Jack Wilshere will not make Arsenal return 'until October'

Arsene Wenger says Jack Wilshere will not play for Arsenal before October.

The 20-year-old England midfielder missed the whole of the 2011-12 campaign with an ankle problem, and had minor knee surgery in May.


"Hopefully, we will get Wilshere back playing for October," said Wenger, before Arsenal's final match of their Asia tour in Hong Kong.

"With Abou Diaby returning, it will be like signing two new players. The squad will be strong and competitive."

Wilshere injured his right ankle last summer and had successful surgery, only to suffer a stress fracture during his rehabilitation in January.

A long-standing knee injury then flared up during his rehabilitation, meaning he also missed Euro 2012.

Wilshere hopes to resume light training in August, with his sights set on a return to action in October.

It means he is ruled out of England's opening two World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Ukraine, which take place in early September

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Lucky England scrape past Ukraine, as France falter

KIEV: England rode their luck to top Euro 2012 Group D on Tuesday as they beat co-hosts Ukraine 1-0 while France also made it despite being outclassed in a 2-0 defeat by already eliminated Sweden. A goal by the recalled Wayne Rooney - thanks to a howler by the Ukrainian goalkeeper - was enough for England although Ukraine were desperately unlucky not to be level when the ball clearly crossed the line but the fifth official didn’t see it. France were woeful as they saw their 23 match unbeaten run under Laurent Blanc brought to an end with a stunning bicycle kick by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and one from the outstanding Sebastian Larsson.

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Victory gave the Swedes their first win over the French in almost 43 years, dating back to October 1969. England’s win sees them avoid defending champions Spain and instead they will play Italy in their quarter-final in Kiev on Sunday while it is the French who will face the Spanish in Donetsk on Saturday. A 48th-minute header from the talismanic Rooney gave the English some breathing space over a Ukrainian side - shorn of its own talisman Andrei Shevchencko, who was unable to start as he was injured - that had to win to go through. They thought they had at least got back on level terms when Marko Devic had a clear goal wrongly disallowed on 62 minutes. Devic had powered into the box and his looping shot had flown over keeper Joe Hart towards goal. John Terry launched himself into an acrobatic clearance to hook the ball away but despite furious Ukrainian appeals no goal was given.

Television replays, however, showed the ball had crossed the line by several inches but had incredibly been missed by the additional assistant referee stationed behind the goal. “We had our bit of luck tonight (the goal that wasn’t allowed) but you deserve some luck,” mused England coach Roy Hodgson, who is yet to be beaten in five games since he took over. However, Hodgson said that his relatively inexperienced team, shorn of several key players through injury before the tournament, had shown great character to prevail. “It was a very good defensive and disciplined performance,” he said. “We could have shown some more composure on the ball but we are a fledgling team and we can work on that part.”

France rarely looked like up for the battle and Sweden were the side that looked to be the one who had a chance of reaching the quarter-finals rather than taking an early flight home. The defeat left Blanc seething, questioning the commitment of his players and clearly hinting that changes would be made for the clash with Spain. “Sweden played this match with its heart. Physically, they were better prepared and (in Ibrahimovic) they had a player in the team who made the difference, which makes a hell of a difference. “We are really disappointed by this result but we were in trouble throughout the match. When you lose a match, it is because you have not got the right team out there. “Therefore, if I were to start it all over, we would not start with the same team.” afp

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UEFA EURO 2012 | ITALY VS. IRELAND WHO WILL ADVANCE?

UEFA EURO 2012 | ITALY VS. IRELAND WHO WILL ADVANCE? Match starts at 2:45 AM GMT +8:00

Ireland’s 7 losses against Italy are enough to fuel the Irish fire and reclaim their lost honour and glory. Drawing inspiration from Jack Charlton, Ireland is set to grab victory. As a matter of fact, Ireland got the upper-hand during their last three (3) matches. These wins foretell that Ireland shall not be kind to Italy during its EURO matchup this June 19.

Meanwhile, Italy’s Azurri is serious in taking the crown back. The Italian squad is hungry for yet another title. It has been years since they won the EURO Championship title in 1968 and after making two (2) semi-final appearances, Italy would never let Ireland get into their way.

Will Italy make it to the finals or will Ireland put a stop into Italy’s quest for victory?

THE NUMBERS

• Total previous matches: 6
• Italy – 7 Wins
• Republic of Ireland – 2 Wins
• 2 Draw
• Previous EURO Head to Head Matches
• None

Italy must tackle three points in their final Group C match cons of Ireland. Series or lose, Gli Azzurri have to return home. In fact, any win, Italy may not be able to qualify for the quarter-finals. Italy has always followed the Euro or World Cup event since 1992, they have never been absent until now. While Ireland's Euro 2012 is the first event they qualify for the EURO group stage since making his debut in 1988. In 1988, Ireland had beaten England, but they did not qualify from group stage after a series against the Soviet Union and the defeat of theNetherlands.

Italy's record of 11 so far is 7x Irish victory, 2x serial, and 2x less.

Of the six official matches of both teams, Italy won 3 games, 2x serial, 1x and losing.

This is the first time for Ireland's success to the group stage since making his debut at EURO 1988. In 1988, Ireland had beaten England, but they did not qualify from group stage after a series against the Soviet Union and the defeat of the Netherlands.

Italy is currently ranked the 12th FIFA World Ranking, while Ireland was ranked the 18th FIFA World Ranking.

