World news

A pulsating all-English Champions League final has brought the 2020-21 club season to a close – so now it’s all eyes on the Euros.

This summer’s European Championships (confusingly still dubbed Euro 2020, despite the Covid-19 delay), are taking place around the continent for the first time in the competition’s history.

So, despite some coronavirus travel disruption, there will be 11 host cities sharing a total of 51 fixtures in packed full month of international action.

Here’s when the tournament gets underway, and the full list of groups and fixtures for Euro 2020.

Read More

When is Euro 2021? Dates, groups, fixtures in full, UK TV coverage, venues, predictions and more

When do the Euros start?

The first match of the 2020 European Championships takes place on Friday 11 June, with Turkey facing Italy at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico.

You’ll be able to watch it live on BBC One and online on BBC iPlayer – all games in the tournament are being broadcast by the BBC or ITV, with S4C also showing Wales fixtures.

The first time a British team is in action comes on Saturday 12 June, when Wales open their tournament against Switzerland in Baku at 2.00pm.

England begin their Euros the following day, facing Croatia at Wembley Stadium at 2.00pm, while Scotland meet the Czech Republic at the same time on Monday 14 June at Hampden Park.

What are the Euro 2020 groups?

As was the case at the last European Championship, this will be a 24-team tournament.

It is organised into six groups of four, with two sides progressing from each and the two best third-placed teams joining them in the last-16.

There is a satisfying nod to Euro 96 with England and Scotland facing each other, while Group F can lay claim to be the tournament’s “Group of Death” with France, Germany and Portugal drawn together.

Wales have a decent chance of emulating their success at Euro 2016 – when they reached the semi-final – having been drawn in a group with Italy, Switzerland and Turkey.

Here are the groups in full:

• Group A: Italy, Switzerland, Turkey, Wales
• Group B: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Russia
• Group C: Austria, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Ukraine
• Group D: Croatia, Czech Republic, England, Scotland
• Group E: Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden
• Group F: France, Germany, Hungary, Portugal

Euro 2020 fixtures in full

Group A:

• Friday 11 June: Turkey vs Italy
• Saturday 12 June: Wales vs Switzerland
• Wednesday 16 June: Turkey vs Wales
• Wednesday 16 June: Italy vs Switzerland
• Sunday 20 June: Italy vs Wales
• Sunday 20 June: Switzerland vs Turkey

Group B:

• Saturday 12 June: Denmark vs Finland
• Saturday 12 June: Belgium vs Russia
• Wednesday 16 June: Finland vs Russia
• Thursday 17 June: Denmark vs Belgium
• Monday 21 June: Finland vs Belgium
• Monday 21 June: Russia vs Denmark

Group C:

• Sunday 13 June: Austria vs North Macedonia
• Sunday 13 June: Netherlands vs Ukraine
• Thursday 17 June: Ukraine vs North Macedonia
• Thursday 17 June: Netherlands vs Austria
• Monday 21 June: Ukraine vs Austria
• Monday 21 June: North Macedonia vs Netherlands

Group D:

• Sunday 13 June: England vs Croatia
• Monday 14 June: Scotland vs Czech Republic
• Friday 18 June: Croatia vs Czech Republic
• Friday 18 June: England vs Scotland
• Tuesday 22 June: Czech Republic vs England
• Tuesday 22 June: Croatia vs Scotland

Group E:

• Monday 14 June: Poland vs Slovakia
• Monday 14 June: Spain vs Sweden
• Friday 18 June: Sweden vs Slovakia
• Saturday 19 June: Spain vs Poland
• Wednesday 23 June: Sweden vs Poland
• Wednesday 23 June: Slovakia vs Spain

Group F:

• Tuesday 15 June: Hungary vs Portugal
• Tuesday 15 June: France vs Germany
• Saturday 19 June: Hungary vs France
• Saturday 19 June: Portugal vs Germany
• Wednesday 23 June: Germany vs Hungary
• Wednesday 23 June: Portugal vs France

Round of 16:

