Championship Opta Facts – August 16th - 17th

Doncaster v Blackburn
These teams have 18 previous league encounters, but Doncaster Rovers have only managed to win one of them (D6 L11).
Blackburn Rovers have only failed to score once in 18 attempts against Doncaster in league competition.
Blackburn have conceded 32 fouls in their two league games so far this season; more than any other Championship team.
Doncaster have lost seven successive home matches at Championship level - a run that began on 17th March 2012.
Blackburn are yet to win a game in 2013-14; having drawn their opening league game against Derby, lost their League Cup tie versus Carlisle on penalties and lost their second league game 0-1 at home to Nottingham Forest.

Leeds v Sheffield Wednesday
Leeds United have scored at least two goals in each of their last five league home games versus Sheffield Wednesday.
Sheffield Wednesday have won only two of the last 10 league games against Leeds United (D1 L7).
Leeds have made a solid start to the season, having won two and drawn one of their three competitive matches, conceding just two goals in total.
Sheffield Wednesday have lost all three of their competitive matches in 2013-14 so far; their worst start since 1989/90.
All three of the Owls' games so far this season have ended in 1-2 defeats, with the six goals that they have conceded all arriving in the first half.

Barnsley v Charlton
Barnsley have lost, and failed to score in, both of their Championship fixtures so far this season.
Charlton have lost their first two league games of the season for the first time since 2006-07.
The Addicks haven't lost their first three league matches of a season since 1990-91.
Barnsley have scored just one goal in total in the last three meetings with Charlton in the league.
There were two red cards shown to the Yorkshire side in this very fixture last season; they went on to lose 6-0.
Including last season, Barnsley have won just one of their last nine Championship matches (W1 D5 L3).

Birmingham v Brighton
Birmingham City have beaten Brighton just once in their last seven home league clashes with the Seagulls (D5 L1).
Brighton have lost their opening three competitive games of the season, with both league defeats ending 1-2.
Four of the last five league meetings between these teams have ended in a draw.
Birmingham have been given eight yellow cards in their two Championship games so far this season; more than any other side.
The Blues have won just one of their last five Championship home matches (W1 D2 L2). They lost their opening home game of the season, 0-1 to Watford.

Bournemouth v Wigan
Bournemouth are unbeaten in their last seven home league games against Wigan (W4 D3).
Wigan won their opening game of the league season 4-0 at Barnsley - their biggest league away win since August 2008.
Four of the last five league meetings have ended in a draw when these sides have been pitted against one another.
The Latics have not won back to back away games in league competition since August 2012.
Bournemouth have won six successive games at home in all competitions.
Lewis Grabban has scored three goals in his two Championship appearances for Bournemouth so far this season.

Burnley v Yeovil
Burnley are now unbeaten at Turf Moor in five consecutive matches (W2 D3).
All three of Yeovil's competitive matches so far in 2013-14 have ended 1-0 (W2 L1).
This will be the first time these sides have faced each other in a competitive match.
Danny Ings has scored in all three of his competitive appearances for Burnley so far in 2013-14.
The top scorer in League One last season; Yeovil's Paddy Madden (24 goals), is yet to score in his three appearances for the club in 2013-14.

Derby v Leicester
Derby County have lost five of the last six league games against Leicester City.
Leicester City have kept four clean sheets in the last six league fixtures against Derby County.
Derby are unbeaten in their three competitive matches so far in 2013-14 (W2 D1) - the first time that they have managed to do this since 2005-06.
Chris Martin scored twice in Derby's last match (v Brighton); equalling the tally that he'd netted in his previous 15 games for the club.
Leicester City are unbeaten in their first three competitive games of the season (W2 D1); their best start since 2009-10.

Middlesbrough v Blackpool
Middlesbrough have won just once in the last six games against Blackpool in league competition (D1 L4).
Blackpool have scored 10 goals in total in their last four league visits to the Riverside Stadium.
There were 11 goals scored over the course of the two league fixtures involving these teams last season.
Middlesbrough have lost eight of their last 14 home matches in all competitions (W4 D2 L8).
Blackpool have won both of their last games this season - the last time that they won three league games in a row was back in August 2012.
Blackpool's Tom Ince is suspended for this match. Ince has scored or assisted 29 of their 66 league goals since the start of 2012-13.

