Santos Admits to Tough Decisions

Greece coach, Fernando Santos, has admitted that one of his toughest decisions when choosing his provisional 25-man squad for next month’s European Championships was which three goalkeepers to pick.

The 57-year-old former FC Porto and Benfica coach, who has been in charge of the Greece team since 2010, has opted to include Michalis Sifakis, Kostas Chalkias, and Alexandros Tzorvas.

However, he said: “There were five or six players in with a good chance of making the cut. In the end, I chose the goalkeepers who have had more time with the national squad, who played more matches in qualifying.”

Panathinaikos goalkeeper, Orestis Karnezis, was one shot-stopper to miss out on a place in the squad, with Santos explaining: “He played with us once, in the last friendly, but I believe he is not yet ready, he lacks the experience for such a competition.”

Santos has also opted to include the veteran striker, Nikos Liberopoulos, in his squad.

The 36-year-old, who currently plies his trade with AEK Athens, only featured twice in qualifying but has enjoyed a fine domestic season. He has been chosen instead of PAOK striker, Stefanos Athanasiadis.

Santos will take his players to Austria on 22nd May for a pre-tournament training camp.  Greece will play two friendlies while they are there – against Slovenia, on 26th May, and Armenia, five days later.

When the action gets underway in Poland and Ukraine, Greece will face the joint hosts Poland, the Czech Republic, and Russia in Group A. Gamble on Greece’s group with Euro 2012 Group A Betting.

Alternatively, if your football loyalties lie with Germany, Holland, Portugal, or Denmark, check out the Euro 2012 Group B Betting on Betfair.

Al-Habsi holds Wigan belief

Wigan goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi says last weekend’s superb victory at Liverpool can inspire the club in their battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

The Latics pulled off a shock 2-1 victory over the Merseysiders at Anfield last Saturday to move off the bottom of the table with the run-in to the season looming.

Roberto Mancini’s side are now level with QPR on 25 points, one behind Bolton but three ahead of Wolves as the battle to avoid the drop intensifies. Those who bet on football will know how close things are.

Wigan have been perennial strugglers in the top flight in the past few seasons, surviving on the last day 12 months ago, and it may well go down to the final weekend of this season before their Premier League status is once again confirmed. Even fans of League One betting will be following things.

Al-Habsi says the win at Liverpool can act as a catalyst for them to secure enough victories to avoid the drop in the eight games that remain despite Martinez’s side facing a tough set of games in the coming weeks. Following this weekend’s clash against Stoke, they take on Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal but Al-Habsi says confidence is now high at the club.

“Of course we can do it,” he told the Evening Post. “We have another eight cup finals to go and the performance at Liverpool will hopefully give us the push we need.

“The fans were amazing on Saturday and we’ll need them again this weekend against Stoke.

“One big push is all we need to stay in this division – we did it last year and I’m sure we can do it again.”

Bolton keeper eye safety

In-form Bolton Wanderers goalkeeper Adam Bogdan believes his side will avoid the drop despite the disappointment of tumbling out of the FA Cup on Tuesday.
Bolton boosted their survival hopes with a crucial 2-1 victory over fellow strugglers Blackburn Rovers last weekend but backed that up with a 3-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane in their rearranged FA Cup quarter-final tie.

Bogdan was a one-man last line of defence at times – keeping Spurs at bay until late on with a string of high-class saves. The man-of-the-match award was no consolation after their cup exit and fans of Bet Victor will know this.

“I feel very disappointed at being out of the cup. But this is the situation we are in now and we have to focus on the Premier League,” said the Hungarian stopper.
“If we show this fighting spirit for the last few games, then we can make it.”

Bogdan was pleased with his own performance but was keen to downplay the importance, especially since the evening ended in defeat.

“The pressure kept coming and in the end we couldn’t keep them out. Was it my best game for Bolton? Maybe people who keep the records can say,” added Bogdan.
“It was nice the Spurs players congratulated me but they had gone through so it made it easier for them.”

Bolton’s attentions now turn to a crucial six-pointer at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday and people looking at the www.betvictor.com odds will know the importance of this game.

Bolton have improved of late in the Premier League – winning back-to-back games to pull away from the drop zone. Owen Coyle’s side sit one place and one point above the bottom three with a game in hand on their rivals.

They take on a Wolves side with just one win in 16 games and in dreadful form at Molineux.

Bolton and Bogdan have a perfect opportunity to put the cup disappointment behind them.

Cech praises perfect performance

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech has hailed his side after they battled hard to a 1-0 victory over Benfica in their Champions League quarter-final encounter on Tuesday night.

The last British club left in the prestigious European competition will take a slender advantage back to Stamford Bridge, thanks to a second-half goal from Salomon Kalou at the Estadio da Luz.

Chelsea’s win in Portugal was the first time in 22 games that Benfica have failed to score on home soil and it took a fine team effort from the west London outfit to secure the victory in midweek. People placing a Champions League bet should bear this in mind.

