Friday, September 30, 2011

UEFA EUROCUP 2012QUALIFIERS: Gomez, Khedira and Aogo return for Euro matches; Dutch missing Sneijder for Euro qualifiers

Dutch missing Sneijder for Euro qualifiers

Holland have already sealed their place in the championship

Holland will face Moldova and Sweden in their remaining two Euro 2012 qualifiers without injured trio Wesley Sneijder, John Heintinga and Ibrahim Afellay.
In contrast Tottenham's Rafael van der Vaart and Nigel de Jong (Manchester City) are once again available after recovering full fitness and the Premier League duo duly figured in Oranje coach Bert van Marwijk's squad announced Friday for the October 7 and 11 ties.
Holland, beaten by Spain in last year's World Cup final, have already sealed their place at next year's European Championships co-hosted by Ukraine and Poland.
Holland squad
Goalkeepers: Maarten Stekelenburg (Roma/ITA), Michel Vorm (Swansea/ENG), Tim Krul (Newcastle United/ENG)
Defenders: Khalid Boulahrouz (VfB Stuttgart/GER), Edson Braafheid (Hoffenheim/GER), Jeffrey Bruma (Hamburg)/GER, Joris Mathijsen (Malaga/ESP), Erik Pieters (PSV Eindhoven), Gregory Van der Wiel (Ajax)
Midfielders: Mark van Bommel (AC Milan/ITA), Nigel de Jong (Manchester City/ENG), Hedwiges Maduro (Valencia/ESP), Stijn Schaars (Sporting Lisbon/POR), Kevin Strootman (PSV), Rafael Van der Vaart (Tottenham/ENG), Georginio Wijnaldum (PSV)
Forwards: Eljero Elia (Juventus/ITA), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Schalke 04/GER), Luuk de Jong (FC Twente), Dirk Kuijt (Liverpool/ENG), Jeremy Lens (PSV), Robin Van Persie (Arsenal/ENG), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich/GER).

Gomez, Khedira and Aogo return for Euro matches

Mario Gomez missed the last two matches

Mario Gomez, Sami Khedira and Dennis Aogo will return to the Germany squad for the final two Euro 2012 qualifiers against Turkey and Belgium next month, coach Joachim Loew announced on Friday.
Germany became the first country to qualify for the tournament after they beat Austria 6-0 in Gelsenkirchen earlier this month, and will be bidding to keep their unbeaten record.
"We managed to quickly assure our qualification for the final phase. But we have to remain focused to attain our objective - 10 wins from 10 matches," said Loew.
Bayern Munich striker Gomez and Hamburg defender Aogo missed the last two matches while Real Madrid midfielder Khedira has not played since last June as he has suffered with adductor problems.
Moenchengladbach midfielder Marco Reus will be hoping to finally make his international debut after his previous bids were ruined by injury.
Germany play Turkey in Istanbul on October 7 and host Belgium four days later in Duesseldorf. Turkey and Belgium are second and third respectively in Group A and are hoping to make the play-offs.
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hanover)
Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Holger Badstuber (Bayern Munich), Benedikt Hoewedes (Schalke 04), Dennis Aogo (Hamburg), Mats Hummels (Dortmund), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal/ENG), Christian Traesch (Wolfsburg)
Midfielders: Mario Goetze (Dortmund), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid/ESP), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Thomas Mueller (Bayern Munich), Lukas Podolski (Cologne), Mesut Oezil (Real Madrid/ESP), Marco Reus (Moenchengladbach), Simon Rolfes (Bayer Leverkusen), Andre Schuerrle (Bayer Leverkusen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich)
Striker: Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich), Miroslav Klose (Lazio/ITA), Cacau (Stuttgart).

