head the ball home and then managed to give Ukraine the lead just after the hour mark as he got ahead of Ibrahimovich to once again head the ball past Isaksson. The final score in Kiev finished Ukraine 2-1 Sweden which meant that the hosts went to the top of group D.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made his competitive England debut against France