⚽️UKRAINE CHASES THE EUROS
Two years on from Russia's invasion, the Ukrainians can find a place in Germany next to the French, the Czechs, the Belgians—and bring their plight to world attention once again.
This is THE FOOTBALL WEEKEND, your Friday morning rundown of all the best matches across world football over the coming weekend in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, and more. Join subscribers from 66 different countries:
It’s a special Thursday edition of TFW this week, as the big matches take place later today. This is an international break mostly stuffed full of meaningless friendlies, and while there are a couple of big derbies in the women’s game, the marquee matches of this period are in the EURO 2024 playoffs. National teams that failed to earn automatic qualification for the tournament in Germany this summer have a second chance to earn a ticket if they win just two more games, and one of those teams is Ukraine.
More than two years on from Russia’s full-scale invasion, qualification for the EUROs is about far more than football for the folks in blue and yellow. It’s an opportunity to return Ukraine’s plight to global attention now that other conflicts have taken center stage, and for the Ukrainians to line up next to the French, the Spaniards, the Germans, the Czechs. It’s this turn to the West, Ukraine’s desire to join Europe, that’s been a major driver of Vladimir Putin’s belligerence over the last decade.
British-Ukrainian journalist Andrew Todos joins the show this week to break down Ukraine’s qualification campaign, what it could mean to make it to Germany, and the state of Ukraine’s domestic league:
You can also check it out on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Acast.
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THE HEADLINES
➡️ Spanish police raided the home of former Spanish Football Federation chief Luis Rubiales, who was forced out after planting an unsolicited kiss on Jenni Hermoso after the women’s team won the World Cup last year. Rubiales defiantly held on before finally agreeing to resign, and now he’s reportedly under investigation on corruption charges.
➡️ The Ben White-England Saga rolls on. Now The Telegraph reports the specifics of the rift between the Arsenal defender and assistant coach Steve Holland: the latter questioned the former’s “interest in football” in front of a number of his England teammates. Manager Gareth Southgate claimed last week that he did not know of any beef between player and coach.
➡️ A “hidden” statue of Harry Kane has been revealed, and it ain’t pretty. What is with these footballer statues? Is this better or worse than the Cristiano Ronaldo nightmare?
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THURSDAY
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA vs UKRAINE (3:45pm ET, 7:45pm GMT)
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USA vs JAMAICA (7pm ET, 11pm GMT)
The Stars and Stripes arrive at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas with a squad almost uniformly made up of players who ply their trade over in Europe. Not all are playing consistently for their clubs, but Miles Robinson is the only one on the list who plays in MLS. They’re heavy favorites here against Jamaica in the Nations League semifinals, but the islanders have some fine players of their own in Michail Antonio, Demarai Gray, and Bobby De Cordova-Reid. Ethan Pinnock is injured, however, and Leon Bailey has been left out following a disciplinary issue.
SATURDAY
WSL: MAN CITY vs MAN UNITED (8:30am ET, 12:30pm GMT)
The Manchester derby—Women’s Super League edition. City are joint-top of the league on 40 points with Chelsea. United are fourth, but they’re already 12 points behind the leaders, which suggests there’s a significant gap between the pace-setters, Arsenal (six points behind them), and everybody else. Still—derby magic is possible.
ENGLAND vs BRAZIL (3pm ET, 7pm GMT)
This could be an opportunity to see Kobbie Mainoo make his debut for the full England national team. I think he potentially provides the best balance with Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice in that Three Lions midfield, but Gareth Southgate is almost guaranteed to start Jordan Henderson. There will be a media furore no matter what, but the actual match will be a nice test for England. This is not one of Brazil’s all-time most powerful squads, but there are plenty of talented technicians to put on a show. Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. are traveling up from Madrid, and they’ll be joined by future Real teammate Endrick. It’s a chance for the whole world to have a look at the 17-year-old who’s been tipped for greatness.
FRANCE vs GERMANY (4pm ET, 8pm GMT)
Another friendly here, but with these names involved, it’s probably worth tuning in. Lots of top talent on show, including young stars. Germany hasn’t had the best decade since the 2014 World Cup victory, but there are lots of new faces and Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz are two of the most promising attacking talents in world football. There are also a few stalwarts: Toni Kroos announced his international un-retirement last month and will feature here along with the inevitable Thomas Müller. On the French side, you know the story: Kylian Mbappé and crew, the perennial favorites to win everything.
SUNDAY
REAL MADRID WOMEN vs BARCELONA (1pm ET, 5pm GMT)
El Clásico Femenina. These two are first and second in La Liga F, and they’re in a class of their own points-wise, though even then Barça are nine points clear of their hated rivals. Real will hope home advantage can even the odds.
CONCACAF NATIONS LEAGUE FINAL (9:15pm ET)
The combatants here are to be determined by the outcomes of the semifinals, but this could be USA vs MEXICO.
TUESDAY
EURO 2024 PLAYOFF FINALS (4:45pm ET, 8:45pm GMT)
These are also contingent on semifinal results, but you could see UKRAINE vs ISRAEL (or ICELAND) and POLAND vs WALES.