The Blues have failed to impress in the Premier League this season, as they found themselves well out of the title race in the relatively early stages of the campaign. Fans of Champions League promotions need to bear this in mind.

However Chelsea have looked strong in Europe and under interim manager Roberto Di Matteo, the club have taken a big step towards the Champions League semi-finals thanks to that vital away goal.

Cech was delighted his side kept a clean sheet at the Estadio da Luzand believes his side produced a faultless performance in Portugal.

He told Sky Sports News: “We can say it was a perfect game for us in terms of the result,” he told Sky Sports News.

“We kept a clean sheet and we were patient throughout the game, waiting for our chances to come and in the end we scored on a very good counter-attack.

“Overall, we can be really satisfied because in terms of the game plan we did really well. We didn’t let them play first half and second half we waited patiently for our chance and it came.”

Hart out for revenge

Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart says his side will be looking for revenge when they face Chelsea on Wednesday at the Etihad Stadium.

The two teams met earlier in the season, with the Stamford Bridge club handing the Citizens their first defeat of the season in an extremely controversial match and it looks like it could be another exciting match when the two sides meet again.

Roberto Mancini’s men currently sit four points behind city rivals Manchester United in the Premier League table but a win in Wednesday’s crucial match will close the gap to just a single point with just nine games remaining.

Following the dismissal of former boss Andre Vilas- Boas, Chelsea have experienced somewhat of a resurgence, winning in the Champions League victory against Napoli, as well as progressing to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with Sunday’s victory against Leicester.

Hart is expecting a tough match at the Etihad but says he and his teammates owe Chelsea after so many decisions went against them in the match before Christmas.

“One result can literally change everything. It’s madness but it’s great. Being four points behind won’t have any bearing on how we play” Hart told The Sun. “We owe them one. They were the first team to beat us in the league this season”.

After a disappointing run of results, the Citizens lack of experience of winning title has been questioned, with some pundits believing that they’re not ready to win the league. However, the England goalkeeper doubts this and says that they have all the ingredients of a title winning side.

“We have all the ingredients. All we’re short of is the medal round our necks” he added.

Written by Jeff, a fan of http://www.youwin.com/en.

Reina eyes ‘massive game’

Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina has described their FA Cup quarter-final clash with Stoke City as the club’s most important game of the season.

The Anfield club have already ended their six-year trophy drought with a dramatic Carling Cup shoot-out victory over Cardiff City at Wembley and completed the double over Merseyside rivals Everton earlier this week.

Despite those successes, Reina believes Sunday’s clash against Stoke at Anfield is bigger than anything that has gone before it. www.betvictor.com

“Sunday’s game is perhaps the most important game of the season for us. It will be a cup final for us,” said Reina.

“It is another opportunity for us to get back to Wembley, and that means a lot for us and for the club. To take one step closer to a trophy is an opportunity for us.”

Liverpool, without European football this season, have excelled in the domestic cup competitions but have again flattered to deceive in the Premier League.

Steven Gerrard spared the Reds the ignominy of falling behind neighbours Everton in the table with a magical hat-trick on Tuesday. However, performances like that have proven hard to come by at Anfield this season and Liverpool find themselves ten points off a Champions League spot with ten games to play.

The Liverpool stopper is hoping the 3-0 victory over Everton can spark a late-season charge, starting with the last-eight tie against Stoke. Reina is confident of booking a semi-final spot. Fans of football betting should bear this in mind.

“We have to play our best, and playing at Anfield is something we can take confidence from,” added Reina.

Liverpool’s Carling Cup final appearance was their first trip to Wembley since 1996. The Reds could travel to the home of English football three times in as many months before the end of the season. First, though, they need to get past a resolute Stoke outfit.

Hart Backs Pearce

With Stuart Pearce stepping up from his U21 England Coaching role to take over the full national team while the FA appoints a full time manager, Goalkeeper Joe Hart says that he is delighted to be working under Stuart Pearce again, given all he has done for his career, and claims he could be the man to lead England into Euro 2012.

Hart has made the goalkeeping position his own since the World Cup and is now one of the bwin candidates for the national captaincy.

Pearce and Hart know each other very well after working with each other in the u21s and Hart says Pearce
helped to shape his career and put him on a path that has taken the 24-year-old to the very top of the game.

Hart appreciates everything Pearce has done for him and claims England would be in safe hands were they to offer the man currently occupying the national hot-seat the opportunity to oversee events at this summer’s European Championship.

“I remember when he signed me for Man City from Shrewsbury Town. He put great faith in me and I owe a lot for that,” said Hart.

“Then he brought me straight into the U21s when I was third choice and gradually moved me through the system.

“I am quite aware of what he does from U21s and Stuart has always been around with the senior side. Even under the previous manager (Fabio Capello), he has always had his ideas.

“For myself, he is a viable candidate to take England into the finals. Of course he is. I’ve worked for him on many occasions at club level, U21s, and enjoyed my time with him.”

