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Van Persie v Mertesacker, Ozil v Pepe & the club team-mates who will clash in the Euro 2012 group stage
Join Goal.com for a heads-up on the top head-to-head clashes between domestic colleagues in the forthcoming European Championship in Poland and Ukraine
3 Dec 2011 09:23:00
Ajax, Chelsea FC, CSKA Moscow, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Manchester City, Netherlands, Portugal, Real Madrid, Russia, Mesut Özil, John Terry, Samir Nasri, Christian Eriksen, Tomas Necid, Robin van Persie, Florent Malouda, Pepe, Gregory van der Wiel, Gareth Barry, Sergey Ignashevich, Per Mertesacker
Getty Images
ANALYSIS
By Ewan Macdonald
When friend becomes foe. When a trusted confidante can turn into a bitter enemy. How must it feel to come up against a favourite club team-mate in the colours of your national team? Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo could tell you a thing or two about that. They've managed to avoid each other in the Euro 2012 group stage - but they're the lucky ones. Read on to find out about pairs of players who will, for one night only, put club loyalties aside in Ukraine and Poland...
Gareth Barry - Samir Nasri 
Manchester City
It's fitting that we kick off with two peas in a pod. Both are relatively-recent arrivals at Manchester City. Both took a while establishing themselves in their national team. Both joined up with the Blues amidst controversy, leaving other English sides under a cloud to do so. And both are silky, fluid midfielders whose natural grace and ability would bring a tear to a glass eye.
Okay, maybe not that last bit, but Barry is in a unique position here. Having played and trained with Nasri so much, he will be more than aware of the little Frenchman's versatility. On the other hand, having failed to go to the 2010 World Cup, Nasri has more than a little to prove.
Pepe - Mesut Ozil 
Real Madrid
After the above identical twins, here we come across chalk and cheese. The Euro 2012 squad lists will probably have both down as 'Midfielders', but there and the club crest is where the similarities begin and end. And that will be nowhere in greater evidence than on the pitch in Lviv.
Pepe, as we all know by now, lines up more often in defensive midfield than in central defence when in the red of Portugal. And it's there, ahead of the back line, that he's going to come face to face with Ozil. Ozil, of course, is one of the most creative and confident players in Europe - not least when in a Germany shirt - and is bound to give any defensively-minded player a hard time.
But this is Pepe we're talking about. A man who, metaphorically of course, shoots first and shoots again later instead of asking questions. If there isn't at least one Ozil-shaped tooth left on the Arena Lviv turf come full time, the man who takes 'hard hitting' to its logical conclusions may feel his job is unfinished.
Then again, Ozil has shown time and again that, tough tackling be damned, he's playing that through ball ...
Robin van Persie - Per Mertesacker
Arsenal
Let's let the picture speak for itself this time around...
Robin van Persie and Per Mertesacker wasted no time getting on Twitter to commemorate that famous rivalry between the Netherlands and Germany. And of course, as you can see from their serious expressions, they know all too well the gravity of the roles they must play in Kharkiv: Per, the snarling, dominant centre-back who inspires nothing but fear; Robin, the classy, almost-seductive striker who epitomises poetry in motion. Or something like that.
Tomas Necid - Sergei Ignashevich 
CSKA Moscow
Once more, defender meets striker in a head-to-head fight. And for Necid, it's even more important. By the time June 2012 rolls around he will have had just a few months to regain fitness after a terrible cruciate ligament injury a year prior; add in the fact that he's now firmly behind Vagner Love in the CSKA pecking order and it's far from certain that he'll even be ready to travel for the Euros. Still, if he is, there's every chance he'll lead the Czech line.
That's not to say that there couldn't be drama at the other end, either. Ignashevich is a penalty-taker in his own right and of course can get his forehead behind a football now and again.
Christian Eriksen - Gregory van der Wiel
Ajax
Again, we find pleasing symmetry. Two youngsters making a go of it at a club famous for nurturing junior talent. One plays on the right of defence; the other charges up the left of midfield. They'll have faced each other in training often enough - now it's time for the real thing. Both players no doubt see their future - be it near or distant - away from Amsterdam. How they fare on the international stage could go a long way towards deciding their eventual destinations.
Eriksen has more caps than years - hard to do when you're still only 19 and getting ID'd at the bar - and is unlikely to be in the least bit fazed by the big occasion. Provided he doesn't jet off to a Lil Wayne concert instead of heading for beautiful Kharkiv, nor too will van der Wiel.
John Terry - Florent Malouda
Chelsea
Finally, we're back in London for a match-up that actually may not happen. Despite recent allegations of racism, John Terry remains England skipper and, unless something rather massive happens, will captain his nation in Donetsk as they take on France.
Meanwhile, Malouda - just a year older than Terry - is on the fringes of the France setup, having played only around half of Les Bleus' games this year. There is a danger that, as he falls behind Juan Mata in the pecking order, the midfielder may become yesterday's man for country as well as club. Given that he's on record as wanting to remain both a Chelsea and France mainstay until the 2014 World Cup, that would be a tough one to take - and it would mean missing the chance to get one over on John Terry.
And if history's a judge, that would be the likeliest outcome. Remember, England haven't beaten France since 1997, managing just one draw in the five fixtures since then. The latest one was that 2-1 defeat for the Three Lions at Wembley in October 2010. Malouda played that night; Terry did not. Gareth Barry alone, meanwhile, wasn't enough to save England. Hard to believe, but true.
