Sport
Predicting Group D of EURO 2020: history, odds and data analytics
Every team in group D shares an intimate match day; though the matches are dated into different tournaments and years, there is still a sombre and bitter history.
June is around the corner and Euro 2020 is upon us. Who will dominate the group stages and be at the top of the group table? Which teams will qualify for the next round of the tournament? Who will we witness being booted out of the championship?
The much awaited action is starting on 11 June and for a whole month we are ready to eat, watch soccer, sleep and repeat! There is a different kind of excitement aroused by nations leagues compared to clubs football. There’s a sense of unity and calmness that draws people together to stand in solidarity in support of their country.
The usual goal forecasting, and guessing who will get which award has already started. England’s Three Lions are this year’s favourite to win the tournament, and we must say, the odds are really in their favour. Bookies already have their predictions at all stages and for a complete analysis, you can check out Unibet Euro 2020. If history has anything to do with it, we think France also has a pretty good chance of taking the cup a second time after the win in 2000.
Since a lot of noise is around group D though, we decided to take a look at the countries represented there, and what big data is predicting versus what punters are saying. England, Scotland, Croatia and the Czech Republic are in this group and here’s a look at their previous meetings.
History between the teams.
Every team in group D shares an intimate match day; though the matches are dated into different tournaments and years, there is still a sombre and bitter history.
Without a doubt, the oldest and the most talked-about rivalry is the England vs Scotland matchup. This is one game we think will keep everyone on their toes, given the teams’ history. As much as England’s Three Lions are expected to be on top of their game, Scotland’s Tartan Terriers will definitely bring a stern challenge.
The Tartan Terriers suffer from deep resentment of losses against the Three Lions. The Scottish side was last seen winning against the English side way back in 1999, and the closest they came to winning was in 2017 when they drew 2-2 with England in the FIFA World Cup. Because they came so close, they think they can conquer England this time around. Some of the best moments of both teams can be found here.
Another team that might bring a challenge for the England team is the Croatian side. The two share a rollercoaster ride of losses, draws and wins. 2018 saw these two teams going up against each other and trying to prove who is more dominant. During the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Croatia had the upper hand as they won 2-1. But, England tightened up their defence and drew 0-0 with Croatia in the first leg of the UEFA Nations League. These two teams have a vendetta to settle and determine who is the better team and in turn, gain more points.
The Czech Republic is one team that most people are underestimating. It cannot be argued that this side has a very poor history against any of their group opponents. Against Croatia, Czech does not have a single win, against Scotland their last win was way back in 2010 and against England they have a recent win of 2-1. This win against the Three Lions gives the Czech team some confidence that they might actually make it into the next round.
Winning Odds
Gareth Southgate’s men are in extraordinary form at the moment. They won seven of their eight matches during the qualification stage and of those seven, they scored 37 goals. Increasing their odds of winning is the fact that three of their group matches are being played at Wembley stadium. England is literally playing most of their matches on home turf. This places their winning odds at 5/11, making them the most-likely winners of the tournament.
A team that has been a headache to the Three Lions, Croatia, comes second on the best group odds. Their odds are 7/2. They are the 9th favourites to win the tournament. The Czech Republic and Scotland take the third and fourth spot respectively. The Czechs’ odds are at 10/1whilst Scotland’s are at 16/1.
Image by Mitch Rosen on Unsplash
Sport
Manchester City release new ‘The Decade Collection’ celebrating 10 years of Pep Guardiola
Danny Jones
Manchester City and PUMA have just released a new clothing line celebrating 10 seasons of Pep Guardiola at the club.
Simply entitled ‘The Decade Collection’, the new PUMA range revolves entirely around Pep as he marks his 10th anniversary in charge of the Blues, focusing on minimalistic style.
