Ten statistics about England’s qualifying clash with Ukraine

England/Ukraine, Wednesday 8pm, ITV1, Free Bets, Best Odds

England fans have a reputation for fickleness but the antics of the Wembley crowd must seem refreshing to Fabio Capello when compared to the actions of some supporters in his homeland. Italy fans in Bari are expected to boo Marcello Lippi, the man who won them the World Cup, tonight and cheer his predecessor Giovanni Trapattoni, the man who twice flopped in international tournaments. The reason? Lippi refused to call up their favourite son Antonio Cassano. Capello on the other hand can expect a hearty applause this evening despite trying to pick even Darren Bent ahead of Michael Owen. Here’s ten stats about tonight’s game with Ukraine:

1. Both teams are unbeaten in Group 6, with England winning all four of their games. Ukraine have won two and drawn one of their three.

2. Ukraine are unbeaten in eight games and have won four consecutive away games.

3. However, they have been seen off easily on their two previous trips to England - losing 2-0 in 2000 and 3-0 in 2004.

Posted: April 1st, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Spread betting advice for Scotland’s trip to Holland

extrabet.com preview a big weekend for Scottish football fans

Our favourite spread betting firm recently changed their name from IG Sport to extrabet.com but the excitement hasn’t been enough to stop them from providing us with a preview of Scotland’s World Cup qualifier in Holland:

“It’s been a tough old 55 years for Scottish football fans. Since 1954, the Scottish national side have failed to qualify for the World Cup on six occasions - including each of the last two. Even when they’ve qualified they have never progressed beyond the first round, winning just four of their 23 matches! It’s still early days but Scotland currently sit second in World Cup Qualifying Group 9 ahead of their trip to leaders Holland this Saturday so it’s a massive weekend for those who dare to dream.

Posted: March 25th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Which teams does Fabio Capello watch play the most?

The England boss visits West Ham more than Everton and Villa

chickendinner have investigated how often Fabio Capello has watched every team in Premier League action this season and while the results make great reading for Matthew Upson and Carlton Cole, Joleon Lescott and Phil Jagielka won’t be pleased with their club’s position on the Italian’s radar.

Capello hasn’t watched Everton once in the league and despite Aston Villa’s recent reputation for nurturing English talent, the England boss has watched them in just three league games while checking out West Ham seven times:

Is the fact that all five London clubs are in Capello’s top seven most-watched a sign of a southern bias? Does his fondness of watching West Ham mean Upson will be joined by some club colleagues in the Spain squad? Let us know what you think with a comment below.

*08-09 refers to the league matches he has watched involving that team this season, while total refers to the number since becoming England manager*

Posted: February 5th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

New Zealand chase twentieth straight win over Wales

The chickendinner preview of all this weekend’s televised rugby

While Sky’s “Super Sunday” this weekend is the rather humble combination of Tottenham/Blackburn and Sunderland/West Ham, there are some big rugby internationals taking place tomorrow where you won’t find many players crying off with injuries. Here’s our guide to all the televised games:

England v South Africa
This is the first time the two nations have clashed since last year’s World Cup final and England have lost their last five encounters with the Springboks. The good news is that England have won six of their last seven collisions at Twickenham, however South Africa have won all twelve of their matches in Europe since their last defeat there.

Ireland v Argentina
Since becoming the first new nation in twelve years to reach the World Cup semi-finals last year, Argentina have been on a downward spiral, losing four of their last five. The most embarrassing of those defeats was a home defeat in June to Italy although they have also been beaten by Scotland, South Africa and France. Ireland haven’t been in great form themselves, losing five of their last six but boast a 100% home record against Los Pumas.

Posted: November 21st, 2008 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment