Group D-Day - England vs Ukraine & Sweden vs France (Gills' title, but Leppard's OP) 19:45

England vs Ukraine

Team News

Theo Walcott has been passed fit for England's final Euro 2012 group game against Ukraine. The Arsenal winger had been nursing a hamstring injury after making a match-winning substitute appearance in the 3-2 win over Sweden. He is in contention to replace James Milner, who has been largely disappointing in England's opening two matches. Hodgson confirmed that Wayne Rooney would start after serving his two-match suspension, and must decide whether the Manchester United starts alongside Danny Welbeck or Andy Carroll.

Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko has been given only a 50-50 chance of being fit for Tuesday's Euro 2012 Group D clash with England by his coach Oleh Blokhin. The 35-year-old striker is continuing to have treatment for the knee injury suffered initially against Sweden which he then aggravated against France, though he did take part in training on Monday night.

Manager Quotes

Roy Hodgson: "It's not just England who haven't always performed when the expectations were heightened. There's quite a few teams that have failed. It's a fact of life. We've come here with the England national team. We believe in ourselves and we want to do well. In some ways it's rather nice that people back home are hoping and even believing we can do well, and we're giving them something to dream about and cling onto."

Oleg Blokhin: "We should consider England as leaders in the European Championships. They also have problems because if they lose it will be unexpected. There will be big problems for them, but it's not the same for us. The England team will be more nervous. We have nothing to lose. They are one of the favourites and are expected to play in the final. Nobody expects that we will fly to the moon. It would be fantastic, but that's another thing. The fans should expect good play, but we shouldn't say to our nation 'we'll win the Euros'. They shouldn't shoot at us if we lose."

Team News

Midfielder Emir Bajrami has been included in Sweden's starting line-up against France in place of the ill Rasmus Elm. Coach Erik Hamren made two changes from the team who lost 3-2 against England and are already eliminated from the tournament, with Ola Toivonen replacing the injured Johan Elmander up front. Hamren said on Monday that Elm was ill and a decision on his participation would be made on Tuesday, while he had already announced that Elmander would be rested so he could continue his recovery from a broken foot.

With Yohan Cabaye training separately from the rest of the France squad as he carries a knock sustained in the 2-0 win over Ukraine, Yann M'Vila may come into the midfield for his first start of the tournament. Striker Karim Benzema faces competition from Olivier Giroud for the role of lone striker after failing to score in his previous two games. Arsenal defender Laurent Kocielny could also be in line for a first competitive start ahead of Adil Rami.

Manager Quotes

Erik Hamren: "We feel sad to be leaving Kyiv and Ukraine. We have had a fantastic time here – we could happily have stayed in our hotel a lot longer. When we lost against England, the squad were very down, and if we had been in a bad place they would have really felt that, but we had a great day on Sunday. We trained earlier so they could have a relaxed afternoon and evening. We're sad to be going."

Laurent Blanc: "There's always the danger that you may take your eye off the ball. So it is up to us to prepare seriously. We also need to be very aware of what we want to achieve. We were very happy following the Ukraine game, rightly so, but as I said to the players, we now need to prepare for the next game, as a game like this against Sweden demands it."

Group D Permutations

France (v Sweden)

Win - Secures qualification. Top spot depends on the result between England and Ukraine. If England also win, top spot goes to the team with the superior goal difference.

Draw - Secures qualification. Will still progress as group winners if England v Ukraine ends in a draw courtesy of their superior goal difference over Roy Hodgson's men.

Lose - Through as second-placed team if England beat Ukraine. If England and Ukraine draw, France will still qualify courtesy of their better head-to-head record against the co-hosts. If both England and France lose the team which has the superior goal difference between the pair will qualify.

England (v Ukraine)

Win - Secures qualification and they will progress as group winners if France fail to beat Sweden.

Draw - Secures qualification and they will progress as group winners if France lose to Sweden. If both final group games end in a draw, France will qualify as group winners courtesy of their superior goal difference over Roy Hodgson's men.

Lose - Out if France win or draw against Sweden. If both England and France lose the team which has the superior goal difference between the pair will qualify.

Ukraine (v England)

Win - Secures qualification. They will qualify as group winners if France fail to beat Sweden.

Draw - Out.

Lose - Out.

Just managed to fathom that in order to finish top we need to win by at least 1 goal more than France do - so if they win by 1 goal, we need to win by 2 etc.- on the basis we'll have scored more goals. Similarly we could lose by 1 goal less but the chances of us both losing are pretty slim. I'm not sure we want to finish top anyway, sure we'll get an easier quarter-final in Italy but then Germany will await in the semis. I actually think Spain followed by Portugal is an easier route if we're going to go all the way.

Welbeck and Rooney up top for me. Welbeck as an advanced forward playing on the shoulder of the last man and Rooney dropping deep as he naturally does.

