Less than two months after Spain were crowned as the best team in Europe, the continent’s big guns take to the stage anew today for friendly tests as they finalize preparations for their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign.
The Spaniards, under new coach Vicente del Bosque, who has succeeded Luis Aragones, head for Copenhagen to face Denmark after ending a trophy drought stretching back to 1964.
In due course, La Furia Roja will take on Armenia, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Estonia and Turkey for the right to contest the World Cup in South Africa, but first they and their neighbors have the chance to try out some new formations.
Del Bosque has thus included Barcelona’s 17-year-old playmaker Bojan Krkic in his first squad and new faces in the shape of Atletico Bilbao defenders Andoni Iraola and Fernando Amorebieta and Sevilla winger Diego Capel.
But Spain also have injuries to take into account, including Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas and defender Carlos Marchena of Valencia.
France coach Raymond Domenech is busy introducing young faces into his squad for the friendly against Sweden at Gothenburg.
Claude Makelele and Lilian Thuram’s retirement from the international scene has made space for the next generation, led by Philippe Mexes and newcomers Rod Fanni of Rennes and Yoann Gourcuff of Bordeaux.
Samir Nasri, 21, will feature in the French attack, fresh from his debut at Arsenal where he scored the winner in last weekend’s match against West Brom.
Nasri replaces Marseille midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa, who has pulled out of the fixture because of an adductor problem.
“Physically I’m tired, three matches in a week, it’s not easy with a return like that. As well, I hurt my adductors,” Ben Arfa told reporters.
England, having missed out on Euro 2008, are scheduled to host the Czech Republic at Wembley today, with coach Fabio Capello unable to field Michael Carrick, injured last weekend on duty for Manchester United.
Capello has named Tottenham’s Jermaine Jenas as a midfield replacement.
The Italian left Portsmouth striker Peter Crouch off his list with 30-year-old Emile Heskey of Wigan included instead.
In Germany, the innovation will be in goal where Robert Enke of Hanover takes over after Jens Lehmann’s retirement.
Skipper Michael Ballack of Chelsea will miss the friendly at Nuremburg against Belgium because of injury.
The Stuttgart trio of Mario Gomez, Thomas Hitzlsperger and Serdar Tasci are on coach Joachim Low’s list along with the Borussia Moenchengladbach player Marko Marin. Heiko Westermann (Schalke 04) has also been called up in defense.
Memories of Basel could come back to haunt the Dutch, who have a reprise of their Euro quarter-final clash against Guus Hiddink’s Russia.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
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