Hart has also said that he would love the opportunity to be captain of England himself and feels that he is ready for the role. Hart admits that he might be a long way off with the likes of Steven Gerrard being the betvictor favourite for the captaincy, but when asked whether goalkeepers can be captain, he pointed out the example of Ilker Cassilas who has lead Spain to a European Championship and World Cup.

Joe Hart For England Captian?

After John Terry was stripped of the England captaincy last month which ultimately saw the resignation of England manager Fabio Capello, Interim manager Stuart Pearce will name a new England captain for Wednesdays game with Holland at Wembley, and Manchester City’s Joe Hart is a stan james favourite to take hold of the arm band!

Joe Hart is no doubt one of the first names on the team sheet when it comes to England games and he looks like he will make the position his own for the next ten years or more, so it would perhaps make sense to give a young player who is going to be in the England frame longer then anyone else the captaincy!?

Many will say that he isn’t experienced enough just yet and doesn’t need that added pressure, which is a fair point. Others will say that your captain should be a player who plays outfield where he is close to the action and can lead the players. All I would say to that is ‘Ilker Casillas’! Real Madrid’s goalkeeper has captained Spain to the European Championships and the World Cup which shows it can be done.

Hart will no doubt be captain at some point in time but maybe not right now. Steven Gerrard is tipped by bwin betting to lead the team out in Poland and Ukraine this summer, and he is probably the safest choice.

But Joe Hart definitely has what it takes to be captain at some stage of his career!

Europa League sides in mixed night

It was a mixed night in the Europa League for the English contingent.

The two Manchester clubs came through tough away trips unscathed, but Stoke City found the going tough against La Liga high-flyers Valencia.

Second-half goals from Ashley Young and Javier Hernandez helped Manchester United overcome a lacklustre start in the Amsterdam Arena to all-but secure a place in the quarter-finals.

Ajax started the game brightly and it looked like it could be another uncomfortable European night for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men. The hosts dictated the play during a busy opening and United had David de Gea to thank for keeping the score level going into the break. Fans of football betting should bear this in mind.

United came out fired up after half-time and kept Ajax penned in their own half as they started to dictate the play. They took the lead just before the hour when Ashley Young finished Nani’s cross.

Ajax hit back, but United secured a precious advantage when Javier Hernandez exchanged passes with Rooney and finished five minutes from time. Anyone betting on football needs to remember this.

Manchester City had to come from behind to inflict a rare home defeat on Porto. An Alvaro Pereira own goal and a Sergio Aguero strike gave City an impressive European victory.

Roberto Mancini’s side had the better of the chances but fell behind when Hulk crossed for Silvestre Varela to finish.

City continued to press and grabbed a deserved equaliser ten minutes into the second half when Pereira deflected Yaya Toure’s cross into his own net. Aguero made a good night a great night five minutes from time with a tap in after good work by Toure.

A stunning Mehmet Topal strike was enough to see off a valiant Stoke side at the Britannia Stadium. The out-of-form Potters have it all to do ahead of the second leg in the Mestalla next week.

Reina’s Delight!

A penalty shootout always throws many stan james free bets out of the window, but it gives the opportunity to a goalkeeper to make a name for himself and to be the hero, and the Carling Cup this weekend did exactly that. On this occasion though, Liverpool’s win over Cardiff came down to some disappointing penalties that failed to hit the target rather than Pepe Reina’s heroics.

Nevertheless, Pepe Reina is delighted with his first trophy as a Liverpool player and his determined to win more silver wear at Anfield after overcoming a ‘dark moment’ in the clubs history which almost forced him to leave.

The Spanish keeper considered departing Anfield ahead of John Henry’s takeover in 2010, when the club had spiralled into huge debt as seen in the bwin review.

But Reina now has the belief and confidence in the owners following the appointment of Kenny Daglish that he says has put Liverpool back on track, with the Carling Cup win only the start of their resurgence.

Reina said “There was a point when I thought that my only option was to move to another club. It was only when there was a change of ownership at Liverpool that I decided to stay.

“It was by far the biggest factor in my decision. When I joined Liverpool in 2005 we were European champions. The following year we won the FA Cup and the next we reached the Champions League Final. But after 2007 nothing.

“We all know why the club went backwards after that final in Athens. It was a dark moment in Liverpool’s history. And I’m not just talking about the last decade, but the whole history of the club.

“I probably wouldn’t be here if the change of ownership hadn’t happened – but that doesn’t matter now because we are looking forward to going to Wembley.”

He added: “To be honest, this time last year, reaching a Wembley final looked a long way off for us. The players always hoped we would challenge again and that we’d get back on track, but we also knew that it would take time.

“We needed better players so that we could become competitive again – and the owners thought so too because they spent good money on the squad in the summer.

“As a result, we have made some improvement. We are going the right way again. We want to be fighting for titles, fighting to reach Wembley.”

It is a great boost for the club and for Reina who is considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world. To have him leave the Premier League would be a huge disappointment to many football fans, but it sounds like he is very content with life at Liverpool at the moment!

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