Millwall v Huddersfield
The Lions have failed to score in five successive games in the Championship.
James Vaughan has scored eight goals in his last six appearances for Huddersfield in all competitions.
Millwall have beaten Huddersfield in their last three home league meetings.
Huddersfield have scored just four goals in their last six visits to the Den in league competition.
Millwall have won just one point in their seven Championship games since April 20th 2013 (L6 D1).

Nottingham Forest v Bolton
Nottingham Forest have not beaten Bolton in their last seven meetings in league competition (D5 L2).
Bolton have scored at least once in their last 12 visits to Nottingham Forest in league competition.
Four of the last five league matches between these teams have ended in a draw.
Forest have won all three of their competitive games so far in 2012-13 - the first time they have managed this since 2006-07.
Bolton have drawn four successive league games since April 27th 2013, with three of these matches ending 1-1.
Bolton's Darren Pratley has scored in successive league appearances for the first time since May 2011 (including play-offs).

QPR v Ipswich
QPR have the opportunity to win back to back home matches for the first time since May 2012.
Ipswich Town have lost three and drawn one of their last four away games in all competitions.
QPR have beaten Ipswich Town just twice in their last 11 league meetings (D3 L6), however, those wins both came in the two most recent clashes between the sides.
The Tractor Boys have lost only once in their last five visits to Loftus Road against QPR (W3 D1).
Should QPR win this match, they'll have equalled the number of home wins which they secured last season in the Premier League (2).

Reading v Watford
The Royals have come out on top against Watford only once in their last six league meetings (D3 L2).
Watford have netted at least one goal in each of their last six league matches against Reading.
Since Gianfranco Zola took charge of Watford on the eve of the 2012-13 season, the Hornets have scored 20 more goals than any other current side in the Championship (95 - inc. playoff matches).
Troy Deeney has scored four goals from four shots in the Championship this season and became the first Watford player to score a competitive hat-trick in over 10 years last weekend.
Reading have conceded the first goal in both of their league games this season, but have come back to secure four points in these matches.

Scottish Premiership Opta Facts – Aug 16 -17

Partick Thistle v Hearts
Hearts have only ever lost once to Partick Thistle in the SPL (W3 D2).
Partick Thistle have kept just one clean sheet against Hearts in the SPL; they have met six times prior to this game.
The home side have scored just three goals in their last five league meetings against Hearts.
The Jags have managed to score in every SPL game at Firhill Stadium against Hearts.
On home soil, Thistle have lost just one of their last seven top tier games, drawing four and winning two.
The Jambos have won just one of their last 16 top tier games on the road, losing nine and drawing six.

Aberdeen v Celtic
Aberdeen have beaten Celtic just once in 31 SPL matches (D3 L27).
Celtic have kept a clean sheet in six of the last nine SPL meetings against Aberdeen.
Aberdeen have gone 19 games at Pittodrie against Celtic without a clean sheet in the SPL.
The Dons are currently on a seven-game league unbeaten streak (W3 D4), their best run since last October.
The Bhoys have enjoyed just one win in their last seven away SPL games, losing three and drawing three.
Despite playing just one game so far, Celtic lead the way in the top division in terms of hitting the woodwork (3).

Hibernian v Dundee United
Hibernian have claimed victory just once in their last nine SPL matches against Dundee United (D3 L5).
Dundee United have scored 12 goals in their last five visits to Easter Road in league competition.
Hibs have failed to keep a clean sheet in the last 13 home SPL matches against Dundee United.
The Terrors have failed to find the back of the net in five of their last six league fixtures and in each of the last three.
Hibs' last three games have all ended in a 1-0 score line, while they have only shipped four goals in total in their last five top tier fixtures.
On the road, United have lost just one of their last seven league games, although four of those have ended in a draw (W2).

Inverness v Motherwell
Inverness Caledonian Thistle have beaten Motherwell just three times in their last 17 SPL meetings (2D 12L).
Motherwell have scored 15 goals in their last four SPL meetings with Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Motherwell have conceded at least one goal on each of their last seven visits to Inverness.
The last 13 SPL games (at Inverness) involving these teams have had a winner.
At the Caledonian Stadium, Inverness have suffered just two defeats in their last 12 league games, winning six and drawing four.
On the road, the Steelmen have lost just two of their last seven top tier games, winning four and drawing one.

