Summer Football Guide: Part 2 of 3
Article By Drew Frey
What to watch for the next 10 weeks to get your football fix.
This little ‘Guide’ is to provide you, the passionate football fan, with a wealth of options to get you through the next 10 weeks until the various leagues start up again. Whether you’re partial to Serie A, La Liga, AXPO Super League or the EPL, this post will help get you through these tough non-league action times.
UEFA Under 21 Championships
Every two years this highly anticipated tournament showcases the upcoming talent managers, reporters and fans will be talking about in the years to come. Sweden will host the 2009 Championship that has been the breeding ground of famous names such as Raul, Gattuso and Zinedine Zidane.
Italy has reigned supreme winning the tournament five times as England, Spain, (former) USSR, and the Netherlands not far behind with two wins apiece.
June 15th-23rd on Setanta Sports and Sky Sports
Notable Matchups:
June 15th: Spain v Germany
June 18th: Spain v England
June 19th: Sweden v Italy
June 22nd: Germany v England
June 23rd: Belarus v Italy
Semi Finals:
June 26th
Winner of Group A v Runner Up Group B
Winner Group B v Runner Up Group A
Final:
June 29th
Semi Final Winner I v Semi Final Winner II
Predictions Group A:
The lineup this year looks very good and will be hard to pick a winner. Anyone would be foolish not to include Italy on their list of favorites. The team was certainly in form during qualifying having won seven out of ten matches.
Serbia is also a good bet. The team finished on top of their group and qualified thanks to Gojko Kacar and his six goals. The Serbs have a newfound tradition finishing well in the U-21 championship. Runners up to Holland a couple years back, Serbia is continuing their rich history at this level.
Predictions Group B:
Spain’s ‘wunderkind’ Bojan Krkic is sure to impress this summer and help his country reach the final. The team won their group with a 100 percent record and only conceded two goals in the process. Although they looked lost against Switzerland in the playoffs, Spain still got the job done and are now on Europe’s big stage.
Players to Look Out For:
Mario Balotelli-Italy Striker Qualifying record: 3 Goals, 3 Appearances
Super Mario Balotelli compilation
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Gojko Kacar-Serbia Midfielder Qualifying record: 6 Goals, 8 Appearances
Bojan Krkic-Spain Striker Qualifying record: 3 Goals, 6 Appearances