Gerrard admits ‘too early’ for England recall

Gerrard said he was not yet match fit
Paul Ellis, AFP/Getty Images

Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard admitted on Friday it was "probably too early" for him to earn a recall to the England squad for next week's crucial Euro 2012 qualifier in Montenegro.
Gerrard is slowly returning to club duty after a six-month lay-off following a groin injury, but believes next Friday's game in Podgorica has come too early for him as Fabio Capello prepares to name his squad this weekend.
"I think everyone knows I'm still not 100 percent match fit," Gerrard told Liverpool TV as the Reds prepared for Saturday's Merseyside derby with Everton.
"I have only probably had two 12-minute games. I'm not really sure how much I'm going to play against Everton so, in my opinion, it's probably still a bit too early," Gerrard said.
"I don't make the decisions. Those decisions are down to the England manager, whether he picks me or not.
"In my opinion there are other players out there who are match fit who are probably more suitable for that game, but we'll have to wait and see."
Gerrard meanwhile is relaxed about the probability of him having to start Saturday's derby at Goodison on the bench.
"I totally understand that. With experience I have come to learn about my own body and I haven't been out for two or three weeks with a hamstring or a calf injury. I've had a reconstruction of my groin and it is going to take time," he said.
"To be fair to Kenny and the medical staff, they have handled me perfectly so far and I'm sure they'll do the same in the coming weeks.
"It's important that I don't force it, they don't force it and we don't push it too hard, but I am at the stage now where the only way I'm going to get my match sharpness, match fitness and get back to the form I want to play at is if I get game time."

Portugal hand Sereno first call-up

AFP 7 minutes ago

Portugal's coach Paulo Bento

Cologne defender Henrique Sereno was called up to the Portugal squad for the first time on Friday as coach Paulo Bento aims to plot a way past Denmark and Iceland and into the Euro 2012 finals.
Portugal have 13 points from their six matches and top Group H. But they lead the Danes and Norway only on goal difference with just the group winners assured of a place in the finals.
Goalkeeper Beto, defender Ricardo Costa, midfielders Ruben Amorim and Carlos Martins, as well as strikers Quaresma and Nuno Gomes are all recalled for the match against Iceland in Porto on October 7 as well as the trip to Copenhagen, four days later.
Experienced defender Ricardo Carvalho is the major absentee after he was handed a year's suspension for storming out of a training session on the eve of the match against Cyprus.
Portugal squad for the Euro 2012 Group H qualifiers against Iceland (Oct 7) and Denmark (Oct 11):
Goalkeepers: Eduardo (Benfica/POR), Rui Patricio (Sporting Lisbon/POR), Beto (Cluj/ROM).
Defenders: Silvio (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Eliseu (Malaga/ESP), Bruno Alves (Zenit St Petersburg/RUS), Rolando (FC Porto/POR), Ricardo Costa (Valencia/ESP), Sereno (Cologne/GER), Joao Pereira (Sporting Lisbon/POR).
Midfielders: Raul Meireles (Chelsea/ENG), Joao Moutinho (FC Porto/POR), Carlos Martins (Grenada/ESP), Miguel Veloso (Genoa/ITA), Paulo Machado (Toulouse/FRA), Ruben Amorim (Benfica/POR), Ruben Micael (Real Zaragoza/ESP).
Attackers: Christiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/ESP), Danny (Zenit St Petersburg/RUS), Nani (Manchester United/ENG), Quaresma (Besiktas/TUR), Helder Postiga (Real Zaragoza/ESP), Nuno Gomes (Sporting Braga/POR).

Portugal is without injured Real Madrid players Pepe and Fabio Coentrao, FIFA kicks Myanmar out of 2018 WCup qualifying

Sereno gets Euro call-up for injury-hit Portugal

3 hours, 3 minutes ago

LISBON, Portugal —Portugal coach Paulo Bento has handed Cologne defender Henrique Sereno his first call-up and recalled six others for games against Iceland and Denmark.
The Portuguese are even with Norway and Denmark on 13 points at the top of Group H going into their last two 2012 European Championship qualifiers.
Ricardo Carvalho is suspended for a year after he walked out of the training camp ahead of the last match against Cyprus.

Nuno Gomes, Ruben Amorim, Carlos Martins, Ricardo Quaresma, Ricardo Costa and goalkeeper Beto returned to the 23-man squad announced Friday.

Portugal plays Iceland in Porto on Oct. 7 and takes on Denmark in Copenhagen four days later.