Got a funny feeling Ukraine will beat England. Going for 2-1 to Ukraine and France to beat Sweden comfortably.

vs

vs

Group D[TABLE]

[TR=bgcolor: #1C1C1C]

[TD=class: country]Country[/TD]

[TD=class: won]W[/TD]

[TD=class: drawn]D[/TD]

[TD=class: lost]L[/TD]

[TD=class: gd]GD[/TD]

[TD=class: pts]Pts[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR=class: country-hover france, bgcolor: #F5F5F5]

[TD=class: country]France[/TD]

[TD=class: won]1[/TD]

[TD=class: drawn]1[/TD]

[TD=class: lost]0[/TD]

[TD=class: gd]2[/TD]

[TD=class: pts]4[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR=class: country-hover england dotClass, bgcolor: #F5F5F5]

[TD=class: country]England[/TD]

[TD=class: won]1[/TD]

[TD=class: drawn]1[/TD]

[TD=class: lost]0[/TD]

[TD=class: gd]1[/TD]

[TD=class: pts]4[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR=class: country-hover ukraine, bgcolor: #F5F5F5]

[TD=class: country]Ukraine[/TD]

[TD=class: won]1[/TD]

[TD=class: drawn]0[/TD]

[TD=class: lost]1[/TD]

[TD=class: gd]-1[/TD]

[TD=class: pts]3[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR=class: country-hover sweden, bgcolor: #DCDCDC]

[TD=class: country]Sweden[/TD]

[TD=class: won]0[/TD]

[TD=class: drawn]0[/TD]

[TD=class: lost]2[/TD]

[TD=class: gd]-2[/TD]

[TD=class: pts]0[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

TEAM NEWS

England manager Roy Hodgson is considering starting with Theo Walcott as he goes in search of the point against Ukraine that would ensure a place in Euro 2012's last eight.

Hodgson has two big selection issues to finalise for England's meeting with the co-hosts - who need a win to reach the quarter-finals - in Donetsk on Tuesday. He must choose between Walcott or fellow midfielder James Milner. He must also select either Danny Welbeck or Andy Carroll up front. Welbeck looks certain to partner Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney as he returns from a two-match suspension to make his first appearance of Euro 2012. Hodgson was lifted by Walcott recovering from a slight hamstring problem in training on Sunday and his performance as a substitute against Sweden, when he scored the equaliser and created Welbeck's winner in a 3-2 victory, means he is now under serious consideration to start.

Meanwhile, Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko is a doubt, rated only 50-50 to start the fixture. Shevchenko, 35, is struggling with a left knee problem. He picked up the injury in the 2-1 win over Sweden, though he then played in the 2-0 defeat against France. Ukraine must win at the Donbass Arena in Donetsk to qualify for the quarter-finals at the expense of England, while a draw will be enough to see Hodgson's side through. Shevchenko, who missed training on Sunday, scored both Ukraine's goals against Sweden. Team doctor Leonid Myronov says the former Chelsea striker has a "50-50 chance" of featuring against England. He said: "I think that Andriy, with all his desire to prove to the country and the whole world that he is a real professional, will do his best to play." Ukraine midfielder Anatoliy Tymoshchuk said: "Shevchenko is a little bit injured, but I don't think it is that bad. "He is a big player of our team and we hope he can play. He is the goalscorer and it will be very good for us if he could play." Shevchenko's fellow striker Andriy Voronin said: "It is the biggest game in the country's history. For us it is a very important game, not just for the whole team but for the whole country."

MATCH PREVIEW

Having made their point with that thrilling fight-back against Sweden - the squad is united, and does possess some talent in its ranks - England now need a solitary point against co-hosts Ukraine to reach the last eight. Roy Hodgson is certainly acting the part and making a positive impact, and reaching the quarter-finals unbeaten would be an admirable achievement. But some might argues that it feels premature to suggest that everything he touches turns to gold before that is guaranteed. The Three Lions still have much to prove. Most pressing of all: can they control a match? Can they dictate its ebb and flow? Can they pass the ball? The perfect opportunity presents itself against a limited team. Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin admits his attacking options - Andriy Shevchenko aside - are wafer-thin, stressing that strikers of most other nationalities had banged in plenty of goals across Europe this season but that the top scorer in Ukraine's championship, Evhen Seleznyov, had managed only 14. "It's difficult even to find a forward playing permanently for his club." And here's a vote of confidence in his back-line: "Figuratively speaking, our defenders do not even tackle properly." The returning Wayne Rooney should relish that. Euro 2004 was when he announced his talent on the biggest stage, and he'll now be desperate to show he is a truly world-class talent. Properly channelling that hunger to make a spectacular statement will be crucial - the Ukrainians will not roll over. The atmosphere will be white-hot and hostile as the co-hosts fight for a famous scalp to give their delirious fans the prospect of a quarter-final, potentially against world champions Spain.

