Jamie O’Hara and Jose Enrique – Euro 2024 Blog: Final preview

As the dust settles on the semi-finals, the Euro 2024 Championship commences on Sunday in Berlin with England facing Spain at the Olympiastadion.  

Grosvenor Sport ambassadors Jamie O’Hara and Jose Enrique – whose respective nations are facing each other – preview the final.

Spain vs England – Sunday 20:00

Jamie:

England were the favourites going into the tournament, no one was talking about Spain. They’ve played well, but England were favourites and they’ve got the better squad, no doubt. You look at Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, all of them have been the best players in their respective leagues this season.

The standout performers of the tournament have been Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, they have lit the competition up whereas England stumbled into a semi-final before producing a good performance against Netherlands. Spain will be looking at England now saying they’re a good team, but Spain have been the best in the competition by a long way and I think they are the favourites for this final.

England showed in the semi-final that they can play football; they can attack and create. I didn’t think much of the Netherlands after they scored, they just sat behind the ball. The two teams in the final are brilliant and there are match winners on both sides.

I can see Spain attempting to control possession but I don’t see England just sitting off and allowing them to do so. England are more than capable with the ball; these players are too good to just sit off and not have the ball at their feet. Spain will look to hold onto it and pass it, but don’t underestimate England.

The game is won and lost with Lamine Yamal. Who Southgate picks to deal with him is a massive decision, do you start Kieran Trippier who’s good defensively and can defend onto his stronger right foot where Yamal likes to cut in on his left, or do you play Luke Shaw and take Yamal the other way? To be honest, I don’t think Yamal is going to care who he plays against, he’s a serious talent and he can go either way – England must find a way of managing him.

I can’t get away from Spain, they have been the best side in the competition. If England are at their absolute best then they have a chance. They have to stop Lamine Yamal and they have to be clinical. If they play how they did against the Netherlands in the first half then they’ve got a chance, but they need to do it for the full 90 minutes. If they play how we did against Switzerland, Spain will beat them. I hope they turn up but I just don’t know if they can produce another performance like the one in the semi-final. I’ll go for a Spain win.

Prediction: Spain 2-1 England (8.5/1)

Jose

If we are talking about performances, Spain have been the best team in the tournament. I didn’t expect to see them come so far pre-tournament, but they are well deserving of their place in the final.

Spain are going to control the game. I expect Gareth Southgate to set his team up in the same way they have all summer and sit back. However, when England conceded the early goal in the semi-finals, they looked a completely different team, that’s when they started to push and threaten more.

If Spain don’t score early then I can see England sitting back much like they have been doing for most of the tournament. However, this is not going to work because if England sit back against Spain, then they will really struggle against what I believe is the toughest attacking outfit they’ve faced yet. The likes of Lamine Yamal will really cause the England backline trouble if they’re too deep.

If both teams don’t sit back and play too cautiously and instead really attack with their fluid front-lines, then this has the potential to be a really great game. If you look at the talent on both sides, England probably have even more talented players then Spain. However, given the performances across the whole tournament you would have to say Spain are the better team.

Prediction: Spain 3-0 England (22/1)

Jamie’s team talk for the England squad

This is it, the Euros final. We have worked so hard to get here, we haven’t played the best, but we have improved and we have to step up. You’ve made it happen, we know we can go out and do this. Spain have got a good team but we have got the players to go out and win this. Go out there and do it, you’ve got us here, enjoy yourself and win it. Some of you will never live this moment again, leave it all out on the pitch and make us proud!

Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3: Everything We Know

Ever since Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy VII would be a three-part series, fans of the acclaimed remake have been pondering over the idea of what a third installment would even look like. And honestly, we’re inclined to follow the same school of thought, as the second installment, Rebirth, has yet to give us any indication as to where the story is even heading. Fact is, though, Cloud’s journey isn’t quite over yet, so we can definitely expect to see the journey power on for at least another three or four years, give or take.

At the time of writing, we can’t say for certain whether or not Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3 will even release in time for the PlayStation 5’s final days on the market. We’re still a ways off, true, but given the fact that Rebirth is set to arrive in 2024, and that a console’s typical lifecycle spans roughly six or seven years — there s a strong chance that the third chapter could, in theory, arrive in time for the PlayStation 6 debut.

Of course, we’re getting ahead of ourselves with this one. But let’s rewind things just a smidgen, if only to add a bit more depth to the upcoming ARPG. Need to know everything there is to know about the closing chapter in the trilogy? Here’s what we can tell you based off the information provided by Square Enix to date.

What Is Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3?

Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3 is the third and final segment in the acclaimed RPG trilogy, and a direct sequel to 2024’s Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. It was announced back in June 2022 that the long-awaited remake would, in fact, be a trilogy, and that it would aim to round out Cloud’s journey in the most exciting way possible.