St Johnstone v Ross County
St Johnstone have not kept a clean sheet against Ross County in the SPL.
There is yet to be a result other than a draw at McDiarmid Park between these teams in the SPL.
The Saints have kept a clean sheet in six of their last eight SPL games.
County have won just two of their last 10 league games, shipping six goals in total in their two games this season already.
On home soil, the Saints are unbeaten in 12 games, winning seven and drawing five.
County's Mark Brown has made 16 saves already this season, more than any other 'keeper.

St Mirren v Kilmarnock
St Mirren have lost once in 10 home games against Kilmarnock in the SPL (W5 D4).
Kilmarnock have not kept a clean sheet in their last eight SPL games against St Mirren.
St Mirren have scored eight goals in the last three against Kilmarnock at home in the SPL.
Killie have enjoyed just one win in their last nine games, drawing two and losing six.
The Buddies have shipped 14 goals in total in their last seven games, an average of two per game.
St Mirren have posted the worst shooting accuracy figure in the top division so far; 28.57%.

Ligue 1 Opta Facts - Matchday 2 - August 16-18th

Sochaux - Lyon
Sochaux have only won three of their last 21 Ligue 1 games against Lyon (D4, L14). They have conceded at least one goal in each of their last seven encounters.
None of the last 62 Ligue 1 games between Sochaux and Lyon have ended with a 0-0 draw. The last one was on 15th May 1971 at Lyon.
Lyon are unbeaten in their last three away Ligue 1 games (two wins against Montpellier and Nancy and a draw against Nice).
Lyon have won 46 games against Sochaux in Ligue 1 (D14, L31), their favourite victim.
Clément Grenier has scored in four of his last five games for Lyon. He has been involved in 11 of Lyon's last 26 goals in Ligue 1 (42%) with seven goals and four assists.
Simon Pouplin made seven saves in the opening game of the season, more than any other goalkeeper.
Gaël Danic has failed to score in his 12 games played against Sochaux.
Alexandre Lacazette scored his first Ligue 1 goal against Sochaux (30th October 2010). He scored a brace last week in the 4-0 victory against Nice.

Marseille - Evian TG
Marseille are unbeaten in their last eight home games in Ligue 1 (W6, D2). Their last home defeat was on 3rd February 2013 (3-1 vs Nancy).
Marseille have only lost one of their last 13 Ligue 1 games (W8, D4).
Evian TG have lost their last four away games in Ligue 1.
In their last five official encounters, neither side has managed an away win (four home victories and one draw).
Evian TG had eight shots on target in their first game of the season, more than any other team.
Only Valenciennes (19) had more shots in their first game than Marseille (16).
André-Pierre Gignac has scored 50% of Marseille's last 12 goals in Ligue 1 (6). No player has scored the opening goal of a game more times than him since 2012/13 (9).
Dimitri Payet has been involved in 27 Ligue 1 goals since 2012/13 (14 goals, 13 assists), more than any other French player in the top four European leagues and Ligue 1.

Bastia - Valenciennes
Bastia have lost only one of their last 12 Ligue 1 home games against Valenciennes (W9, D2).
16 goals have been scored in the last three competitive games between Bastia and Valenciennes (5.3 goals per game).
Valenciennes have only won two of their last 19 visits to Corsica (L13, D4).
Bastia have lost only one of their last seven home games in Ligue 1 (W4, D2). They have only conceded four goals during that period.
Bastia have never lost their first two games of a season since 1986.
Meanwhile, the last time Valenciennes won their two first games of a season was in 1979/80.
Bastia made 523 successful passes in their first game, more than any other team.
Despite that, Bastia were the only team without a single shot on target in their opening game.

Nice - Rennes
The 4-0 defeat in Lyon during the opening game was the first time that Nice lost a game by four goals or more in Ligue 1 since 1933/34 (4-0 V Marseille).
Nice have only lost two of their last 22 Ligue 1 games against Rennes (W13, D7).
Nice are unbeaten in their last eight Ligue 1 home games against a club from Brittany (W5, D3).
Rennes have lost six of their last seven away games in Ligue 1. They have conceded 15 goals during that period.
Rennes have only won one of their last eight away games in Ligue 1 (L6, D1).
Vincent Pajot's goal against Reims was his first goal in the top-flight (48 games played). It took him 38 shots before finding the net.
Dario Cvitanich has scored three goals in his two Ligue 1 games against Rennes.
None of Rennes' last 55 games have ended with a 0-0 draw, longest current streak in Ligue 1.

