Metro FREE Euro 2008 Fantasy Football

As expected, it never rains but it pours in Fantasy Football land. On the back of the Daily Telegraph launching their game the Metro, the daily free newspaper, has today launched their free to enter competition.

With £15,000 in prize money and it being FREE to enter the Metro competition is bound to be a popular one. £10,000 is up for grabs for the highest points scorer with the highest scoring manager of each round of group games winning £1,000 each. The group stage prizes will be contested as follows:

Round 1: Saturday 7th June – Tuesday 10th June
Round 2: Wednesday 11th June – Saturday 14th June
Round 3: Sunday 15th June – Wednesday 18th June
Quarter Final: Thursday 19th June - Sunday 22nd June
Semi Final & Final: Wednesday 25th June - Sunday 29th June

You have 75 stars to use to buy your team, with the top players like Cristiano Ronaldo costing 10 stars so you really do have to pick wisely in the competition and make sure you get the main men you want in your team and some good cheap options to compliment them. Managers are restricted to only 3 transfers during the group stages, 10 for the quarter finals matches and 5 for the semi finals and final.

There is a YOYWYW Mini League set-up for this competition and everyone is welcome to join in. Let all your friends know and get your team in there and have a bit of banter as the tournament progresses via the messageboard. To join our mini league, register your team on the Metro website, then go to League section and click 'Join a League'. You then need to enter the following:

League Name: You Only Yodel When You're Winning
League Password: yodeller

Click here to sign up to the FREE Metro European Championship Fantasy Football

Portugal squad announced...

Portugal's enigmatic leader Luis Felipe Scolari has named his 23-man squad for Euro 2008 and the shock omission is Inter Milan's Maniche. The midfielder has struggled to gain a starting slot since moving to Italy on loan from Atletico Madrid and this seems to have cost him dear as the player, who was outstanding at Euro 2004 will be left kicking his heels during the summer as his younger brother, Jorge Ribeiro heads to Portugal's Euro base of Neuchatel.

There's no other real surprises in Big Phil's squad other than the call-up of uncapped keeper Rui Patricio of Sporting Lisbon, who will be lucky to get any game time ahead of regular keepers Ricardo and Quim. Ronaldo, Ferreira, Carvalho and Nani represent the Premier League and will be pivotal to Portugal's chances, these players will also be joined in England next year by £16m Chelsea signing Jose Boswinga. Here is the full squad....

Goalkeepers
Ricardo Real Betis
Balompié Quim Benfica
Rui Patrício Sporting Lisbon

Defenders
Paulo Ferreira Chelsea
Ricardo Carvalho Chelsea
Jose Bosingwa Porto
Bruno Alves Porto
Jorge Ribeiro Boavista
Miguel Valencia
Fernando Meira VfB Stuttgart
Pepe Real Madrid

Midfielders
Petit Benfica
Deco Barcelona
Raul Meireles Porto
Miguel Veloso Sporting Lisbon
João Moutinho Sporting Lisbon

Forwards
Nuno Gomes Benfica
Simão Sabrosa Atletico Madrid
Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United
Nani Manchester United
Hugo Almeida Werder Bremen
Ricardo Quaresma Porto
Hélder Postiga Panathinaikos

Coach Scolari said, "My expectations are the same as those that I had in 2004. I hope these players know what it means to represent their country well and reach the second stage. I have total belief in this squad."

Portugal face Georgia in a friendly match later this month before their opening Euro 2008 fixture against Turkey in Geneva on June 7th.