• Saturday 26 June: 2A vs 2B (Game 1)
• Saturday 26 June: 1A vs 2C (Game 2)
• Sunday 27 June: 1C vs 3D/E/F (Game 3)
• Sunday 27 June: 1B vs 3A/D/E/F (Game 4)
• Monday 28 June: 2D vs 2E (Game 5)
• Monday 28 June: 1F vs 3A/B/C (Game 6)
• Tuesday 29 June: 1D vs 2F (Game 7)
• Tuesday 29 June: 1E vs 3A/B/C/D (Game 8)

Quarter final:

• Friday 2 July: Game 6 winner vs Game 5 winner
• Friday 2 July: Game 4 winner vs Game 2 winner
• Saturday 3 July: Game 3 winner vs Game 1 winner
• Saturday 3 July: Game 8 winner vs Game 7 winner

Semi final:

• Tuesday 6 July: QF2 winner vs QF1 winner
• Wednesday 7 July: QF4 winner vs QF3 winner

Final:

• Sunday 11 July

from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3c8sVOf

Show HN: Open-source soft-core RISC-V SoC with gdb support
6 by _quarks_ | 1 comments on Hacker News.

England fans got their first glimpse of what to expect from the national team this summer as Gareth Southgate’s troops reported to training over the weekend, without those from Manchester City and Chelsea who competed in the Champions League final.

Southgate has less than two weeks to prepare his troops for Euro 2020, where they head into their Group D fixtures as favourites with the bookies to lift the trophy at Wembley next month.

The head coach’s preparations haven’t been aided by three Premier League sides reaching European finals this summer. In fact, three of Southgate’s four first-choice defenders were in action less than a week ago – with Harry Maguire sitting out on the sidelines as Manchester United lost to Villarreal in the Europa League final.

Austria should prove an effective opposition for England’s fringe members who make the 26-man cut on Tuesday. Franco Foda is preparing his side to face the Netherlands, Ukraine and North Macedonia this month – and is likely to emphasise defensive solidity here in the wake of their 4-0 defeat to Denmark last time out.

Read More

England squad predictions: i’s 26-man team for Euro 2020 – and the big dilemmas facing Gareth Southgate

How to watch England vs Austria

England vs Austria will kick off at 8pm on Wednesday 2 June at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium.

The match will be shown live on ITV 1, with TV coverage starting from 7.30pm. Fans will also be able to live stream England vs Austria via the ITV Hub app on a range of mobile and tablet devices, as well as online via ITV’s website.

The debate over who should start for England at the Euros this summer has raged all season. In fact, captain Harry Kane is arguably the only player guaranteed to get into everyone’s ideal XI.

Southgate is expected to make plenty of changes on Wednesday night to keep his players fresh – and Sunday’s final pre-Euros warm-up tie with Romania is likely to better reflect his selection choices before their first group clash with Croatia a week later.

Here, i looks at the selection dilemmas facing the manager this midweek…

Second-string defence

With Ben Chilwell still recovering from the Champions League final, it would appear that Luke Shaw has the left-back position nailed down. With Maguire unlikely to be risked for a friendly as he continues to recover from injury, and John Stones playing in Saturday’s Champions League final, Southgate is expected to draft in Conor Coady and Tyrone Mings into the centre of defence.

England are flush with right-back options and newly-crowned European champion Reece James has certainly impressed in that position this season. However, the youngster is unlikely to start this tie considering he played 90 minutes in Portugal on Saturday, as did Manchester City’s Kyle Walker.

Southgate could therefore bring in Trent Alexander-Arnold, or opt for Kieran Tripper – assuming either man makes Tuesday’s 26-man squad cut. Last year Alexander-Arnold was almost assured a place in England’s XI but a tricky 2020-21 campaign has cast his participation in the Euros into doubt.

Weighing up the midfield

There is debate as to how Southgate could set up his team but the manager likes to have four at the back, with a holding midfielder acting as cover. In that regard, Jordan Henderson and Kalvin Phillips are two options Southgate has for that role – but neither man is fully fit coming into the tournament.

Phillips is nursing a shoulder injury picked up in Leeds’ last Premier League game if the season, while Henderson has been steadily recovering from a groin issue. Should they not be risked here, Declan Rice is most likely to be tasked with the central duties.