Reims - Lille
Reims are unbeaten in their last six home Ligue 1 games against Lille (W4, D2),
Reims have only won one of their last seven Ligue 1 games (D3, L3).
Lille have only lost two of their last 11 away games in Ligue 1 (W5, D4).
Lille have scored 2 goals or more in seven of their last nine away Ligue 1 games. However they have conceded at least one in 12 of their last 13 away games in the top-flight.
Lille have only lost two of their last 17 games in Ligue 1 (W10, D5).
Lille have only lost their first away game of a season once in the last eight seasons (W3, D4).
Salomon Kalou has been involved in three of the last four Lille's goals against Reims in Ligue 1 (two goals, one assist).
Five of Lille's last nine away goals in Ligue 1 have come from a set piece (four corners and one free-kick).
Grzegorz Krychowiak has scored four of the last seven Reims' goals at home in Ligue 1.

St Etienne - Guingamp
St Etienne have only won once in their four ligue 1 games against Guingamp and are winless in the last three (D1, L2).
15 goals have been scored in the four league games between these two teams (avg. 3.75 goals per game).
Guingamp are unbeaten in their last seven competitive encounters against St Etienne (W4, D3).
Guingamp have only won one of their last 13 away games in Ligue 1 (D3, L9), scoring only four goals in this run.
St Etienne have only lost one of their last 14 league games against a promoted team (W9, D4).
St Etienne are unbeaten at home in Ligue 1 in 2013 (W6 D3).
Brandao has scored in each of his three competitive games for St Etienne this season (four goals).
Mustapha Yatabaré has scored eight goals in his last seven competitive games with Guingamp (Ligue 1 + Ligue 2).

Toulouse - Bordeaux
Toulouse have only lost four of their last 20 home encounters in Ligue 1 against Bordeaux (W8 D8).
Toulouse have won their first home league game in the last seven seasons.
Bordeaux are winless in their last seven away games in Ligue 1 (D3 L4).
Bordeaux have failed to score in four of their last five league games away from home.
Bordaux are winless in their last three away league games in Toulouse (D1 L2).
Wissam Ben Yedder has been involved in seven of Toulouse's last nine home goals in Ligue 1 (five goals, two assists).
12 of Wissam Ben Yedder's 15 league goals last season were scored in the Stadium Municipal.
Cheick Diabate has scored two goals from his last two appearances for Bordeaux in Toulouse in Ligue 1.

Monaco - Montpellier
Monaco are unbeaten in their last 22 league encounters against Montpellier (W15 D7).
Montpellier have only won four of their 38 Ligue 1 games against Monaco (D12 L22).
Monaco average 2.05 points against Montpellier in the top-flight, more than against any other team (min. 15 games played).
Montpellier have failed to find the net in their last five league games against Monaco.
Monaco have won none of their last three home games in Ligue 1 (D2 L1).
Montpellier won only four of their 19 away games in Ligue 1 last season, their lowest tally in the top-flight since 2003/04 (two away wins).
Montpellier have lost their last six away league games.
Emmanuel Rivière has scored four goals in six games against Montpellier in Ligue 1, his favourite target in the top-flight.
Falcao has already scored a hat-trick in a competitive game played in the Stade Louis II - for Atletico Madrid against Chelsea in the 2012 European Supercup (4-1).

Lorient - Nantes
Lorient are unbeaten in their last four games against Nantes in the top-flight (W3 D1).
Lorient have lost only two of their eight league games against Nantes (W3 D3).
Lorient have only lost three of their 24 leagues games played against a promoted team (W14 D7).
Nantes have lost their last six away games in Ligue 1, scoring only two goals in the process (12 conceded).
Lorient have lost five of their last six league games, winning the other one.
Nantes have won none of their last nine league games against a team from Brittany (D3 L6).
Kevin Monnet-Paquet has scored nine of his 12 goals for Lorient in L1 at home.
Christian Gourcuff is unbeaten against Nantes as Lorient's manager (W3 D3).

Paris SG - Ajaccio
Ajaccio were the only club to keep a clean sheet in both games against PSG last season.
Ajaccio have won none of their last 12 away games in Ligue 1 (D8, L4).
The last Ligue 1 game lost by PSG at home was on 17th November 2012. The title holders have collected 32 of 36 possible points since then.
PSG have lost only one of their last seven Ligue 1 game against Ajaccio (2-4 on 6th May 2006) (W3, D3).
PSG are unbeaten in their last 12 Ligue 1 games (W9 D3) - the best current streak.
PSG have scored at least one goal in their last 12 Ligue 1 games - the best current streak.
Ajaccio have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last eight Ligue 1 games - the worst current streak.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been involved in 55.7% (39 out of 70) of PSG's goals in Ligue 1 since 2012/13 (30 goals, 9 assists).