By Ewan Macdonald
When friend becomes foe. When a trusted confidante can turn into a bitter enemy. How must it feel to come up against a favourite club team-mate in the colours of your national team? Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo could tell you a thing or two about that. They've managed to avoid each other in the Euro 2012 group stage - but they're the lucky ones. Read on to find out about pairs of players who will, for one night only, put club loyalties aside in Ukraine and Poland...
| Bet: | Returns: | France £11.25 | Draw £65.00 | Estonia £170.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | France £11.70 | Draw £55.00 | Estonia £120.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | France £11.67 | Draw £65.00 | Estonia £150.00 |
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Gareth Barry - Samir Nasri Manchester CityIt's fitting that we kick off with two peas in a pod. Both are relatively-recent arrivals at Manchester City. Both took a while establishing themselves in their national team. Both joined up with the Blues amidst controversy, leaving other English sides under a cloud to do so. And both are silky, fluid midfielders whose natural grace and ability would bring a tear to a glass eye.
Okay, maybe not that last bit, but Barry is in a unique position here. Having played and trained with Nasri so much, he will be more than aware of the little Frenchman's versatility. On the other hand, having failed to go to the 2010 World Cup, Nasri has more than a little to prove.
Pepe - Mesut Ozil Real MadridAfter the above identical twins, here we come across chalk and cheese. The Euro 2012 squad lists will probably have both down as 'Midfielders', but there and the club crest is where the similarities begin and end. And that will be nowhere in greater evidence than on the pitch in Lviv.
Pepe, as we all know by now, lines up more often in defensive midfield than in central defence when in the red of Portugal. And it's there, ahead of the back line, that he's going to come face to face with Ozil. Ozil, of course, is one of the most creative and confident players in Europe - not least when in a Germany shirt - and is bound to give any defensively-minded player a hard time.
But this is Pepe we're talking about. A man who, metaphorically of course, shoots first and shoots again later instead of asking questions. If there isn't at least one Ozil-shaped tooth left on the Arena Lviv turf come full time, the man who takes 'hard hitting' to its logical conclusions may feel his job is unfinished.
Then again, Ozil has shown time and again that, tough tackling be damned, he's playing that through ball ...
Robin van Persie - Per Mertesacker ArsenalLet's let the picture speak for itself this time around...
Robin van Persie and Per Mertesacker wasted no time getting on Twitter to commemorate that famous rivalry between the Netherlands and Germany. And of course, as you can see from their serious expressions, they know all too well the gravity of the roles they must play in Kharkiv: Per, the snarling, dominant centre-back who inspires nothing but fear; Robin, the classy, almost-seductive striker who epitomises poetry in motion. Or something like that.
Tomas Necid - Sergei Ignashevich CSKA MoscowOnce more, defender meets striker in a head-to-head fight. And for Necid, it's even more important. By the time June 2012 rolls around he will have had just a few months to regain fitness after a terrible cruciate ligament injury a year prior; add in the fact that he's now firmly behind Vagner Love in the CSKA pecking order and it's far from certain that he'll even be ready to travel for the Euros. Still, if he is, there's every chance he'll lead the Czech line.
That's not to say that there couldn't be drama at the other end, either. Ignashevich is a penalty-taker in his own right and of course can get his forehead behind a football now and again.
Christian Eriksen - Gregory van der Wiel AjaxAgain, we find pleasing symmetry. Two youngsters making a go of it at a club famous for nurturing junior talent. One plays on the right of defence; the other charges up the left of midfield. They'll have faced each other in training often enough - now it's time for the real thing. Both players no doubt see their future - be it near or distant - away from Amsterdam. How they fare on the international stage could go a long way towards deciding their eventual destinations.
Eriksen has more caps than years - hard to do when you're still only 19 and getting ID'd at the bar - and is unlikely to be in the least bit fazed by the big occasion. Provided he doesn't jet off to a Lil Wayne concert instead of heading for beautiful Kharkiv, nor too will van der Wiel.
John Terry - Florent Malouda ChelseaFinally, we're back in London for a match-up that actually may not happen. Despite recent allegations of racism, John Terry remains England skipper and, unless something rather massive happens, will captain his nation in Donetsk as they take on France.
Meanwhile, Malouda - just a year older than Terry - is on the fringes of the France setup, having played only around half of Les Bleus' games this year. There is a danger that, as he falls behind Juan Mata in the pecking order, the midfielder may become yesterday's man for country as well as club. Given that he's on record as wanting to remain both a Chelsea and France mainstay until the 2014 World Cup, that would be a tough one to take - and it would mean missing the chance to get one over on John Terry.
And if history's a judge, that would be the likeliest outcome. Remember, England haven't beaten France since 1997, managing just one draw in the five fixtures since then. The latest one was that 2-1 defeat for the Three Lions at Wembley in October 2010. Malouda played that night; Terry did not. Gareth Barry alone, meanwhile, wasn't enough to save England. Hard to believe, but true.
Visit our Euro 2012 microsite for all the best coverage and analysis after Friday's draw - reaction, features, exclusives, profiles, videos and much, much more
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Make Your Prediction
France - Estonia
France
Estonia
Prediction Submitted
Most Popular Predictions
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France 3-0 Estonia
- 22.1 %
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France 4-0 Estonia
- 18.23 %
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France 2-0 Estonia
- 9.95 %
21:50 BST -
And here are some quotes from today's goalscorer, Danny Welbeck: "It's still the same, me and Ashley [Young] playing together.
"We know each other's games and obviously we're training with each other day in and day out.
"So, it was really good to start up top with him."
"We know each other's games and obviously we're training with each other day in and day out.
"So, it was really good to start up top with him."
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