Phil Foden and Mason Mount would have expected to be handed the chance to dazzle either side of the West Ham man, but both played in the Champions League final. So Jack Grealish and Jude Bellingham – assuming they make the squad – could get the nod against Austria.

All-out attack

England’s 4-3-3 system relies on the central midfielder covering the back line and handing freedom to the two wide midfielders to bomb on, which can create a five-man offensive arsenal in a flash.

Kane should lead the line once again for England here, with Jadon Sancho playing on one side of the captain. Southgate will have to decide whether either Marcus Rashford or Raheem Sterling has done enough to get into his first XI – and this friendly could be the stage for both men to prove their worth.

Sterling was largely overlooked by Pep Guardiola’s in Manchester City’s charge to the Champions League final until he played 77 minutes in Porto, while Rashford has managed just three goals since mid-February. Kane, meanwhile, will almost certainly be replaced by Dominic Calvert-Lewin midway through the game. The Everton man is due to act as understudy for England’s kingpin during the Euros and will probably have to make do with substitute appearances, unless Kane suffers an injury.

England predicted XI vs Austria:

Read More

When is Euro 2021? Dates, groups, fixtures in full, UK TV coverage, venues, predictions and more

from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3vFcHE1

Show HN: Flow-based programming for cryptocurrency trading
2 by dmonn | 0 comments on Hacker News.

After naming a provisional England squad for Euro 2020 last week, Gareth Southgate will finalise his 26-man line-up on Tuesday.

The England boss invited 33 players to train at Middlesbrough’s Rockcliffe Park training centre ahead of two warm-up fixtures at the Riverside but with Uefa’s squad deadline falling on 1 June that list must be cut by seven names.

The Three Lions get their Euro 2020 preparations under way in a friendly with Austria on Wednesday before taking on Romania on Sunday.

Before then however Southgate has to decide which players he wants to take part in this summer’s tournament and who will be left watching from home.

When is England’s squad announced?

Southgate is due to face the media at 3pm on Tuesday in a pre-match press conference for the Austria game.

It is expected the England squad will be announced before then via the team’s social media channels (Twitter, Facebook and YouTube) although timings for the squad announcement and press conference are subject to change.

Uefa’s deadline for all Euro 2020 squads is at 11pm on Tuesday 1 June so Southgate will have to make up his mind by then.

Read More

England squad predictions: i’s 26-man team for Euro 2020 – and the big dilemmas facing Gareth Southgate

England’s expected squad for Euro 2020

Goalkeepers:

• Jordan Pickford
• Dean Henderson
• Sam Johnstone

Defenders:

• John Stones
• Harry Maguire 
• Tyrone Mings
• Connor Coady
• Kyle Walker
• Kieran Trippier
• Reece James
• Ben Chilwell
• Luke Shaw

Midfielders:

• Mason Mount
• Declan Rice 
• Jude Bellingham
• Jordan Henderson 
• Jesse Lingard
• Phil Foden
• Kalvin Phillips
• Jack Grealish

Forwards:

• Raheem Sterling
• Marcus Rashford
• Jadon Sancho
• Harry Kane 
• Dominic Calvert-Lewin
• Mason Greenwood

The players at risk of missing out

Despite Southgate’s comments about England’s right backs, it is likely that one will make way. Trent Alexander-Arnold could be a high-profile casualty as he was left out of the March internationals, with Reece James, Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker all preferred.

Of the four, Walker is probably the most secure of his place given he has enjoyed an excellent domestic campaign with Manchester City and is able to play as part of a back three or back four. James has also been utilised as a right-sided centre back in a three-man defence for Chelsea recently which could boost his chances.

Southgate’s comments that training with the squad will be a “fantastic experience” for Ben Godfrey and Ben White suggests that they will have to work hard to secure a place in the final 26, or else rely on one of the other defenders to drop out.

It is likely to be a similar situation for Aaron Ramsdale, who was called up to the squad after Nick Pope was ruled out. Ramsdale endured a difficult campaign with Sheffield United and it would be a major surprise if he was picked with Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson and Sam Johnstone ahead of him in the pecking order.

Southgate is a big fan of James Ward-Prowse, having worked with him previously in his role as England U21 manager, but the Southampton midfielder lacks the defensive qualities of his positional rivals, Declan Rice, Kalvin Phillips and Jordan Henderson.

