Soccer / Football : UEFA Euro 2008

sports betting news

Croatia 6.5 : Croatia coach Slaven Bilic has extended his contract by two years until 2010, despite receiving better offers from foreign clubs. Local media said Bilic would be paid about €13,800 a month, more than twice what he gets now, and would receive bonuses depending on the team's achievements.

"There is absolutely no pressure but our primary objective is to get past the group stage at EURO 2008," said Bilic, who had been linked with West Ham United and Manchester City in England and Hamburg in Germany. The former West Ham and Everton defender was a member of the Croatian team that finished third at the 1998 World Cup.

Germany 3.5 : Bernd Schneider will definitely miss EURO 2008 after undergoing surgery on a herniated disc in his back last week. The Bayer Leverkusen midfielder was originally rated as doubtful for the tournament after the operation in Hanover on 25 April. However, Germany coach Joachim Low received final confirmation of the 34-year-old's unavailability, when he was informed that Schneider has been told not to resume training for the foreseeable future.

Sweden 27.4 : Fredrik Ljungberg faces an indefinite absence after suffering a cracked rib. The Sweden midfielder had to be substituted 21 minutes into West Ham United's 2-2 draw against Newcastle United following a collision with visiting defender Steven Taylor. Manager Alan Curbishley has confirmed that the 31-year-old will miss the last two games of the Premier League season. And the race will now be on for Ljungberg to recover in time to take part in the European Championships this summer.

Hungary 24.4 : Erwin Koeman has been named as the new coach of the Hungarian national team. The 46-year-old Dutchman, who will take up the job on May 1, replaces Peter Varhidi who took over in December 2006 and failed to earn his side qualification for EURO 2008. Erwin Koeman, the older brother of former Netherlands defender Ronald Koeman, started his managerial career at Waalwijk in 2004. He later moved to Feyenoord but resigned at the end of the 2006/07 season.

Czech 8.4 : Tomas Rosicky will likely miss the remainder of the Premiership season and is now rated doubtful for the Czech Republic's EURO 2008 campaign. The Arsenal midfielder has been absent since limping out of his team's FA Cup win over Newcastle in January after suffering a knee injury. If Rosicky should be ruled out of the EURO 2008, there is likely to be a call for Pavel Nedved to return from international retirement.

Greece 30.3 : Otto Rehhagel will be in charge of Greece for at least two more years after agreeing a new contract until the summer of 2010. The 69-year-old German coach took over unfancied Greece in 2001 and led the team to a stunning EURO 2004 triumph in Portugal, one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport. They have also qualified for this year's European championships in Austria and Switzerland starting in June. So, Rehhagel is Greece's longest-serving national coach, with 43 wins, 16 draws and 19 defeats from his 78-game tenure.

Turkey 27.3 : Hamit Altintop is likely to miss the rest of the season and is also doubtful for EURO 2008 after suffering a broken metatarsal. The Turkey midfielder had surgery after injuring his foot during his country's friendly against Belarus on Wednesday, a 2-2 draw in Minsk. Altintop, 25, faces between six and eight weeks on the sidelines, Bayern said. He has made 23 Bundesliga appearances since joining the Munich giants from Schalke last summer.

England 26.3 : David Beckham will make his 100th national team appearance for England during Wednesday's exhibition game against France. Coach Fabio Capello said that Beckham will play part of the game at Stade de France, although he hasn't decided if the 32-year-old midfielder will start. Beckham was left on 99 appearances when England failed to qualify for EURO 2008 and there was the danger he might finish there when Capello left him out of his first game in charge against Switzerland in February.

Portugal 26.3 : Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani will miss Portugal's friendly against Greece on Wednesday through injury. Both Manchester United players strained their left thighs in the Premier League match against Liverpool on Sunday. However, goalkeeper Ricardo Oliveira and defender Ricardo Carvalho have recovered from injuries and are fit for the European Championship warm-up match.

Scotland 25.3 : George Burley has to cope with a depleted squad ahead of his debut as Scotland manager after losing six players to injury ahead of Wednesday's friendly against Croatia. Derby midfielder Stephen Pearson and Celtic midfielder Barry Robson joined Rangers quartet Allan McGregor, Barry Ferguson, Lee McCulloch and Christian Dailly on the sidelines. Birmingham striker James McFadden is also ruled out of the match at Hampden Park.

France 25.3 : Striker Karim Benzema pulled out of the France squad because of a knee injury and was replaced by David Trezeguet for friendlies against Mali and England. Benzema was hurt during Lyon's 4-2 win over Paris Saint-Germain. Trezeguet scored his league-leading 17th goal of the season to give Juventus a 2-1 win over Inter on Saturday. He joins up with France for the first time since the 1-0 defeat to Scotland in September 2007. France coach Raymond Domenech will also be without captain Patrick Vieira, defender Bakary Sagna, midfielder Mathieu Valbuena, goalkeeper Sebastien Frey and strikers Louis Saha and Thierry Henry.

Russia 25.3 : Guus Hiddink has signed a new two-and-a-half year contract to continue coaching Russia until the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The deal ended media speculation the highly successful Dutchman, who led Netherlands and South Korea to the World Cup semi-finals in 1998 and 2002 respectively, would leave in July. Hiddink, 61, who guided Russia to the EURO 2008 finals from a tough group that included Croatia and England, had been earning €2m a year, according to media reports. Details of the new deal were not disclosed.

last results

home win - draw - away win (1-x-2)

Euro 2008 : 48% - 18% - 34%