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On the bill: Italy – Turkey
With almost a year late due to Covid, the Euro football finally begins, this Friday, June 11 at 9 p.m. Italy and Turkey have the honors of the opener and the Olympic Stadium in Rome. Under the direction of Roberto Mancini, Squadra Azzura offer an exciting game, but its midfielder is penalized by the probable absence of Marco Verratti. Barely recovered from a knee injury, the PSG player should not return before the match against Switzerland (June 16), or even against Wales (June 20).
Against the Nazionale: Turkey and its tireless striker Burak Yilmaz, 35, recent winner of the French championship with Lille. The Turkish selection will try to forget its elimination in the first round at Euro 2016 in France. The men of Senol Günes, the star coach in his country – recalled to the bench in early 2019 -, have offensive arguments to make. The Blues of Didier Deschamps remember it: they had been corrected 2-0 in Turkey, a year ago, during the qualifiers.
Italy – Turkey, Friday June 11 at 9 p.m., on TF1 and BeIN Sports 1 (and live on Le Monde.fr)
Euro star : Gianluigi Donnarumma
At 22, Gianluigi Donnarumma takes his first steps in international competition in the shoes of goalkeeper number one, with the heavy task of succeeding the legendary Buffon. The legitimacy of the young man is, however, little doubt: the goalkeeper has conceded only two goals in his last twelve tenures with Squadra Azzura.
At the end of his contract with his training club, AC Milan, Donnarumma is given a starting point for Paris-Saint-Germain, where the Costa Rican Keylor Navas is playing, considered the best goalkeeper in the world. Gianluigi Donnarumma could initial his Parisian contract before the end of the Euro. He would find Marco Verratti and Alessandro Florenzi in Paris, faces he knows well in the national team.
Meanwhile… : the jersey of discord
The Euro has not yet started that geopolitics is involved. Thursday June 10, Russia obtained from UEFA that Ukraine changes the jersey of its selection, newly unveiled for the Euro. Reason for Russian wrath: on the yellow and blue tunic are the outlines of Crimea, annexed since 2014 by Moscow, and slogans chanted during protests in 2014 such as “Glory to Ukraine” or “Glory to the heroes! “.
Anger from the Russian football federation, which sent a registered letter to UEFA, asking Ukraine to review its copy. The governing body of European football has validated the Ukraine card but requires Zbirna to remove the nationalist slogans from the selection jersey. The kick-off was not whistled but the match has already started between the two nations, which could end up in the quarter-finals.
In the skylight: Emmanuel Macron optimist
” Blues ? I found them concentrated. I found that there was a real collective, complicity and a lot of serenity ”, Emmanuel Macron said Thursday, visiting Clairefontaine with his wife.
“It’s a complete selection in all sectors. I had never seen eight attackers of such a level »
European Champion in 1984, Michel platini full of praise for the offensive potential of the Blues, in an interview, Wednesday, June 9, with the Italian daily Il Giornale. But the former UEFA president is considering other teams for the title: “I like Belgium, Italy also seems interesting to me. England too ”, added the ex-no 10 of the Blues.
A corner of blue sky: Pogba as a minesweeper
“The only tensions are on the back and legs”, Paul Pogba said at a press conference on Thursday, denying the existence of a quarrel between Kylian Mbappé and Olivier Giroud. “There are physiotherapists who are there to massage us well, to remove all these tensions”, joked the midfielder. Before resuming, more seriously:
“From the inside, there is nothing, there has always been a great atmosphere with everyone. (…) I did not see anything, nothing came out, I do not feel anything that is said outside, it is really a smile, music, massages. “
🗣💬 Pogba: “Tensions? There has always been a very good atmosphere. Between Olivier and Kyky, there is nothing at all … https://t.co/QK8jeIRb58
Covidometer: Sweden prepared for any eventuality
Sweden called six reservists on Thursday, after the sidelining of winger Dejan Kulusevski and midfielder Mattias Svanberg, positive for Covid-19 and packages against Spain on Monday. This group will train separately, and there are no plans for them to go to Seville. All the players of the Swedish selection are not vaccinated, the staff having found it difficult to justify that they have a priority over the average Swede.
On the Spanish side, no new case has been declared since the announcement of the positive test of Spanish captain Sergio Busquets on Sunday, then that of striker Diego Llorente. Since then, Spain has decided to vaccinate all its players.