Bukayo Saka‘s ability to play in a variety of positions in defence, midfield and attack, could count in his favour. Interestingly, though, he was listed as a forward on England’s official squad announcement and if that is where Southgate sees his best position, it may lead to him missing out as Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho are more experienced and Mason Greenwood in better form.

Ollie Watkins retained his place from Southgate’s previous squad and was picked ahead of Danny Ings and Patrick Bamford in the final 33. However, Dominic Calvert-Lewin appears to be Southgate’s favoured backup for Harry Kane and with Rashford, Greenwood and even Phil Foden able to play as a No 9, the Aston Villa forward could drop out.

England’s Euro 2020 fixtures and dates

Warm-up fixtures:

• England vs Austria – Weds 2 June, 8pm (Riverside)
• England vs Romania – Sun 6 Jun, 5pm (Riverside)

Group stage:

• England vs Croatia – 13 June, 2pm (Wembley)
• England vs Scotland – 18 June, 8pm (Wembley)
• Czech Republic vs England – 22 June, 8pm (Wembley)

If England top Group D, they will play enter the knockout rounds in line with the following schedule:

• Round of 16: TBC – 29 June, 6pm
• Quarter-final: TBC – 3 July, 9pm
• Semi-final: TBC – 7 July, 9pm
• Final: TBC – 11 July, 9pm

from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3uAJPeV

Gareth Southgate has plenty to ponder over the coming days after deciding to name an expanded 33-man provisional England squad for Euro 2020.

The England boss will have to cut seven players from his squad by Uefa’s deadline on Tuesday 1 June, 10 days before the tournament gets underway in Rome.

Southgate has injury concerns over a few key players, most notably Jordan Henderson, who missed the final three months of the season after undergoing groin surgery and Harry Maguire, who suffered an ankle injury a few weeks ago.

He will also be keeping a close eye on the performances in training of a few newcomers to the England setup in defenders Ben Godfrey and Ben White and goalkeepers Sam Johnstone and Aaron Ramsdale. Godfrey and White will be looking to enhance their chances of inclusion with question marks over Maguire’s fitness.

Read More

England squad for Euro 2020: The full provisional list of players picked ahead of Uefa deadline

Southgate acknowledged in his press conference that supporters feel he has an “obsession with right backs” but he defended his decision to name four in his squad, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James, Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker all picked. He suggested that all four are capable of playing in multiple positions and stated that Alexander-Arnold has the qualities to be deployed in midfield.

With England set to name their final squad for Euro 2020 on Tuesday 1 June, i runs through the selection dilemmas facing Gareth Southgate and pick the players we expect to be named in the final 26-man list next week.

England’s expected squad for Euro 2020

Goalkeepers:

• Jordan Pickford
• Dean Henderson
• Sam Johnstone

Defenders:

• John Stones
• Harry Maguire 
• Tyrone Mings
• Connor Coady
• Kyle Walker
• Kieran Trippier
• Reece James
• Ben Chilwell
• Luke Shaw

Midfielders:

• Mason Mount
• Declan Rice 
• Jude Bellingham
• Jordan Henderson 
• Jesse Lingard
• Phil Foden
• Kalvin Phillips
• Jack Grealish

Forwards:

• Raheem Sterling
• Marcus Rashford
• Jadon Sancho
• Harry Kane 
• Dominic Calvert-Lewin
• Mason Greenwood

The players at risk of missing out

Despite Southgate’s comments about England’s right backs, it is likely that one will make way. Trent Alexander-Arnold could be a high-profile casualty as he was left out of the March internationals, with Reece James, Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker all preferred.

Of the four, Walker is probably the most secure of his place given he has enjoyed an excellent domestic campaign with Manchester City and is able to play as part of a back three or back four. James has also been utilised as a right-sided centre back in a three-man defence for Chelsea recently which could boost his chances.

Southgate’s comments that training with the squad will be a “fantastic experience” for Ben Godfrey and Ben White suggests that they will have to work hard to secure a place in the final 26, or else rely on one of the other defenders to drop out.

