In a few weeks’ time, the focus in the football world will turn away from the club scene to the international arena. Fans around the world will be hoping that the stars of their favorite clubs all return from international duty in one piece, but while they sweat it out, they’ll be getting the treat of seeing the worldís top national teams in action, some of them against one another.
With the Euro 2012 playoffs, World Cup qualifiers in South America, and some must-see international friendlies, November’s international calendar is filled with matches of high interest and importance.
International Friendlies
England v Spain, 12 November
In the most attention-grabbing friendly on next monthís calendar, England host reigning European and world champions Spain at Wembley Stadium in London.
Despite their lofty ranking, England haven’t fared too well against the world’s best in recent times, with their last real marquee win being a 2-1 away win against Germany almost three years ago. And there’s no better opportunity to prove that they can take on and beat the world’s best than this match, considering how dominant Spain have been over the last few years and how likely it is that Spain will field an extremely strong lineup.
England manager Fabio Capello has already stated that Wayne Rooney will not play against Spain, which would appear to deal a real blow to England’s chances. But with Rooney set to miss the entire Euro 2012 group stage through suspension, this tie is a chance for potential replacements to state their case and for the team to show that they can get on just fine without him.
Rooney may be not be on the pitch, but that doesn’t take the luster off of what should be a fantastic match. If you want to catch the action at Wembley, England v Spain tickets are available at TicketBis from £89.44.
Italy v Uruguay, 14 November
In another matchup pitting two of the worldís top-ranked teams, Italy take on reigning Copa America champions Uruguay at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
After following up their thrilling 2006 World Cup win by going out in the quarterfinals at Euro 2008 and exiting at the group stage at the 2010 World Cup, Italy have made a resurgence under Cesare Prandelli. The Azzurri went unbeaten in Euro 2012 qualifying, recording eight clean sheets and allowing only two goals in ten matches.
While Italy’s resurgence is certainly noteworthy, Uruguay have made quite a rise recently. They surprised many by finishing fourth at the 2010 World Cup, with Golden Ball winner Diego Forlan leading the way. They kept the momentum going this past summer with their Copa America run, which saw them defeat hosts and favorites Argentina in the quarterfinals.
Germany v Netherlands, 15 November
Germany and the Netherlands, who sit third and second respectively in the latest FIFA world ranking, are set to face off in Hamburg in a showdown we could well see at Euro 2012. While England v Spain might garner the most attention, this is the pick of next month’s friendlies, especially if youíre a fan of attacking football.
Germany won all ten of their Euro 2012 qualifiers, and many of those wins came in convincing fashion thanks to their prolific attack. In their perfect run, Joachim Low’s side scored 34 goals, and theyíve notched 24 goals in their last eight overall international matches.
However, their goal total in qualifying didnít top the charts, as that honor went to the Netherlands. The Netherlands won their first nine qualifiers before losing away to Sweden in their final qualifier, and a big reason why is the astounding 37 goals that they scored in qualifying.
Euro 2012 Qualifying Playoffs
Bosnia v. Portugal, 11 & 15 November
In a rematch of from the 2010 World Cup qualifying playoffs, Bosnia and Portugal face off in the top tie of the Euro 2012 playoff round.
When they met in the World Cup playoffs, there wasnít much separating the sides over the two legs. Portugal nabbed a 1-0 win on home soil in the first leg, and they repeated the feat in the second leg to claim a 2-0 aggregate win. With Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United star Nani in their ranks, Portugal have to be considered favorites, but it should once again be a hotly contested matchup.
Both Bosnia and Portugal agonizingly missed out on automatic qualification to Euro 2012 on the final day of group matches, so the loser of this matchup will certainly be wondering what could’ve been.
Turkey v. Croatia, 11 & 14 November
When last these two sides met, it was in a Euro 2008 quarterfinal with a wild, memorable finish that saw Croatia go from being moments away from the semifinals to dealing with the agony of penalty heartbreak.
It’s safe to say that this meeting has quite a lot to live up to then, but as it looks to be a pretty even matchup, it could very well go beyond 180 minutes, or perhaps even 210.
Turkey were up and down throughout qualifying, but a 1-0 win over Azerbaijan on the final day of matches saw them pip Belgium to second behind Germany in Group A. Turkey will fancy their chances to break Croatian hearts once again, especially if midfielder Nuri Sahin, who has just returned to training with Real Madrid after being out for the last few months with a knee injury, is able to take part.
However, Croatia, who were edged out by Greece for top spot in Group F, will fancy their own chances with the great amount of talent and experience they have. And several players who were a part of that Euro 2008 defeat to Turkey will take part next month, which will provide extra incentive and inspiration, though a place in Euro 2012 is more than enough to be inspired about, right?
International Football Tickets with TicketBis
Looking to buy international football tickets online? You can find them at TicketBis, an online tickets exchange that helps football fans buy and sell tickets online for many club and international matches.
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Dear Sir/Madam, Could you please let me know if there are going to
be any international friendly football matches held in Europe in
January/February, 2012? Kind Regards, Kate Evers.