14.08. (Wed) 22:00 Ecuador - Spain

Vicente del Bosque intends to use Spain's friendly with Ecuador on Wednesday to cast his eye over some of his future stars.

The likes of Xavi, Juan Mata and Gerard Pique have all been left of out the world and European champions' squad, with Inigo Martinez, Koke and Thiago Alcantara - stars of the victorious Under-21 side at the European Championship - all getting the chance to impress at senior level.
Del Bosque's side lost their last match, the Confederations Cup final against Brazil, ending a run of 23 games unbeaten and his fresh-faced squad will no doubt be designed to shake up the competition in the side.

Winger Antonio Valencia is the notable absentee from Reinaldo Rueda's Ecuador squad for the fixture in Guayaquil.

The Manchester United winger returned to domestic action in his side's 3-1 friendly loss to Sevilla before appearing in the 2-0 Community Shield win over Wigan, but Rueda believes using Valencia would be too much of a risk.

"Since June 11 when we played Argentina, Antonio hasn't played a single [international] match and that is a big difficulty," he told La Deportiva. "It is a risk for selection and for the player, because he is exposed to injury."

Ecuador have not won any of their last three matches, but remain in third position in the South America World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining.

The last time the two teams met was over a decade ago, with Spain coasting to a 4-0 victory thanks to a hat-trick from Fernando Morientes.

The fixture is Ecuador's first since the death of Christian Benitez earlier this month.

14.08. (Wed) 21:00 England - Scotland

PROBABLE LINEUPS

ENGLAND
Hart
Walker, Cahill, Jones, Baines
Wilshere, Cleverley, Lampard
Walcott, Rooney, Welbeck

SCOTLAND
McGregor
Hutton, Martin, Hanley, Mulgrew
McArthur, Brown
Snodgrass, Morrison, Maloney
Griffiths

Ashley Young is the only player to have withdrawn from Roy Hodgson's squad, having missed Manchester United's 2-0 Community Shield win over Wigan.

However, the England manager is confident Wayne Rooney will be able to take part at Wembley after seeing him in training on Monday.

Meanwhile, Gordan Strachan also just one casulty, with Brighton midfielder Liam Bridcutt suffering for a groin injury.

But the experience of Darren Fletcher, Gary Caldwell and Steven Fletcher again miss out after failing to face Croatia.

DID YOU KNOW?
England v Scotland is the oldest match in football, dating back to 1872.
But the two countries have not faced each other since a play-off double-header for Euro 2000 in 1999.
The last time England hosted their 'Auld Enemy' in a friendly encouter at Wembley was a 2-2 draw in April, 1953.
England are unbeaten at in five games at Wembley under Roy Hodgson, winning three.
Meanwhile, Gordan Strachan has won just two of his four games in charge, most recently triumphing 1-0 away in Croatia in June.
Following Hodgson calling up Leon Osman to face Sweden in November, Rickie Lambert could become England's third-oldest debutant since 1954 if he makes the field. He is 17/10 with Paddy Power to score at anytime on Wednesday.
Strachan is bringing a fairly inexperienced squad across the border, with 16 of the squad having represented their country on 10 occasions or less.
Only five of squad play in Scotland, with 10 plying their trade in the Premier League.

14.08. (Wed) 21:00 Belgium - France

France will look to halt a run of three straight defeats when they travel to the King Baudouin Stadium to face Belgium on Wednesday.

Didier Deschamps' side have only won one of their last five games and were on the receiving end of losses to Spain, Uruguay and Brazil in their previous three matches.

Deschamps has recalled Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri to the international squad for the match in Brussels. The 26-year-old has not featured for the national team since Euro 2012 and served a three-match suspension after becoming embroiled in an argument with a journalist following the team's quarter-final defeat to Spain.

Sevilla midfield Geoffrey Kondogbia, who was part of the winning French squad at the Under-20 World Cup, has also been handed a senior call-up, while there is a surprise place for Monaco defender Eric Abidal.

In contrast to France's recent poor form, they face a Belgium side full of confidence having lost just three of their previous 28 matches.

