Premier League Has Largest Representation At Euro 2016

Crystal Palace’s Yohan Cabaye (left) and Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil (right) will both be at Euro 2016

The Premier League will provide nearly 20% of the players at Euro 2016 – more than any other league.

A total of 103 players out of the 552 will come from the English top flight, ahead of the German Bundesliga, which will be represented by 57 players.

Spain’s La Liga, whose clubs Sevilla and Real Madrid won the 2016 Europa League and Champions League titles, will only have 34 players in France.

A study by Polish site Ekstrastats also calculates that the English Championship will provide 31 players, more than France’s Ligue 1.

Liverpool and Juventus are the best represented clubs with 12 players, with 11 from Tottenham and 10 from Manchester United.

Eighteen of the 24 countries will contain players from the Premier League.

The Wales squad contains 13 players from the English top flight, while the Republic of Ireland and Belgium both have 12.

BBC

Premier League Has Largest Representation At Euro 2016

Northern Ireland Name Euro 2016 Squad

Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill has announced his final 23-man squad for Euro 2016, with Will Grigg and Lee Hodson included as expected.

It emerged on Friday that Wigan striker Grigg and MK full-back Hodson would get the nod for the trip to France.

O’Neill has cut his squad from 28 players with Liam Boyce, Billy McKay, Daniel Lafferty, Ben Reeves and Michael Smith missing out.

Northern Ireland start Euro 2016 against Poland in Nice on 12 June.

O’Neill told each player on Wednesday if they would be involved in Northern Ireland’s first appearance in a major tournament since 1986.

Grigg, who scored in Friday night’s 3-0 friendly win over Belarus, beat Boyce and McKay to the final striker berth.

Smith and and Lafferty lost out to Hodson for the final full-back slot.

Northern Ireland take on Ukraine in their second Group C game in Lyon on 16 June and finish against world champions Germany in Paris five days later.

O’Neill admitted that his biggest selection dilemma was between Grigg and Ross County forward Boyce.

“It was very difficult to tell the players who were not going and it was hard choice between Will Grigg and Liam Boyce,” he said at Saturday’s squad announcement in Belfast.

“Liam had a great start to the season in Scotland before suffering a hand injury.

“Meanwhile, Will just kept on scoring – 28 goals for his team and helping them to promotion.

“So while it it was difficult decision, I think it was the right one.”

Northern Ireland squad for Euro 2016 finals:

Goalkeepers: Alan Mannus (St Johnstone), Michael McGovern (Hamilton Academical), Roy Carroll (Linfield)

Defenders: Craig Cathcart (Watford), Jonathan Evans (West Bromwich Albion), Gareth McAuley (West Bromwich Albion), Luke McCullough (Doncaster Rovers), Conor McLaughlin (Fleetwood Town), Lee Hodson (MK Dons), Aaron Hughes (Free agent), Patrick McNair (Manchester United), Chris Baird (Derby County)

Midfielders: Steven Davis (Southampton), Oliver Norwood, (Reading), Corry Evans, (Blackburn Rovers), Shane Ferguson (Millwall), Stuart Dallas (Leeds United), Niall McGinn (Aberdeen), Jamie Ward (Nottingham Forest)

Forwards: Kyle Lafferty (Norwich City), Conor Washington (Queens Park Rangers), Josh Magennis (Kilmarnock), Will Grigg (Wigan Athletic).

BBC

Northern Ireland Name Euro 2016 Squad

Rashford Scores On Debut As England Beat Australia

Rashford became the 10th youngest player in England’s history after he started against Australia

Marcus Rashford furthered his claims for a place in England’s final 23-man squad for Euro 2016 after scoring in a warm-up win over Australia.

The 18-year-old striker volleyed in after three minutes to become England’s youngest player to score on his debut.

Wayne Rooney’s powerful 20-yard strike – his 52nd international goal – made it 2-0 at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light.

Midfielder Eric Dier came on to play at centre-back for England but scored an own goal with a diving header.

In other friendly internationals played on Friday, Northern Ireland beat Belarus 3-0, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands drew 1-1, Slovakia beat Georgia 3-1, the Czech Republic thumped Malta 6-0 with Croatia beating Moldova 1-0.

BBC

Rashford Scores On Debut As England Beat Australia

Ghanaian Youngster Dreams of European Move

Ghana Youngster, Abubakar Mahadi who currently plays for Vietnamese top flight side Sông Lam Nghệ An F.C has expressed the desire to move to Europe after two and a half years of playing in the Asia.

The 22-year old former Hearts of Oak and Feyenoord [WAFA] forward joined Sông Lam Nghệ An F.C in 2014, after a short stint with another Vietnamese club Dak Lak FC, where he scored 8 goals in 12 appearances.

Speaking exclusively to SportsCrusader.com from his base in Nghệ An, Vietnam, Mahadi disclosed that it is his wish to move to Europe and his agent is working on it.

“Hoping to move to Europe and My agent is working on that”, he said.

“Every player’s desire is to move to Europe. Young players like us use Asia as a stepping stone and old players use Asia to retire”, the former Ghana U-20 striker added.

Mahadi began his career with Feyenoord Academy before joining Académie de Sol Beni where he got promoted to the first team in 2008

Ghanaian Youngster Dreams of European Move

UEFA Champions League Preview: PSG vs Man City

French champions Paris St. Garmain (PSG) and their English opponents Manchester City have impressed domestically in recent times, but both are looking to improve their Champions League records.

There is equal importance to the game for PSG as they bid to reach the semi-finals for the first time since big-spending owners Qatar Sports Investments completed their buyout in 2011.

PSG have dominated domestically and wrapped up the Ligue 1 title last month with a 9-0 battering of Troyes.

There has been little let-up from Laurent Blanc’s men and they routed Nice 4-1 on Saturday, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic at his brilliant best with an inspired hat-trick – leaving the Sweden international needing just one goal to beat Pauleta’s record of 78 goals in all competitions at the Parc des Princes.

For PSG, knocked out by Barcelona at the quarter final stage last season, the main aim is now on competing with Europe’s elite and many consider them favourites to beat City.

Key Opta stats:

– Only once (in six games) has an English club beaten Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes in European competition. It was Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea in September 2004 (3-0).

– The last three Champions League knockout encounters between Ligue 1 and Premier League clubs have all seen the French team eliminate their English counterpart.

– PSG have been eliminated in the quarter-finals in each of the last three campaigns. Their last (and only) Champions League semi-final appearance to date was in 1994-1995.

– Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored in each of his last four Champions League games. Only twice before has he gone five in a row in the competition.

UEFA Champions League Preview: PSG vs Man City

Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid Preview

Holders Barca face Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at the Nou Camp on Tuesday, four days after losing El Clasico 2-1 to Real Madrid.

“We had almost forgotten what losing was,” Enrique said on Monday.

“Our team has more than enough to keep being the same it has been.”

Despite Saturday’s defeat, Barca could yet finish the season with five trophies.

Having already won the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, the Catalans are six points clear of Atletico at the top of La Liga and have reached the Copa del Rey final.

This is the 13th meeting between Barcelona and Atletico in less than three years.

Barcelona have won the past six meetings, with Atletico’s last victory coming in the Champions League quarter-finals in April 2014.

Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid Preview