Euro 2012 Championship Qualifying: Three Big Games to Watch

For numerous players out there, playing for their country means a lot more than playing for their clubs. It is true that most club stars want to go down in football history and make a name for themselves while playing for their country rather the club.

Amongst the several European leagues that provide everyday headlines, rumours and storylines, many players will be playing for their national teams in the next few weeks.

The Euro 2012 qualifying rounds will be played till the end of October and the upcoming fixtures are scheduled to be played on the 8th, 9th and the 12th of October – the results from these games will dictate who will play in the group qualifiers.

With viewers tuning in from all over the world to watch these teams in action, bettor.com provides a list of the three matches that deserve a lot more attention than the others and are guaranteed to be a delight to watch.

Oct. 8, Group H – Denmark vs. Portugal

These are two very reputable squads that are going to go against each other in a Group H match on Friday.

Portugal at the moment is ranked at the fourth place in its group after their disappointing first two games where they managed to pull a draw against Cyprus with the score board reading 4-4 at the end of the match.

This was later followed by a disappointing 1-0 defeat against Norway.

One of the most important factors in the game for the Portuguese will be to find form in Denmark as they need to score at least three points to surge ahead.

Cristiano Ronaldo did not take part in the first two matches for his country and now it is up to the star player to decide if he is going to leave a mark on his national team’s performances and will he thrash the great Danes or not.

Cristiano is regarded by most to be the best player in the world – a complete package to say the least; Ronaldo can score goals, take penalties, free kicks and is an amazing dribbler.

Ronaldo has been performing well in Real Madrid and this 25-year-old is a Manchester United made star who plays as a forward or a winger and is thought to be a play maker that is going to take Portugal to the finals.

Denmark started their qualifying matches with a play against Iceland and the match seemed to be a 0-0 draw. But then, Denmark sneaked in a goal in the 19th minute to a 1-0 victory.

Denmark has an amazing starting line up this year and it includes stars like Dennis Rommedahl, Daniel Agger and Christian Poulsen. Portugal will need to counter with an amazing starting line against such an amazing team.

Oct. 12, Group C – Serbia vs. Italy

The Italians have played two games in the qualifying rounds and the Italians are on the top of the table right now. They have come out shinning in matches against Faroe Islands and Estonia.

The Italian national team had an embarrassing loss against the Azzurri in the World Cup and are now looking to continue their improved performances at Euro 2012.

At present, the Italians are trying to piece together a squad that is capable to take on the World Champions and the next qualifying match seems a difficult one as they are going against Serbia.

Serbia is second team in the group that clinched a 3-0 win against Faroe Islands and a 1-1 draw against Slovenia in Euro 2012 qualifying till date. Their next encounter is against the Italians with many experts dubbing the match to be a ‘tough battle.’

Red Devils’ Nemanja Vidic however commented on the Serbian national team and opined that they were an underrated and underestimated team. He continued by saying that Serbia were like the talented underdogs that would give the Italians a run for their money.

Oct. 12, Group E – Sweden vs. Netherlands

This Group E encounter between the Swedes going against the Dutch at the Amsterdam Arena will be another one to watch out for.

Netherlands’ national team is the second best in the world as of now after their dream run in the World Cup in South Africa where they made it to the final against Spain. If rumours are correct, the Dutch management will pick a similar team to the one picked for the World Cup final.

Robin van Persie is not going to play the next match because of injuries but still, the Dutch national team boasts’ of an aggressive, talented and capable team.

Their star player, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has netted five goals in the first two matches of the qualifying rounds along with a hat-trick that he scored against San Marino. He also scored against the teams 2-1 win against Finland in a qualifying game.

The Swedish team did not face much negation from San Marino either as they ended the match with the score board reading 6-0.

At the moment, the Swedish team is tied with Netherlands for the top spot in the group and the winner is going to have a major advantage in the next round.

The man to watch out for will be Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Sweden who is in top form in the Serie A. Such a goal scorer and playmaker is going to be the key in this match.

Though the defence line is not the best that Sweden could have come up with, but still, the heavy offense is expected to work its charm in the match.

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