SOCCER FOOTBALL 24H

Germany U21 v Spain U21 Friday 30th June, 19:45 Live on Sky Sports Pre-tournament favourites  Spain  have been chalked up as fair  2.00  shots to clinch their third U21 European Championship crown in four editions following an unblemished passage to Friday's final in Krakow. La Rojita secured their spot in the showpiece decider courtesy of a 3-1 victory over 10-man Italy on Tuesday evening; Atletico Madrid starlet  Saul Niguez  scoring a sensational second-half hat-trick to give Albert Celades's side a fourth win from four fixtures in Poland. Spain started the tournament as the team to beat - only outright glory will be accepted back home from a squad that was outlined from the off as the strongest, player-for-player.  La Rojita certainly haven't disappointed  and their flawless performance from the group-stages deserves immense credit. The Iberians sealed their semi-final berth with three wins from three, racking up nine goals and conceding just...

Germany v Mexico Thursday 19:00 Live on ITV1 Not many will have been more pleased with a goalless 120 minutes in the  Kazan Arena last night . The full-time draw puts us back in black for the week. This evening, Germany play Mexico for a shot at Chile in Sunday's final. The  world champions'  three group games delivered 3-2, 1-1 and 3-1 scorelines. In five competitive games this year, Joachim Low's men have managed just a single clean sheet - against  San Marino . Mexico bring a much bigger goal threat than that lot. El Tri struck six times in going unbeaten through their three group matches (2-2, 2-1, 2-1). You'll notice there that they too are without a clean sheet in Russia. With both teams bringing  significant scoring threats  - and fragile defences - to the party in  Sochi  tonight, we really like the near-evens price on Over 2.5 Goals. Recommended Bet Back Over 2.5 Goals @  1.95   in Germany v Mexico

Flamengo v Santos Thursday June 29, 01:45 BST This is the first leg of two between two of the main contenders to lift the cup. The  Copa do Brasil  hasn't disappointed this year as pretty much all of the big boys are left standing and we are in for some mouth-watering cup ties. This one is no exception and  Flamengo  are the hot favourites to take a first leg lead. They have made a flying start to their league campaign as they are third in the Campeonato, having lost just one of their 10 matches. Interestingly though,  Zé Ricardo's  side have drawn five of their 10 fixtures and they only edged out Atletico GO in the previous round of this competition - and they drew the first leg at home 0-0. Santos  suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Sport Recife at the weekend, but they are still fifth in the Campeonato. That result ended a five game unbeaten streak - four of which were victories. Levir Culpi's  men will want to atone for that l...

Portugal v Chile Tuesday 19:00 (Live on ITV 1) Juventude jumped our gun in Brazil yesterday, racing past Goias 3-0 after storming into a 2-0 half-time lead. Today we return to Russia for the first Confederations Cup semi-final. We had some success last week backing Portugal to draw their opening game with Mexico. At the Kazan Arena this evening, we fancy Fernando Santos's men will once more struggle to justify their favouritism in normal time. In France 12 months ago, Euro 2016's eventual champions won one and drew six of their finals matches. In Russia this summer, they've  drawn with Mexico, before beating weaker opponents in Russia and New Zealand. Chile are a step back up in class for them. The South American champions won their opening game against a Cameroon side that failed to get beyond the group stage, before notching a pair of 1-1 draws with Germany and Australia. Juan Antonio Pizzi's men are a solid tournament outfit who hav...

England U21 v Germany U21 Tuesday 27th June, 17:00 Live on Sky Sports England  take on  Germany  in the semi-final of the U21 European Championship on Tuesday night in Tychy protecting a remarkable record that has seen the nation's assorted youth sides go unbeaten during normal time in 20 competitive matches this year. The only blemish has been the U17s' defeat by Spain on penalties in last month's European Championship final. The U20 age-group sealed World Cup success and now head coach  Aidy Boothroyd  has challenged his Young Lions to follow in their footsteps by taking continental glory in Poland. England  appeared a world away from a potential place in the final-four at half-time of their second Group A game. Having already laboured to a 0-0 draw against Sweden, the Young Lions were trailing Slovakia 1-0 following a sluggish opening 45 minutes. But Boothroyd's boys soon came to life, earning a crucial 2-1 triumph against the Slovaks before cruising to...

Juventude v Goias Tuesday 23:15 The news was bad for us yesterday, as Avai  sprung a big summer surprise  with a 2-0 win at Botafogo. We're staying in  Brazil  today, but dropping down a level. Juventude's  Serie B  match with Goias promises to be a slow burner. Second-placed Juventude have seen just 21 goals across the first 10 rounds of the season, and the entertainment could be a long time coming this evening. The  Parakeets  have been level pegging at half-time in eight of those 10 matches. Goias , meanwhile, have a solid W2-D2-L1 away record and should be hard to break down. Home and away, six of the  Big Green's  last eight league outings have been all square at the break. Both of those records say there is value in the odds-against prices about another  half-time draw  at the  Alfredo Jaconi  tonight. Recommended Bet Back Half Time Draw @  2.24   in Juventude v Goias

Germany v Cameroon Sunday June 25, 16:00 Live on ITV 1 Having beaten Australia 3-2 and drawn 1-1 with Chile, Germany know that even a win in their final fixture may not be enough for them to win the group if the Chileans comfortably see off Australia. Second place in the group would mean Die Mannschaft would face a long trip for their semi-final, and that's something coach  Jogi Loew  is keen to avoid. Loew was full of praise for his players after their 1-1 draw with the south American champions. Germany gifted Chile an early lead (although Alexis Sanchez still needed to produce a stunning finish), but then steadied themselves and fought back. Considering this group of players hasn't had much time together as a unit, they've done pretty well, but I think it says a lot that they have already  leaked three goals  in the tournament. Loew says he will shuffle his pack for this game to keep the squad fresh, but he daren't take too many chances against a Cameroon te...

Chile v Australia Sunday June 25, 16:00 Live on ITV 4 South American champions Chile have won the last two Copa America titles, and that  tournament experience  has shown through so far in Russia. Juan Antonio Pizzi's men saw off Cameroon 2-0, and held the world champions Germany to a 1-1 draw. If anything, Chile can be a bit disappointed with that result, as they led Germany early on, and were much the better side in the opening exchanges. Chile know a big win against Australia should be enough to secure top spot in the group, which would make things much easier from a logistical standpoint.  Gary Medel  is the only fitness doubt, and Pizzi is expected to field a strong side. Australia have used a more technical, attractive style at this tournament, as coach  Ante Postecoglou  tries to move the Socceroos away from their traditionally physical philosophy. While this is a laudable project, it is very much a work in progress, and Australia have looked ...

New York Red Bulls v New York City FC Saturday, 18:30 Live on Sky Sports 5 The New York derby takes centre stage this MLS rivalry weekend, with both clubs looking to push closer to the top of the Eastern Conference and try to apply some pressure on Toronto FC and the in form Chicago Fire. The Red Bulls beat NYCFC  in last week's US Open Cup game, and while the Cup is often an unreliable form guide, the fact that both teams played close to full-strength teams means that there's plenty that we can take from that 1-0 win for the Red Bulls, and from their home form in general. Jesse Marsch's team have played eight home games in MLS this season, and won five of them. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth about the loss of their undefeated home record against LA Galaxy, but that blip masks the fact that the Red Bulls are normally rock solid when they play in New Jersey. Last week's late victory in Philadelphia also strengthens the feeling that the  Red...