Tomorrow the Euro 2008 draw takes place to see who Italy has to play in the Qualifying round. Qualifying starts in the September after the World Cup. Italy is in Pot 2.
Pot 1 Greece Netherlands Portugal England Czech Republic France Sweden Pot 2 Germany Croatia Italy Turkey Poland Spain Romania Pot 3 Serbia and Montenegro Russia Denmark Norway Bulgaria Ukraine Slovakia Pot 4 Bosnia-Herzegovina Republic of Ireland Belgium Latvia Israel Scotland Slovenia Pot 5 Hungary Finland Estonia Wales Lithuania Albania Iceland Pot 6 Georgia F.Y.R. Macedonia Belarus Armenia Northern Ireland Cyprus Moldova Pot 7 Liechtenstein Azerbaijan Andorra Malta Faroe Islands Kazakhstan Luxembourg San Marino Will we finally draw our neighbors San Marino?
We'd do well to avoid drawing England or Holland. (Which, of course, means we'll draw either England or Holland tomorrow.) I'm not especially afraid of the other teams in Pot 1--as a matter of fact I think it would be good to draw Greece--but that Dutch team is built for the future and it will be very dangerous by 2007. England, I need not say, is a helluva team.
3 questions: 1) what time will the draw take place? 2) Will it be televised like the WC06 draws? 3) When will the qualification games take place?
Nightmare group: England Italy Denmark Rep. of Ireland Finland Belarus Andorra Easier draw: Greece Italy Russia Latvia Albania Cyprus Etc.
And the draw is over, could have been worse but still not the easiest of groups with Ukraine and France... Group B France Italy Ukraine Scotland Lithuania Georgia Faroe Islands
tough old group,we should still fancy our chances though..you would think its gonna be france and the azzuri battling for top spot with the ukraine breathing their necks,also the scots will give you a hard 90 mins.
when time goes by fior the azzurri, some will lose form in the italy squad like old players and some will be in form at their peak like gilardino at the tournaments time... hopefully we can just get into it. Ukraine just slaughtered their opponents in qualifying round and they had much harder teams to face, where as italy neeeded the last weekend to secure it. Scotland had us the second game where a cross was swung in to save us. scotland wasnt at all easy last time we played them.... and france.. lets give them sweet revenge for the euro00 and bump them down to 3rd spot anyone know when the qualifying campaign starts?
we can have the group i dont see france as the threat they once was and they wont have zidane thuram and makalele and i have seen ukrain once against england in a friendly and england hammerd them
This is a tough group--but Italy must qualify from it. Interestingly, Lippi has not commented on the draw, saying he is focused on the World Cup right now. That may mean he will resign his post after this summer. If Italy have a good tournament though, I would like him to stay on.
For the 12 matches of Euro qualifying, Italy could be looking at this 4-4-2 (supposing Lippi continues): Cassano; Gilardino Montolivo; Gattuso, Pirlo, Camoranesi; Chiellini, Nesta, Barzagli, Zambrotta; Gigi Buffon. That would be strong, and I feel we should be able to take full points off Lithuania, Faroe Islands, and Georgia. Scotland and Ukraine are tougher; the France matches would be toughest of all, but we're due some revenge I think . . . .
I'm just happy we get to play against our transalpine friends again.... http://www.uefa.com/competitions/EURO/news/Kind=1/newsId=389340.html
If we did, it was before 1982. You guys beat us in Feb '82 I think, and some commentator was speculating that if the 1982 final had been Italy-France, France might have won since the "wheel" started turning in your favor with that February win. Basically, we haven't beaten you since, but apparently you had never beaten us before then. Something like that.
No; we drew les Bleus, in '97 and '98, but the last win dates back to '78. It is possible, but not certain, that another match-up will take place in June (it would be in the quarter-finals of the WC). Either way, there is something special about Italy-France. Germany and England are strong, great European countries in their way, but Italy and France have always seemed to me the most elegant, classy sides in Europe.
Wow, there ought to be some fun challenges here. With three such strong teams competing at the top, nobody can afford to have any slip-ups against Scotland, Lithuania, and Georgia (or the Faroes, of course). Can't play it too conservatively. I assume qualifying starts in September.
i like the ukraines manager quote. seems strong... anyways italy-france game will decide it between us. I say whoever loses in the matches will then open the door wide open for ukraine. I think Ukraine will be in third all the ay up to the second france-italy game and whoever loses there will have to compete for second with Ukraine. Scotland will have to be on one big role if they want in.
No; that's not right. Qualifying will have everything to do with taking maximum points from the weaker teams, and winning every home game. We can drop points to France and still qualify . . . Think back to WCQ for the '98 WC; Italy took 4 points off England, yet England qualified outright and Italy needed the play-offs.