Read More

Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield? 5 things we learned from Gareth Southgate’s England press conference

It is likely to be a similar situation for Aaron Ramsdale, who was called up to the squad after Nick Pope was ruled out. Ramsdale endured a difficult campaign with Sheffield United and it would be a major surprise if he was picked with Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson and Sam Johnstone ahead of him in the pecking order.

Southgate is a big fan of James Ward-Prowse, having worked with him previously in his role as England U21 manager, but the Southampton midfielder lacks the defensive qualities of his positional rivals, Declan Rice, Kalvin Phillips and Jordan Henderson.

Bukayo Saka‘s ability to play in a variety of positions in defence, midfield and attack, could count in his favour. Interestingly, though, he was listed as a forward on England’s official squad announcement and if that is where Southgate sees his best position, it may lead to him missing out as Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho are more experienced and Mason Greenwood in better form.

Ollie Watkins retained his place from Southgate’s previous squad and was picked ahead of Danny Ings and Patrick Bamford in the final 33. However, Dominic Calvert-Lewin appears to be Southgate’s favoured backup for Harry Kane and with Rashford, Greenwood and even Phil Foden able to play as a No 9, the Aston Villa forward could drop out.

Who would you like to see selected in the England squad? Let us know over on our Facebook page

England’s Euro 2020 fixtures and dates

Warm-up fixtures:

• England vs Austria – Weds 2 June, 8pm (Riverside)
• England vs Romania – Sun 6 Jun, 5pm (Riverside)

Group stage:

• England vs Croatia – 13 June, 2pm (Wembley)
• England vs Scotland – 18 June, 8pm (Wembley)
• Czech Republic vs England – 22 June, 8pm (Wembley)

If England top Group D, they will play enter the knockout rounds in line with the following schedule:

• Round of 16: TBC – 29 June, 6pm
• Quarter-final: TBC – 3 July, 9pm
• Semi-final: TBC – 7 July, 9pm
• Final: TBC – 11 July, 9pm

More on the Premier League

• ‘I want Burnley to be the UK’s favourite underdog’
• Deeney: ‘Middle-class white people are outraged about racism now – that’s what stokes change’
• The making of Everton’s versatile defender whose rise surprised even his own manager
• Hall: Martial is running out of chances to prove he is part of the future at Man Utd
• The Czech ‘warriors’ who rose from obscurity to fire West Ham into European contention

from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3fLomun

Organisers of this summer’s Copa America will meet on Monday to determine a new tournament host after confirming Argentina will not stage the competition due to a surge in coronavirus cases in the country.

South America’s biggest football tournament kicks off in just 13 days and footballing body Conmebol have already had to deny Colombia co-hosting duties.

The Copa America has been delayed 12 months because of the pandemic and organisers will meet to decide whether the tournament can be moved at such short notice.

“Conmebol informs that in view of the present circumstances it has been decided to suspend the staging of the Copa América in Argentina,” a statement read. “Conmebol will analyse the offers of other countries that showed interest in hosting the continental tournament. News in this regard will be announced shortly.”

Read More

Diego Maradona: Four teammates reveal what it was really like to share a dressing room with him

Who could host Copa America 2021?

Argentina and Colombia initially earned co-hosting rights for the Copa America back in 2019, beating the US, who had put forward a bid to stage the competition for the second time in its history, having played hosts in 2016.

Earlier in May Colombia was stripped of its hosting duties following widespread protests in the country. Argentina, meanwhile, is currently under a national lockdown to stem a surge in Covid-19 cases that have averaged over 35,000 daily infections over the past seven days.

Chile, Ecuador and Venezuela have all offered to help out and stage games this summer, while Paraguay is also a proposed option. Brazil, which hosted the 2019 tournament, is averaging 61,000 coronavirus cases a day.

Meanwhile, the US could be granted staging rights – although moving the tournament to North America risks delaying the start. The Copa America is due to begin on 12 June and a further complication is the US is staging the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup later this summer, with tournament organisers keen for the two competitions not to clash.

The Gold Cup is taking place across nine US host cities and kicks off on 10 July, the proposed date of the Copa America final.

Conmebol officials will meet on Monday morning to discuss their options.

Read More

MPs urge Foreign Secretary to act over deadly violence against Colombian protesters

from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3iiHwL9