Germany, among the favorites to claim Euro 2012, meet Swizterland in Basel on Saturday. Not far away in St. Gallen, Switzerland, Spain and Serbia meet on neutral ground as the pre-Euro sweep of friendlies gets off and running.
Expect a certain amount of “easing into it,” especially where injured players are concerned, or others coming off seasons long on wear and tear. For instance, it looks like Joachim Low’s contingent of Bayern Munich men for Germany will sit the bench for Saturday’s match in the northwest of Switzerland, not far from the German border.
And how about a Spanish side minus its significant crop of Barcelona regulars, not to mention contributors from Athletic Bilbao? Those sides will meet in Friday’s ridiculously timed Copa del Rey final. So, not sure what we can add to our stores of knowledge of the reigning world champs from Saturday’s proceedings in St. Gallen?
In Oslo, Norway, new England manager Roy Hodgson will deal with injuries to defender Glen Johnson and striker Danny Welbeck as he selects his top 11 for Saturday’s friendly against the Norwegians.
Here’s the complete list of friendlies over the next four afternoons involving teams competing in Poland and Ukraine beginning June 8.
Friday
- Croatia vs. Estonia
- Russia vs. Uruguay
Saturday
- Brazil vs. Denmark
- Ireland vs. Bosnia
- Czech Republic vs. Israel
- Poland vs. Slovakia
- Portugal vs. Macedonia
- Spain vs. Serbia
- Switzerland vs. Germany
- Netherlands vs. Bulgaria
- Greece vs. Slovenia
- Norway vs. England
Sunday
- France vs. Iceland
Monday
- Ukraine vs. Estonia
ProSoccerTalk is doing its best to keep you up to date on what’s going on in Poland and Ukraine. Check out the site’s Euro 2012 page and look at the site’s previews, predictions, and coverage of all the events defining UEFA’s championship.
