Tag: Knockout

Chris Coleman Ready to Hand Ethan Ampadu a Debut

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Wales have decided to make a surprise inclusion for the upcoming World Cup 2018 qualifying matches against Austria and Moldova, as a youngster Ethan Ampadu is one of the names in the 25 man squad.


He is one of the latest young talents to make the switch to Chelsea, as he has decided to make West London his home from Exeter. The 16-year-old is not done 17 until September, but this will not prevent him from being one the sidelines for Welsh national team, according to Coleman. He says that every player capable of representing the national team will get a chance with Wales.

Coleman also denied that the inclusion of Ethan Ampadu is primarily in order to make him available for the Welsh team in the future. The centre back had been with Exeter throughout his career, but he is also capable of representing for England. The defender is also capable of playing as a defensive midfielder. He has signed a contract with Chelsea until the summer of 2019. Continue reading Chris Coleman Ready to Hand Ethan Ampadu a Debut →

Robert Snodgrass Still Confident of World Cup Qualification

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Scotland international Robert Snodgrass believes that his nation could still clinch automatic qualification to the World Cup, should they managed to beat rivals England in their next qualifier.


The neighbours face off against each other on June 10th with the Scots currently six points adrift of the Three Lions.

Manager Gordon Strachan was on the cusp of losing his job during the initial stages after a 1-1 draw against Lithuania was coupled with successive 3-0 defeats to Slovakia and England. However, Chris Martins’ last winner against Slovenia in March has given the Scots a slim chance of making it to Russia next year.

Snodgrass, who joined West Ham United from Hull City in the second half of the season, feels his nation could be back in the hunt for qualification if they surprise Gareth Southgate’s men at Hampden Park, he said: “That was our objective at the start. It wasn’t to just fight for second place. We created a lot of chances against England in November and we would never have done that if we didn’t believe. We want to get there automatically, we want to beat England and we want to kick on.” Continue reading Robert Snodgrass Still Confident of World Cup Qualification →

Scotland Happy with Underdog Status, Says Russell Martin

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Russell Martin believes that Scotland are better off with an underdog status when it comes to the World Cup 2018 qualification campaign. Scotland were one of the home nations to miss out on the Euro 2016 final tournament.

Despite having a top manager like Gordon Strachan, the team was unable to make it through whereas the likes of Wales and Northern Ireland featured in this major tournament. As a result, there is a lot of pressure on Scotland to qualify for the World Cup 2018. The more number of teams taking part in this tournament does give them a great chance, but Martin says that Scotland should approach games with an underdog feeling.

Strachan’s team are in the group containing England and Slovakia. Both these teams are expected to be the favourite when it comes to fighting for qualification. Only the top two teams will be able to qualify for the World Cup. In fact, even the runners up in the group will have to go through a play-off in order to determine their participation in the final. England are the overwhelming favourites to top the group despite undergoing a managerial change. Scotland, though, will be relishing their underdog status according to Martin, who saw the team secure an impressive 5-1 win over minnows Malta in the opening group match. Continue reading Scotland Happy with Underdog Status, Says Russell Martin →