Marc Wilmots’ side are on a five-match winning streak and will be confident of another victory in front of their home fans.

The 25-man squad contains 11 players who play in the Premier League, including Tottenham's Jan Vertonghen, despite his struggle with injury during pre-season.

Spurs team-mates Nacer Chadli and Mousa Dembele are named in the squad, as are Chelsea trio Kevin de Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku.

Meanwhile, 17-year-old Zakaria Bakkali earns his first senior call-up following an explosive start to the season with club side PSV, in which he became the youngest player ever to score an Eredivisie hat-trick on Saturday.

14.08. (Wed) 20:45 Wales - Ireland

PROBABLE LINEUPS

WALES
Hennessey
Gunter, Williams, Gabbidon, Davies
Collison, Allen
Vaughan, Ledley, Robson-Kanu
Bellamy

IRELAND
Westwood
Coleman, O'Shea, Clark, Wilson
McCarthy, Whelan,
Brady, Hoolahan, McClean
Long

Wales' star player Gareth Bale (foot) is ruled out of the fixture despite joining up with the national side for training. He faces a fight to be fit for Tottenham's opening Premier League game of the season.

Elsewhere, Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey and West Ham defender James Collins have both withdrawn from the squad with minor injuries.

Swansea full-back Jazz Richards and Brighton midfielder Andrew Crofts have been called up into the squad as replacements.

For Giovanni Trapattoni, record goalscorer Robbie Keane is out with a hip injury, while the Italian tactician has indicated that QPR defender Richard Dunne needs to play regularly in order to be considered for selection.

The Boys in Green suffered a spate of withdrawals ahead of the clash, with Norwich City winger Anthony Pilkington pulling out of an Irish squad for the fifth time in 12 months. Key players Sean St Ledger, David Forde, Aiden McGeady and Stephen Quinn are also unavailable.

Trapattoni has included Yeovil Town striker Paddy Madden in his panel after the striker topped the League One goalscoring charts last season and Millwall forward Andy Keogh was another late addition to the squad.

DID YOU KNOW?
Ireland and Wales have played each other a total of 12 times, with each team winning on five occasions.
Ireland are unbeaten in their last four encounters against Wales. The last time the Welsh emerged victorious against the Boys in Green was over 20 years ago in a 1992 friendly game at the RDS Arena in Dublin.
John O'Shea is the most capped player in the squad and is set to pick up his 90th cap on Wednesday
Darren O'Dea is the only member of the Irish squad plying his trade outside of England. The former Celtic and Ipswich Town centre back is now playing in Ukraine after joining Metalurh Donetsk from MLS side Toronto.
Wales have won two consecutive competitive games just twice in the last eight years, after following their 2-1 win over Scotland with a 2-0 defeat to Croatia earlier this year.
Sixty per cent of Wales' goals in their World Cup qualification campaign have come in the final 15 minutes of matches.

14.08. (Wed) 20:45 Italy - Argentina

Argentina will warm up for their next World Cup qualifier against Paraguay by looking to extend their unbeaten run over Italy on Wednesday.

The Albiceleste are unbeaten in their past three clashes with the Azzurri, winning the two most recent encounters.

The last meeting was also in Rome's Stadio Olimpico in a friendly in 2001 and Argentina won 2-1, with Kily Gonzalez and Hernan Crespo scoring the goals for the visitors.

Argentina head coach Alejandro Sabella has picked a strong squad for Wednesday's match with the likes of Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria and Gonzalo Higuain alongside Erik Lamela in attack.

Sabella's team have not lost in six outings, but have drawn three of their past four, including a 1-1 stalemate in a World Cup qualifier away to Ecuador that would have seen Argentina wrap up qualification for Brazil 2014 if they had won.

Italy have lost two of their past three games, going down to Brazil and Spain at the Confederations Cup before defeating Uruguay on penalties to finish third at the World Cup warm-up event.

In one change to Italy's squad from the tournament, head coach Cesare Prandelli has included Argentina-born striker Pablo Osvaldo.

But, in general, Prandelli has picked a familiar squad full of veterans such as Andrea Pirlo, Gianluigi Buffon, Daniele De Rossi and Riccardo Montolivo.

Italy will use their clash with Argentina as a final test ahead of a busy couple of months of World Cup qualifying.