Guardiola has always been a trendy bloke, often being highlighted for his fashion choices on the touchline – even some of the questionable ones…
But with a much plainer approach this time around, the Pep clothing collab
Debuting the lifestyle drop on Wednesday, 15 April, Man City wrote on social media, “Ten seasons on the touchline. Ten seasons of setting the standard.
“Introducing the Puma Football Decade Collection with the Pep Team – celebrating Pep’s ten seasons as our manager and inspired by memorable moments from his tenure at the Club.”
While it’s unclear how much (if any) of these new clothes the Catalan coach has helped design or had influence on, but given its exclusive nature, you can expect it to sell out pretty quickly.
They go on to add: “Created to honour a defining chapter that reshaped the club’s modern identity, this exclusive collection is available in limited quantities.
Starting at £30 for the cheapest item – a ‘P’ logo baseball cap – the most expensive part of the collection clocks in at £110: his special anniversary edition ‘Majesty Low Decade’ PUMA trainers.
You can see some more examples of what we’ve already seen him wearing, and what we’ll no doubt see him in pitchside very soon, down below.
https://x.com/ManCity/status/2044347944988516522?s=20
Obviously, City has plenty of other brand partnerships when it comes to both official sports apparel and more casual clothing, many of which we’ve already seen the 55-year-old football manager wear, but you can almost guarantee he’ll be donning them for the coming fixtures.
You can see Man City x PUMA x Pep Guardiola ‘Decade Collection’ in full HERE.
Speaking of which, up next for Pep and co is what could prove to be THE big twist in this year’s Premier League campaign, with his squad of serial winners taking on league leaders Arsenal at home.
Not only did the Gunners’ surprise loss to Bournemouth last weekend help City close the gap on the top spot, but with them refinding their form ahead of hosting the title hopefuls at the Etihad Stadium, it all looks to be shifting back in their favour at the moment.
With seven games left, and one in hand compared to Arsenal, do you see them beating Mikel Arteta’s side to another trophy?
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Featured Images — Manchester City Football Club (publicity pictures)
Sport
Sale Sharks announce signing of exciting new winger David Opoku-Fordjour
Danny Jones
Sale Sharks have revealed their latest bit of recruitment as they have announced an agreement to sign promising young winger, David Opoku-Fordjour.
The brother of existing Sharks player, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, David, is set to join Sale at the start of next Gallagher PREM season.
Sharing the news with their fans on social media, the Greater Manchester rugby union outfit is tipping the ‘exciting’ and very fast forward to achieve big things at the club.
As the older sibling of 21-year-old prop Asher (only slightly), they might be of a similar profile in some ways, but they are still two very unique talents with their own attributes.
The fellow Coventry-born prospect came through his local side’s youth academy, making over half a century of appearances for the Championship team.
He will now become the second member of the Opoku-Fordjour family, who are originally from Ghana, to play for Sale Sharks.
Already capped England star Asher is actually the youngest of the four Midlands-born brothers.
Meanwhile, David Opoku-Fordjour – still just 22 himself – will make his Premiership debut in the coming 2026/27 campaign, penning a one-year deal with an option of extending by another 12 months as part of his contract:
The youngster said in an official statement: “I know the levels at a PREM club will be much higher, but I’m really looking forward to playing and training with internationals every day.
“There are so many good wingers at the club – guys like Tom Roebuck and Arron Reed – and I just want to be a sponge and learn from them and develop as much as I can.”
“Asher and I are really close, and playing with him again will be brilliant. When I spoke to him, he just said that the environment at Sale is great and that I would really enjoy it. He said the club is full of good people, so I can’t wait to get started.”
Commenting on his arrival, Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson said, “There’s some real talent and potential in the Champ, and we think we’ve found one in David.
“He scores tries for fun, but there’s plenty more to his game, and we’re looking forward to seeing how he develops in this environment, learning and playing with the international wingers we’ve got.”
Looking forward to seeing him on the pitch, Sharks?
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Featured Images — FloRugby/Coventry RUFC (screenshots via YouTube)
The Manc -
11th June 2021 