Germany names strong side for Turkey, Belgium

BERLIN, Germany—Germany named its strongest available side for the upcoming European Championship qualifiers against Turkey and Belgium, despite having already qualified for next year’s tournament.
Germany coach Joachim Loew recalled Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez, Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira, Stuttgart striker Cacau and Hamburg defender Dennis Aogo to the 24-man squad Friday, when no new call-ups were made.
“It was important for us to qualify as quickly as possible for the European Championships,” Loew said. “Now we also want to remain fully concentrated on the games against Turkey and Belgium. Our aim is to secure two victories to finish qualification unbeaten and with 10 wins from 10 games.”
Germany plays Turkey in Istanbul on Oct. 7, and hosts Belgium in Duesseldorf four days later.
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Sven Bender and defender Marcel Schmelzer were dropped.
“They were both heavily involved (for Dortmund) in recent weeks so we’ll do without them this time,” Loew said. “I rang them. They should use the coming days to train well with their club.”
Hannover goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler and Borussia Moenchengladbach attacking midfielder Marco Reus are the only uncapped players in the squad.
Sqaud:
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover)
Defenders: Holger Badstuber (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal), Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Benedikt Hoewedes (Schalke), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Christian Traesch (Wolfsburg), Dennis Aogo (Hamburger SV)
Midfielders: Mario Goetze (Borussia Dortmund), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Thomas Mueller (Bayern Munich), Lukas Podolski (Cologne), Marco Reus (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Simon Rolfes (Bayer Leverkusen), Andre Schuerrle (Bayer Leverkusen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Mesut Oezil (Real Madrid)
Forwards: Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich), Miroslav Klose (Lazio), Cacau (VfB Stuttgart)

Greece veterans Gekas, Charisteas return to squad

ATHENS, Greece —Veteran strikers Fanis Gekas and Angelos Charisteas have been called back to Greece’s squad for its two remaining European Championship qualifiers against Croatia and Georgia.
Greece coach Fernando Santos called up Gekas after the 31-year-old forward publicly apologized last weekend for quitting the national team a year ago, citing animosity with teammates.
Charisteas, another 31-year-old Bundesliga veteran, was recalled despite his move back to lowly Greek club Panaitolikos.
Greece is hoping to regain its Group F lead from Croatia when the two meet in Athens on Oct. 7, before traveling to Georgia four days later. The Greeks are currently a point behind Croatia, which has 19 points from eight matches.

FIFA kicks Myanmar out of 2018 WCup qualifying

5 hours, 11 minutes ago

ZURICH, Switzerland.- FIFA has kicked Myanmar out of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup as punishment for crowd violence at a 2014 qualifier in July.
Fans threw stones and water bottles onto the field during Myanamar’s game against Oman on July 28, forcing the referee to abandon the match.
Oman was leading 2-0 at the time and was awarded the victory by that score. Oman, which also won the first leg 2-0, advanced to the next round of Asian qualifying on 4-0 aggregate.
FIFA’s disciplinary committee says the Myanmar soccer federation failed to prevent “improper conduct of supporters” and “is excluded from taking part in the matches of the preliminary competition” for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The federation was also fined $28,000

Premier League club Arsenal reports reduced profit

18 minutes ago

LONDON, United Kingdom—Arsenal reported pretax profits of 14.8 million pounds (?17.1 million; $23 million) in the year ending May 31, 2011, as reduced gains from player and property sales led to a drop in the Premier League club’s earnings.
The biggest drop was in the club’s property segment as it generated only 30.3 million pounds (?35.2 million; $47.3 million) from Highbury land sales compared to 156.9 million pounds (?182.2 million; $245.1 million) the year before.
“It’s a good set of results again,” Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis said. “It doesn’t reflect the activity that happened during the summer—and the transfer window in particular—but it does show another good year for the club.”
Arsenal’s player revenue will rebound next year after the north London club sold Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri for a combined 50 million pounds (?58 million; $78 million).
The club added in a statement that overall revenue also dropped from 379.9 million pounds (?440 million; $592 million) to 255.7 million pounds (?255.7 million; $398.4 million). It also has 160 million pounds (?186 million; $250 million) in cash in the bank with Gazidis hinting more players could be coming if necessary.
“We do have money that would be available to spend in the transfer market as Arsene decides is necessary,” Gazidis said.
The Gunners have struggled to start Wenger’s 15th season in charge but club director Stan Kroenke backed the Frenchman.
“Arsene’s our man,” Kroenke said. “That’s who we put our confidence in.”

euro cup 2012