PREVIOUS MATCHES

ITALY	IRELAND
June 14, 2012: Italy 1-1 Croatia (EURO 2012)	June 15, 2012: Spain 4-0 Ireland (EURO 2012)
June 10, 2012: Spain 1-1 Italy (EURO 2012)	June 11, 2012: Ireland 1-3 Croatia (EURO 2012)
June 2, 2012: Italy 0-3 Russia (Friendly Match)	June 5, 2012: Hungary 0-0 Ireland (Friendly Match)
March 1, 2012: Italy 0-1 USA (Friendly Match)	May 26, 2012: Ireland 1-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina (Friendly Match)
November 16, 2011: Italy 0-1 Uruguay (Friendly Match)	March 1, 2012: Ireland 1-1 Czech Rep. (Friendly Match)

POSSIBLE LINEUPS

Buffon

Bonucci - Barzagli - Chiellini

Maggio - Marchisio - Pirlo - De Rossi - Balzaretti

Cassano - Di Natale

Coach: Cesare Prandelli (Italy)

Ireland:

Given

O'Shea - Ledger - Dunne - Ward

Duff - Andrews - Whelan - McGeady

Cox - Keane

Coach: Giovanni Trapattoni (Italy)

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Ukraine Aims to Impress Home Crowd versus France

UKRAINE	Tournament Statistics (as of June 15, 2012)		FRANCE
2	Goals Scored		1
5	Attempts On Target		15
8	Attempts Off Target		4
3	Corners		11
12	Fouls Committed		9
0	Yellow Cards		0
0	Red Cards		0
PREDICTED STARTING LINEUPS
Ukraine (3-5-2)		Pyatov; Selin, Khacheridi, Mykhalyk; Tymoschuk, Gusev, Yarmolenko, Nazarenko, Konoplyanka; Shevchenko, Voronin
France (4-2-3-1)		Lloris; Evra, Méxes, Rami, Debuchy; Diarra, M’Vila; Ribéry, Nasri, Valbuena; Benzema

Date: June 16, 2012

Time: 12:00 AM (GMT +8:00)

DONETSK: Group D is expected to undergo a tremendous turn of events as France returns to Donbass to face host Ukraine on home advantage. France is stuck in a 1-1 draw versus England, a record that calls for better winning resolve from Les Bleus. Ukraine, on the other hand, currently tops Group D after they trounced Sweden before an energetic home crowd at 2-1.

Ukraine must repeat their feat against Sweden in order to get past through France – an international favorite to win Group D. If not, their chances of winning the group stage can be ruined, especially when they face England in their final group match.

Previous Matches

France and Ukraine met for 6 times. Ukraine never won against Les Bleus, with a lackluster record of 3 losses and 3 draws.

The teams recently met at a friendly in Donetsk last 2011. France shattered Ukraine at 4-1, with 2 goals coming from midfielder Marvin Martin.

Throughout those 6 meetings, France evidently grew stronger, particularly in terms of offense. In contrast, Ukraine has yet to be consistent in their winning form, particularly in improving their shaky defense.

Pre-Match Developments

Significant changes are not likely for both teams. No players from both sides are injured. France’s starting lineup might change a little if Laurent Blanc decides to put midfielder Yann M’Vila in place of Yohan Cabaye.

Oleh Blokhin will likely retain Ukraine’s current starting squad, given their impressive performance last Tuesday.

Ukraine-France Predictions

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A crucial factor in this match is the frail defense of both teams. The absence of injured defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy in Ukraine’s lineup can further cripple their efforts to defend the goal. France’s defense must learn not to rely too much on their team’s attacking power. Otherwise, they might be damaged by Ukraine’s desire to score before their home crowd. Ukraine’s legendary striker Andriy Shevchenko is one player Les Bleus have to watch out.

A repeat of France’s 2011 friendly victory against Ukraine is highly possible in this game. Their offensive stride powered by Karim Benzema, Franck Ribéry, Mathieu Valbuena and Samir Nasri (who scored France’s goal during its match versus England) can make Ukraine’s weak defense useless. The international pedigree of French players reflects more experience. That gives Les Bleus an obvious victory in their second Group D fixture, despite playing against Ukraine in their home field.

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Euro 2012 Group Stage – Poland Vs Greece Match Preview

Euro 2012 EUFA bet on sport 12bet

Poland Vs Greece Match Preview

In the build-up to the first activity of this season's European Championships, the betting for the Greece vs. Poland has thrown on a variety of events. When the draw was declared and the accessories were set for each team, Greece were the possibilities on favorites to choose up a win in this fascinating first experience of the tournament.

Check back for the you win match preview guide for the Euro group A stage game of Poland Vs Greece.

A couple of days before the game kicks off, we’ll be giving you our exclusive betting guide to Poland Vs Greece, with an in depth look at all the components that are likely to affect the outcome of the match – including the team line up, latest happenings off the pitch, potential goal scorers and the likely Poland Vs Greece final score and how this could affect group A.

This will allow you to make an informed decision and take advantage of some of the very best odds on Poland Vs Greece with 12bet.com.

In the mean time you can check out more about each of the individual Poland football team and Greece football team by looking at our teams guide.

Euro 2012 EUFA bet on sport 12bet

Poland Vs Greece Match Preview

 

 

In the build-up to the first activity of this season's European Championships, the betting for the Greece vs. Poland has thrown on a variety of events. When the draw was declared and the accessories were set for each team, Greece were the possibilities on favorites to choose up a win in this fascinating first experience of the tournament.

Check back for the you win match preview guide for the Euro group A stage game of Poland Vs Greece.

A couple of days before the game kicks off, we’ll be giving you our exclusive betting guide to Poland Vs Greece, with an in depth look at all the components that are likely to affect the outcome of the match – including the team line up, latest happenings off the pitch, potential goal scorers and the likely Poland Vs Greece final score and how this could affect group A.

This will allow you to make an informed decision and take advantage of some of the very best odds on Poland Vs Greece with youwin.com.

In the mean time you can check out more about each of the individual Poland football team and Greece football team by looking at our teams guide.

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