MATCH FACTS

• The sides have only met four times. England won the first three meetings, all on home soil, scoring seven goals and conceding just once.
  
• The most recent encounter came in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, when Ukraine beat England 1-0 in Dnipropetrovsk courtesy of a Serhiy Nazarenko goal.
  
• Robert Green became the first England goalkeeper to be sent off in that match, with Andriy Shevchenko missing the resulting penalty. The result was the first of two competitive defeats England suffered under Fabio Capello.
  
• England will also play Ukraine in qualifying for the 2014 World Cup - the sides will meet at Wembley in September this year, with the return fixture 12 months later.
  

England

• The win against Sweden was only England's sixth European Championship win overseas.
  
• It was also the first time England have scored at least three goals at a major tournament since the 4-2 victory against Croatia at Euro 2004.
  
• Against Sweden, all three of England's scorers were aged 24 or younger. The last time three players that young all scored for the Three Lions was in the 6-1 win versus Iceland in 2004.
  

Ukraine

• Ukraine have failed to win their six previous games in Donetsk, losing to France (twice), Greece and Romania, and drawing with Northern Ireland and the Netherlands.
  
• Four of Ukraine's seven shots on target at Euro 2012 have come from Andriy Shevchenko.
  
• Against Sweden, Shevchenko became the oldest player to score twice in a single World Cup or European Championship match since Roger Milla's brace versus Cameroon at the 1990 World Cup (aged 38).
  
• He is now two goals away from 50 for his country. He is both the youngest and oldest goalscorer in Ukraine's history - he opened his account aged 19 years and 215 days against Turkey in 1996.
  
• Oleg Blokhin's men are the only side at Euro 2012 without a British-based player in their squad. Only two players, Dynamo Moscow's Andriy Voronin and Bayern Munich's Anatoliy Tymoschuk, play outside of Ukraine.
  

ffs Leppard.

Permutations added.

Just managed to fathom that in order to finish top we need to win by at least 1 goal more than France do - so if they win by 1 goal, we need to win by 2 etc.- on the basis we'll have scored more goals. Similarly we could lose by 1 goal less but the chances of us both losing are pretty slim. I'm not sure we want to finish top anyway, sure we'll get an easier quarter-final in Italy but then Germany will await in the semis. I actually think Spain followed by Portugal is an easier route if we're going to go all the way.

Welbeck and Rooney up top for me. Welbeck as an advanced forward playing on the shoulder of the last man and Rooney dropping deep as he naturally does.

Well, it wouldn't matter who await England after Spain if they finish second as Spain should win. At least there's more of a chance of winning against Italy.

Gills too slow

This has a better title tbf, though Leppard was quicker. Which to choose?

i endorse this thread

I endorse mine

Well, it wouldn't matter who await England after Spain if they finish second as Spain should win. At least there's more of a chance of winning against Italy.

We did beat Spain only 6/7 months ago with a team that only had Villa instead of Torres differing from last night's team vs Croatia. Yes it was a friendly and whatever else people like to say about that but the fact is we beat a solid Spain team. They'll be favourites for sure but it's not clear cut imo.

superior title has to make this win

Merged. We can have both!

weak moderation, there should be a BATTLE TO THE DEATH!! to decide whos thread wins

Weak? Weak!? I just forced two threads to mate and created a mutant baby all of my own!

*maniacal laughter*

Come on England.

Would like to see us play well and win by 2 or 3 goals to put us in confident mood for the quarters. If we can't get at least a draw against Ukraine I'll be bitterly disappointed.

Shevchenko "both the youngest and oldest goalscorer in Ukraine's history". What an insane stat

PAST MEETINGS

31.05.2000     England    2 – 0    Ukraine         FR         London
18.08.2004     England    3 – 0    Ukraine         FR         Newcastle
01.04.2009     England    2 – 1    Ukraine         WCQ        London
10.10.2009     Ukraine    1 – 0    England         WCQ        Dnipropetrovsk

10.11.1935     France     2 – 0    Sweden          FR         Paris 
26.03.1952     France     0 – 1    Sweden          FR         Paris 
11.06.1953     Sweden     1 – 0    France          FR         Solna
03.04.1955     France     2 – 0    Sweden          FR         Paris
30.10.1960     Sweden     1 – 0    France          FR         Solna
15.10.1969     Sweden     2 – 0    France          WCQ        Solna
01.11.1969     France     3 – 0    Sweden          WCQ        Paris
01.09.1978     France     2 – 2    Sweden          ECQ        Paris
05.09.1979     Sweden     1 – 3    France          ECQ        Solna
16.08.1989     Sweden     2 – 4    France          FR         Malmo
10.06.1992     Sweden     1 – 1    France          EC Grp     Solna    
28.04.1993     France     2 – 1    Sweden          WCQ        Paris
22.08.1993     Sweden     1 – 1    France          WCQ        Solna
02.04.1997     France     1 – 0    Sweden          FR         Paris
22.04.1998     Sweden     0 – 0    France          FR         Stockholm
09.02.2005     France     1 – 1    Sweden          FR         Paris
20.08.2008     Sweden     2 – 3    France          FR         Gothenburg

We did beat Spain only 6/7 months ago with a team that only had Villa instead of Torres differing from last night's team vs Croatia. Yes it was a friendly and whatever else people like to say about that but the fact is we beat a solid Spain team. They'll be favourites for sure but it's not clear cut imo.