Since making said announcement, developer Square Enix has confirmed that the third part in the series has, surprisingly, already started to come to life, which leads us to believe that we could, in theory, get a glimpse into its progress at some point in 2024. Sure enough, its release date is still a total mystery, but for what it’s worth, we know that the devs are going above and beyond to finalize the trilogy and have it available for public consumption as soon as possible.

Story

There’s still a lot we don’t actually know about the story behind the third installment. Not that this comes as much of a surprise, though, what with Rebirth still under wraps and a whole ocean of content left to unravel over the course of two more entries. However, for what it’s worth, we know that the initial Midgard section is over, and that Rebirth will be moving over to the next arc — Kalm.

Gameplay

If the first entry in the trilogy is anything to go by, then we can definitely expect to see yet another full-fledged action RPG with a litter of quests and story-driven cinematic elements in the third. Not a great deal will change as far as gameplay details go, so don’t expect Square to completely rewrite the formula at the last minute. Truth is, if you’ve already slugged through the first — then you’ll already have an idea of what to expect in the second, and of course, the third.

Development

According to the devs, work on Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3 had already started back in mid-2022. “The development on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has been progressing rapidly since we adopted a new development structure,” said creative director Tetsuya Nomura. “A title of this scale in which everything is interconnected even before production began is truly rare. In fact, some development has already begun on the third title. I myself have started on the development and am working towards the completion of the series.”

Of course, this doesn’t exactly help us out with the whole release window situation. But as far as realistic expectations go, we’re pinning our hopes on seeing the final entry in the series come to light at some point between 2026 and 2027.

Trailer

I wouldn’t get your hopes up over catching any form of sneak preview for Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3 just yet, what with Rebirth still on the horizon and several years of crossing t’s and dotting i’s left to do. Having said that, once Rebirth has shed its skin, there’s a good chance that we’ll see something on the matter before Q4 2024. Don’t take our word on that, though.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Just to put it out there — Final Fantasy VII Remake was a PlayStation exclusive, as is the upcoming sequel, Rebirth. Knowing this, and how Square Enix has an insuperable relationship with Sony, leads us to believe that the third installment won’t be any different, and will, in fact, remain tied to the PlayStation 5. But as for when it’ll release on said shores is still anybody’s guess — as it will continue to be for at least another year or two.

Given the the fact that the first part launched back in 2020—roughly four years before the teased early 2024 release of Rebirth—we do have reason to believe that the third part will be heading our way at some point between 2026 and 2027. We’re shaving a year off of a typical four-year development cycle here simply down to the fact that Square Enix has already begun working on it from behind the scenes. Going by that, a loose 2026 release window seems most likely at this point in time.

Interested in staying up to date with the Final Fantasy VII Remake? If so, don’t forget to check in with the devs over on their joint social feed here. If we happen to spot anything even the slightest bit newsworthy over the next several months, we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

 

So, what’s your take? Do you think we’ll be seeing a third part to the Final Fantasy series at any point over the next several years? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.

Andrea Atzeni: Goodwood Final Day Preview

Tides Of War – 14:25 Goodwood

It was hard work getting through the ground on Thursday, but it was nice that Vandeek was able to get the job done in the Richmond, and it was a nice pot to win. He’s got lots of potential. The ground was drying out which made it fairly testing, but they are due a bit more rain on Saturday which actually should help. Tides Of War has been a bit disappointing but he did run very well at the track the time before last when he was third to the subsequent Ascot Gold Cup winner, Courage Mon Ami, which is obviously very decent form. He’s won on very soft ground in France, but I think he probably prefers better ground so if it’s dried out a little it will help. It’s one of those handicaps that is just very open, but he does stay the distance.

Ghara – 15:00 Goodwood

On ratings she has a bit to find, but I ride her in the mornings, and she has improved a lot. She is running with a hood on and is stepping up to a mile and six, but the one thing I would say is because she is quite light on her feet, she wouldn’t want the ground too slow, so it all depends on the weather. I think she can out-run her odds because she does work good with another couple of nice fillies from the yard, so I think she has improved. It would be nice to finish in the frame and pick up some black type with her.

Aberama Gold – 15:35 Goodwood

Ideally on slow ground you’d want to be drawn high, but as the ground is drying out it’s probably more important to be drawn where the pace is. I am drawn in the middle, and they will definitely split in to two groups, so I can go either side. He won a big handicap at York last time and he’s a good spare ride to get under a penalty. He’s in form, handles any ground, and he should have a good chance, but it’s obviously always very competitive.

Have a great weekend,

Andrea

BACK TO MEETINGS PAGE

Comments

comments