While Italy sit atop of Group B, they face a set of tough fixtures, with Bulgaria and Czech Republic in September before a trip to Denmark and a home clash against Armenia in October to complete their qualifying campaign.

14.08. (Wed) 20:45 Germany - Paraguay

Bayern Munich duo Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mario Gotze are key omissions from Germany's squad to face Paraguay on Wednesday.

The midfield pair have been hampered by injuries in pre-season, with Schweinsteiger struggling with an ankle complaint while Gotze steps-up his recovery from a groin injury, and Joachim Low has decided not to risk their fitness for the fixture at the Fritz-Walter-Stadion.

Low has recalled nine players from Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund who were left out of the country's two-match tour of the United States in June, having featured in May's Champions League final.

Among those brought back are Bayern defenders Jerome Boateng and Philipp Lahm, while Dortmund midfielders Sven Bender and Marco Reus are also named as Germany keep one eye on the autumn's vital World Cup qualifiers.

However, Schalke's 21-year-old star Julian Draxler was forced to withdraw from the squad after injuring his Achilles tendon in the club's 3-3 draw with Hamburg.

An experimental Germany side lost their last fixture 4-3 against the United States in June, ending a nine-game unbeaten run.

Paraguay boss Victor Genes has named a 21-man squad, including Barcelona's 17-year-old striker Antonio Sanabria, who is a reported transfer target for Premier League side Arsenal.

Liga MX outfit Toluca are well represented, with Richard Ortiz, Pablo Velazquez and Edgar Benitez all included.

Paraguay have lost their last two fixtures, both World Cup qualifiers, against Ecuador and Chile, and they sit bottom of the South American qualifying table with eight points from 12 games.

14.08. (Wed) 20:30 Bosnia and H. - USA

PROBABLE LINEUPS

USA (4-2-3-1): 
Howard;
Evans, Cameron, Brooks, F. Johnson;
Bradley, Jones; Corona, Diskerud, E. Johnson;
Altidore.

ROSTER:
GOALKEEPERS: Cody Cropper (Southampton), Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton)
DEFENDERS: John Anthony Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Michael Parkhurst (Augsburg), Tim Ream (Bolton Wanderers)
MIDFIELDERS: Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Roma), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Jermaine Jones (Schalke), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Danny Williams (Reading)
FORWARDS: Jozy Altidore (Sunderland), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders FC), Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar), Bobby Wood (1860 Munich)

Bosnia-Herzegovina (4-4-2): 
Begovic;
Sunjic, Zukanovic, Spahic, Bicakcic;
Rahimic, Lulic, Pjanic, Salihovic;
Ibisevic, Dzeko

ROSTER:
GOALKEEPERS: Asmir Begovic (Stoke City), Asmir Avdukic (FK Borac Banja Luka), Jasmin Fejzic (VfR Aalen)
DEFENDERS: Ermin Bicakcic (Eintracht Braunschweig), Emir Spahic (Bayer Leverkusen), Toni Sunjic (FC Zorya Lugansk), Mensur Mujdza (SC Freiburg), Ervin Zukanovic (Genk)
MIDFIELDERS: Miralem Pjanic (AS Roma), Senad Lulic (Lazio), Sejad Salihovic (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim), Adnan Zahirovic (VfL Bocum), Elvir Rahimic (CSKA Moscow), Haris Medunjanin (Gazientepspor), Miroslav Stevanovic (Elche), Zvjezdan Misimovic (Guizhou Renhe), Avdija Vrsajevic (Hajduk Split)
FORWARDS: Edin Dzeko (Manchester City), Vedad Ibisevic (Stuttgart), Edin Visca (Istanbul BB)

DID YOU KNOW?
Fresh off winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the USA is on an all-time record 11-game winning streak. Its last non-win came against Belgium in a friendly in May.
Not to be outdone, Bosnia-Herzegovina is 5-0-1 in UEFA World Cup qualifying and has not lost in nine matches. Its last loss came on U.S. soil against Mexico, also in May. The surge has the nation at its highest FIFA ranking ever, 13th.
Tim Howard has been named U.S. captain for the match, with full-time captain Clint Dempsey not called in by Jurgen Klinsmann.
The USA roster features four players earning the first senior team call-ups: Bobby Wood, Aron Johannsson, John Anthony Brooks and Cody Cropper.
Johannsson is ineligible to play unless FIFA approves his one-time international allegiance switch from Iceland to the USA prior to Wednesday's match.
Brooks is a German-American dual-national center back eligible to play for both countries. He scored on his Bundesliga debut with Hertha Berlin after helping guide the club to promotion last season.
Bolton defender Tim Ream returns to the USA for the first time since October 2011.
The midfield battle could be contested by a pair of AS Roma standouts, with Michael Bradley set to clash with club teammate Miralem Pjanic.
Six members of the USA's Gold Cup-winning side are on the roster (Bedoya, Diskerud, Corona, Castillo, E. Johnson, Parkhurst).
Defender Michael Orozco Fiscal was initially called in by Klinsmann, but he had to withdraw after suffering a hamstring injury in Puebla's match Sunday night.
These teams have never met in international play before.