A meaningless friendly at a dead Wembley Stadium is a bit different to a Euro QF. Spain will be praying England finish second and will dick all over them. Anyway, let's see if England can get there first.

Woah, my thread has a mutant baby :O

So just to be clear:

GROUP RUNNER UP:

Spain in QF - Saturday in Donetsk

Then Czech Rep or Portugal in SF - Wed 27th in Donetsk

GROUP WINNER:

Italy in QF - Sunday in Kiev

Then Germany or Greece in SF - Thu 28th in Warsaw

That's right, yes?

Correct

Hart; Johnson Terry Lescott Cole; Milner Gerrard Parker Young; Rooney; Welbeck

And think that's right Rob, yeah.

Better to be runner-up then I reckon, extra day's rest before the final

Spain, Portugal then Germany

OR

Italy, Germany then Spain.

Piece of cake either way (And of course those aren't guaranteed opponents, just probably the most likely.)

Hart; Johnson Terry Lescott Cole; Milner Gerrard Parker Young; Rooney; Welbeck

Is that the lineup or a prediction?

Seen that lineup on Twitter just now, Milner keeping Theo out and Rooney coming in for Carroll.

That's the lineup according to several journalists on twitter

Milner was absolutely woeful previous game. THEO, THEO, THEO!

Theo ahead of Johnson would scare the St. George's flag enveloped turd out of me.

Both games to have a minimum of 3 goals

Yeah, with Johnson's questionable positioning and tendancy to bomb forward you can't really afford to play Theo from the start. At least Milner will run his socks off and cover for Johnson.

Theo is best brought on in the second half when we're either chasing the game or have enough of a lead to open them up on the counter.

Clever management from Roy imo.

Milner to come on and give Parker/Gerrard a breather int he 2nd half

So just to be clear:

GROUP RUNNER UP:

Spain in QF - Saturday in Donetsk

Then Czech Rep or Portugal in SF - Wed 27th in Donetsk

GROUP WINNER:

Italy in QF - Sunday in Kiev

Then Germany or Greece in SF - Thu 28th in Warsaw

That's right, yes?

There is another option:

THIRD PLACE: First flight home in the morning.

My preference would be to win the group because I have a dinner I can't get out of on Saturday night.

Please hope Hodgson doesn't play Milner. He was pathetic last match.

Давайте Україна

Sheva winner please

This has got 7-0 written all over it.

I've never posted in a mutant baby thread before. :smug:

Давайте Україна

Sheva winner please

I'm not even so much anti-England this time around, but I agree with this. Would be epic if Sheva would decide another match and pull his team through. Dawai!

Hart - Johnson Terry Lescott Cole - Milner Parker Gerrard Young - Rooney Welbeck

Anyone know if Shevchenko has been passed fit to face us? Last I heard he was 50/50

So just to be clear:

GROUP RUNNER UP:

Spain in QF - Saturday in Donetsk

Then Czech Rep or Portugal in SF - Wed 27th in Donetsk

GROUP WINNER:

Italy in QF - Sunday in Kiev

Then Germany or Greece in SF - Thu 28th in Warsaw

That's right, yes?

I was working that out yesterday, you can see all the final permutations too.

If England could conveivably beat Ukraine, and conceivably beat Spain, there's an awesome semi-final of Portugal. (presuming they also win)

But really England will get knocked out much earlier before that.

Dont get me wrong i want us to qualify and go as far as possible but the run ins really arent kind and i cant face another stuffing by a massively superior german team

In preparation for this I have pre-**** my pants.

Engerland in 90 minutes..I predict England 2 Ukraine 1 with lots of drinking and and celebrating and vomiting

In preparation for this I have pre-**** my pants.

lol..preparing for old age I see..

Anyone know if Shevchenko has been passed fit to face us? Last I heard he was 50/50

Better for England if he plays IMO because his game isnt a good match with the English style of play

Shevchenko not starting

He'll come off the bench to score the winner, don't wooooorrrry.

Konoplyanka vs Johnson should be fun

Ben Arfa starts !

And maybe Giroud and Koscielny but there is no confirmation for those two yet.