Courtesy: UEFA.com


In-form Italy tough for Croatia

Not only have Croatia failed to beat Italy in 14 past matches but coach Mato Stanković considers their last-eight opponents to have already produced the performance of the finals.

Monday 3 February 2014

by Paolo Menicucci & Paul Saffer from Antwerp

Not only have Croatia failed to beat Italy in all 14 previous meetings, but coach Mato Stanković considers their quarter-final opponents on Tuesday to have already produced the performance of UEFA Futsal EURO 2014.

Croatia were second in Group D, holding Spain and the Czech Republic 3-3 in virtually identical games with Matija Capar each time equalising late as flying goalkeeper. Italy, who beat Croatia 3-1 for third place two years ago in Zagreb, lost their opener 3-2 to Slovenia but the 2003 champions then hit form on Sunday as they defeated Azerbaijan 7-0 to top Group C.

"Italy put on the performance of the tournament against Azerbaijan," Stanković told UEFA.com. "They are favourites to win this match, they are a very powerful, aggressive side. But we will do our best and look to perform at our peak. It is our fate to play against the best teams – ever since we arrived here we have been ready for anything."

In all, the Azzurri have 13 wins and one draw with Croatia, but forward Fortino is under no illusions, familiar as he is with opposition key man Tihomir Novak, his club-mate at Italian leaders ASD Asti C/5. "I expect a game with several individual duels," Fortino said. "They have a few players who are very skilful, Novak among them. He plays with me at club level and I think he is their best player. We will have to be very careful. I still haven't spoken to him, just a quick hello, we have time to talk.

"I think they will play futsal which can give us problems, they like to cover every space and slow the tempo down with good possession. But we know who we are going to face and we have to impose our own game and avoid the mistakes we made in the first game against Slovenia."

Another key Croatia man, Dario Marinović, has been struggling with a knee injury suffered against the Czech Republic, but having had two more days' rest than Italy, Stanković is hopeful. "It was really good to have three days between games, we were able to rest and think about the next match," he said.

"The game against Spain was really hard, we were exhausted. We had a really short time between that and the next game against the Czech Republic. It has been especially important for Dario Marinović, he has had time to recover."



Courtesy: UEFA.com


Slovenia buzzing ahead of historic Spain match

Andrej Dobovičnik told UEFA.com that facing holders Spain in the quarter-finals, Slovenia's first-ever knockout game, will be one of the "proudest matches in our history".

Monday 3 February 2014

by Wayne Harrison & Gonzalo Aguado from Antwerp

Andrej Dobovičnik and his Slovenia players are preparing for "one of the most important and proudest matches in our history" – the nation's first game in the knockout stage of a UEFA Futsal EURO, Tuesday's quarter-final against holders and six-time winners Spain.

The Balkan team arrived in Belgium at the beginning of last week having lost all seven of their previous fixtures at continental finals, but proceeded to upset Italy 3-2 in their Group C opener before squandering a 5-2 lead when succumbing 7-6 to Azerbaijan two days later.

The Azzurri's subsequent 7-0 defeat of Azerbaijan meant Slovenia went through as runners-up, setting up a historic tie against a country they have never beaten in 13 attempts. No matter that their task is to eliminate a side who have not lost over 40 minutes since 2005, Dobovičnik is delighted to still be part of the tournament.

"It's a big success for Slovenia to be in the quarter-finals," he told UEFA.com at the squad's hotel in central Antwerp. "We won our first points in a European Championship and the most important thing is that you can see the improvement in our play on the pitch – that's crucial.

"Slovenia have never achieved such good results and for me and the team it's going to be one of the most important and proudest matches in our history."

You do not have to delve too deep into the archives to find the last time the nations met. They played twice in Slovenia at the start of last month, Dobovičnik's men recovering from 3-0 down to draw 5-5 and then losing 3-0 to La Roja 24 hours later.

"That [5-5 draw] was a very intense match, from first minute to last," explained Dobovičnik, who can call on the finals' joint four-goal top scorer Gašper Vrhovec. "We are aware Spain are still the favourites. They are a much better team than Slovenia, which was shown the next day. It's difficult to compare these two matches, but I'm sure of one thing: the players will give 100%."

Spain's progress through Group D came at a cost. Miguelín and Lin, who both featured in the 3-3 draw with Croatia but missed the 8-1 destruction of the Czech Republic on Sunday, are nursing adductor and back problems respectively. Captain Torras is definitely out with a knee injury.

"They are three major players for us," said Sergio Lozano, on target twice against the Czechs. "It also means three fewer rotations, but hopefully on Tuesday they can play and help us. It will be a tough match."

Coach José Venancio López added: "We knew Slovenia were going to cause a surprise in the tournament. On Tuesday we will have a close game; it will be tough. Slovenia play futsal very well, a very practical game, and have great quality."



Courtesy: UEFA.com


Spain lose Torras for finals

Spain captain Torras, aiming for a joint-record fifth title, will miss the rest of UEFA Futsal EURO 2014 with a knee injury suffered in the 8-1 defeat of the Czech Republic on Sunday.

Monday 3 February 2014

by Gonzalo Aguado from Antwerp

Spain have been dealt a blow with the news that captain Torras will miss the rest of UEFA Futsal EURO 2014 with a knee injury.

The 33-year-old FC Barcelona winger had to be replaced after a collision with club-mate Fernandão during Sunday's 8-1 defeat of the Czech Republic that took Spain through as Group D winners, and tests on Monday morning confirmed a sprain.

Winner of the 2012 adidas Golden Boot, Torras is aiming to join former Spain colleagues Luis Amado and Kike in winning five European titles. His club estimate he will be out for around four to six weeks, meaning he should be available for the UEFA Futsal Cup finals in Baku in late April.

Spain face Slovenia in the quarter-finals on Tuesday and doubts remain over the two players that missed Sunday's match: Lin (back) and Miguelín (adductor).







Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com