10.08. (Sat) 15:30 Augsburg - Borussia D.

Borussia Dortmund's Nuri Sahin believes his side are well prepared for their Bundesliga opener against Augsburg on Saturday.

Jurgen Klopp's men enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 win at Wilhelmshaven in the first round of the DFB-Pokal on Saturday thanks to goals from Kevin Grosskreutz, Marvin Ducksch and Robert Lewandowski.
Sahin played the full 90 minutes but, despite the win, he admits there is still work for the team to do.

"We moved the ball around pretty well," he told the official Bundesliga website.

"We could have maybe injected a bit more pace into the match, but then Wilhelmshaven were playing very deep. That doesn't make it any easier for us deeper-lying midfielders to pick out the gaps."

Sahin, on loan from Real Madrid, believes his team-mates can kick off their campaign in positive fashion at the SGL Arena as they look to challenge champions Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga title.

"We've got a few days to go till it kicks off, but from here on we're settling into the normal Bundesliga rhythm," Sahin continued.

"The win at Wilhelmshaven was a successful start, which is all that matters."

Augsburg, who also won their DFB-Pokal first-round tie, are more likely to be involved in a scrap at the bottom end of the table rather than the top, having avoided the relegation play-off by just two points last season.

Despite the signing of Halil Altintop from Trabzonspor in the close-season, sporting director Stefan Reuter believes the club's only priority is to stay in the league.

"All we're thinking about is avoiding relegation," he confessed recently.

Dortmund did the double over Markus Weinzierl's side last season, winning 3-1 away and 4-2 at home.

09.08. (Fri) 20:30 Montpellier Herault - Paris Saint Germain

New Paris Saint-Germain boss Laurent Blanc aims to hit the ground running when his expensively-assembled side begin their Ligue 1 title defence on Friday against Montpellier.

The reigning champions have spent more than €100 million during the close-season in a bid to improve their already-talented squad, with more than half of that going on striker Edinson Cavani from Napoli, while Marquinhos and Lucas Digne have also joined the club in big-money deals.
Those new additions have made PSG even stronger as they aim to reclaim the title they won by 12 points from Olympique de Marseille last year and Blanc knows that the pressure is on to deliver another success.

After a mixed pre-season - featuring two wins and two defeats - PSG lifted the first trophy of the new campaign with a 2-1 victory over Bordeaux in the Trophee des Champions on Saturday.

Despite the victory, Blanc was quick to warn his side that now they are the team to beat in French football and there will be no such thing as an easy game.

"This season, every side will be super-motivated when it comes time to play against PSG, this [the Trophee des Champions] was a good example of what we can expect this season," he said.

"Our pre-season preparation has been tough, we only got some players back quite late on in the piece and we're still not quite ready.

"What lies ahead will be tough, but those are exactly the kind of challenges that are the most exciting. [Against Bordeaux] we saw some young lads make a very good first impression, and that proves that PSG is not just a team of stars, we also have some great homegrown talent coming through."

Of the new signings to have arrived at the Parc des Princes, it remains to be seen whether Cavani will feature.

The striker was not involved in the triumph over Bordeaux and may not make his debut after being called up by Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez for their friendly clash with Japan. Marquinhos is also a doubt with an injury.

Montpellier could not have been given a harder opening to the season, and they come in to Friday's clash with a blot on their pre-season record in the form of a 2-1 defeat to lowly Frejus.

Like their opponents, they have strengthened their squad during the close-season, with defender Siaka Tiene likely to be given an immediate chance to play against his former club.

The 31-year-old made 75 appearances in the French capital during his three-year stay at PSG, but found opportunities hard to come by last season, and he will be hoping to gain a starting berth in new coach Jean Fernandez's first XI.

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