Get that ass groove sorted thanks to us
Friday 17:00 – Georgia v Poland (Sky Sports 5)
Crack open the first bottle. It’s not too early. You don’t have a problem. Good lad. This game could be just as important as Ireland’s game later that evening as we will all be hoping that Georgia can get something from Group D leaders Poland. If the Georgians can nick a point, think of the confidence that Mart’s men can take into our clash with Scotland later that night. C’mon Georgia, if you snatch a draw then Schmidt’s lads will take it easy on Sunday.
Friday 19:45 – Scotland v Ireland
You must be feeling fairly merry now. Would love a nap? Well forget it buddy, the important game is happening. The highlight of the week of sport comes early on as we continue our qualification push in Glasgow. The Ireland team has taken a little bit of a hit with the injuries of James McCarthy and Marc Wilson but we should still have the firepower up front to at least get a goal or two, even without Cillian Sheridan. Can we keep our unlikely undefeated streak going? We’ll go out on a limb and say “sure why not.” A secondary bit of interest surrounding this fixture comes from wondering the likelihood of Roy Keane going a-knocking on Gordon McQueen’s door for “a chat …. just a quick chat.”
Saturday 17:00 – England v Slovenia (ITV)
The other Euro 2016 action in which we feign interest gets started as England meet Slovenia in the battle of the top two of Group E. England captain Wayne Rooney is set to win his 100th cap for his country so let’s all pop a few bob on him spoiling the day with a red card. A victory for England would all but ensure a place at the tournament in which they find themselves back where they’re most comfortable, underachieving.
Saturday 18:00 – Bucketloads of MMA (BT Sport 1, Setanta Ireland, 5*)
Days don’t come any busier for fight fans than tomorrow. If you fancy indulging yourself and not getting up off the couch for about half a day, then you could treat yourself to almost 12 hours of mixed martial arts. It’s rare that one night features events from the world’s top three MMA promotions but Saturday promises just that.
The evening gets underway with Cage Warriors 74 from London where Julien Boussuge takes on Joseph Duffy before the main event that sees Nicolas Dalby matched with Mohsen Bahari. From there,with the prelims getting underway at midnight, we have UFC 180 from Mexico where the baddest man on the planet (well interim baddest man on the planet) will be decided when Mark Hunt faces Fabricio Werdum.
The forgotten child in the evening, though, is Stephan Bonnar v Tito Ortiz which takes place at Bellator 131. Probably not worth missing UFC 180 for Bellator but that fight will be definitely be worth switching over for a quick watch.
Saturday 19:00 – Macklin v Heiland (Sky Sports 2)
Big time boxing’s back in Dublin. Irish boxing hasn’t been this healthy since Bernard Dunne and this fight card features a who’s who of young, homegrown talent. We’ve got Matthew Macklin v Jorge Sebastian Heiland in a WBC title eliminator, Gary O’Sullivan v Anthony Fitzgerald, Patrick Hyland v John Simpson and John Joe Nevin v Jack Heath so, yeah, it’s pretty stacked.
Saturday 19:45 – Spain v Belarus (Sky Sports 5)
For the non-fight fans, the football keeps flowing as reigning champions Spain take on delightfully unfashionable Belarus in Group C. This game is actually more important than it looks on paper as the Spaniards actually sit second, behind Slovakia, so really need the victory. Vicente del Bosque will be without Chelsea pair Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa due to injuries. For injuries read Jose Mourinho threat.
Sunday 14:00 – GAA TIME! Austin Stacks (Kerry) v Ballincollig (Cork) (TG4)
A Cork v Kerry clash in the AIB Club Championship? Yep, we’ll watch that alright. Can Kieran Donaghy keep his team in the hunt for glory on St Patrick’s Day?
Sunday 14:30 – RUGBY TIME! Ireland v Georgia (RTE2)
Need a break from all that round-ball stuff? No problem. Ireland went into the game with South Africa as massive underdogs and won with ease. So this game is the perfect time to be confident-to-the-point-of-complacent. We’re obviously going to get into triple figures, if not hit the 1,000 point mark, so this game is going to be highlight after highlight. Try not to think about it as an 80-minute contest, rather a collection of 800 vine videos of tries being run past a blushing Georgia. Poor Georgia.
Sunday 17:00 – Belgium v Wales (Sky Sports 5)
Presumably your heart rate is still settling down from Ireland’s record-breaking win over Georgia so what better way to relax than to watch two teams that are both mildly likable; Belgium and Wales. The Welsh sit atop Group B on seven points but Belgium have played a game less so Marc Wilmots will be looking to get the points on the board ASAP. This is the ideal game to look at but not watch. Just something to keep the football fix under control.
Sunday 19:45 – Italy v Croatia (Sky Sports 5)
The pick of the late Euro 2016 kick-offs on Sunday comes from Milan. These two sides occupy the top spots of Group H but the big talking point is the recall of Mario Balotelli into Antonio Conte’s squad. Croatia will be hoping he starts as he’s done about as much for Liverpool since his arrival as Luis Suarez has this season.
Monday – Recovery
Nothing of note taking place today. But hey, it is Nani’s birthday so we can all enjoy this on loop.
Tuesday 18:00-22:00 – Friendlies, and a qualifier, of the sublime variety (Sky Sports 5, Setanta Ireland)
Loads of barnstorming games, all of which are worth skipping your evening run for. Northern ireland play Romania in a qualifier at 15.00 while Austria take on Brazil at 18.00. Brazil just embarrassed Turkey 4-0 yesterday so goals are expected when they visit Vienna. Following that, we’ve got the game that many would back as being the Euro 2016 final as European champions Spain play world champions Germany at the Estadio Municipal de Balaidos (flippin’ mouthful). Then comes a tasty clash as England visit Celtic Park to face Scotland. The atmosphere is going to be nothing short of electric and it’ll be nice to go back to shouting for the Scots.
Of course, now is the time to surgically remove yourself from the couch, drag yourself down to Aviva and take in Ireland’s game against USA. Yes, the outside world beckons. Hopefully we’ll still be basking in the glow of a win over Scotland and you’ll be delighted to get soem fresh air into your lungs.
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