Rare Entries Quiz XVII: Euro 2012

[Root]

Usually I like to organise sweepstakes for the major international football tournaments, but the take-up was so poor in 2010 that I thought I'd try something different this time.

It's a rare entries quiz with a twist. As usual, I've written questions with multiple answers. The difference is that we don't know what the answers are going to be yet. You have to make predictions It's up to you to decide how much of a risk to take with your predictions. You could play it safe to make sure most of them are correct, or gamble a little in the hope your answers will be unique.

I had written out a longer post explaining it in more detail, but then the forum software logged me out, and I lost it. Just ask me if you have any questions. The deadline is midnight (UK time) at the end of Friday the 8th of June, 2012. I know that's not very far away, but you can at least watch the first day's matches before making your predictions, if you want to. Please send me your answers by private message.

I want to take part myself, so I've already made my predictions and submitted them to a pastebin, which is time-stamped so you can see I made them today.

The questions are below. They all apply to the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship. I'm saying that now to avoid repeating myself in every question. I reserve the right to deem your answers wrong if you try to find a loophole and base your answers on something other than Euro 2012!

1. Name a team who will qualify from their group.
2. Name a team who will reach the semi-finals.
3. Name a team who will finish bottom of their group.
4. Name a team who will score at least three goals in any single match.
5. Name a team who will concede at least three goals in any single match.
6. Name a team who will have at least one player sent off in the tournament.
7. Name a player who will score at least three goals in the tournament.
8. Name a player who will be in one of the starting line-ups in the final.
9. Name an outfield player (not a goalkeeper) who will play in every one of England's matches in the tournament. They don't have to play 90 minutes in each match; any appearance is sufficient.
10. Name a round of the tournament in which England will play (options: group stage, quarter-final, semi-final, final).

[The Raven]

Fantastic!

Though what happens if, for example in Q6, if no-one is sent off all tournament?

[Root]

Edited: see my post below. "None" and "no one" are acceptable answers, and they have the possibility of being correct answers.

[tubeguru]

Fantastic!

Though what happens if, for example in Q6, if no-one is sent off all tournament?

In that case, the only correct answer will be "zero". All people saying "zero" will get no points, and everyone else will score double the number of people who said "zero". Simples.

[tubeguru]

Fantastic!

Though what happens if, for example in Q6, if no-one is sent off all tournament?

In that case, the only correct answer will be "zero". All people saying "zero" will get no points, and everyone else will score double the number of people who said "zero". Simples.

Actually, ignore all that, as I misread the question. But then again, just change "zero" for "no one", and then "no one" becomes the only correct answer.

[tubeguru]

Similarly, one could simply answer "no one" or "no team" for most of them, given that those possibilities exist. Should there not be a special case for allowing those to be correct answers

[tubeguru]

Questions 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9 qualify as such questions. OK, I'll shut up now.

[Going Underground]

Tricky but had a go....

[tubeguru]

I am nor entering until Root confirms that the questions I listed can be answered with a "none" option, and for that to be a possible correct answer.

[Root]

Okay, I take back what I said earlier; if you want to answer "none" or "no one" for any of the questions, you can.

[tubeguru]

Ta - I shall now enter!

[Root]

There is a little less than 24 hours to go before the deadline. So far I have received seven entries, on top of my own. I have to make a point of clarification: because you can watch the first two matches of the tournament before entering, you cannot make your predictions based on things that have already happened. For example, if a Polish player scores a hat-trick in the opening match, you can't then "predict" that he will score three times in the tournament (unless you think he will do it again, meaning he would have to score six goals in total). I hope that's clear.

[Root]

I can reveal everyone's predictions now, but the scores will obviously have to wait a little bit

1. Name a team who will qualify from their group.
al: Russia
Going Underground: Poland
greatkingrat: Russia
jamesthegill: Germany
jbom: Spain
Root: Russia
Sam: Netherlands
scrxisi: Netherlands
Steeevooo: Czech Republic
The Raven: Croatia
tubeguru: Croatia
uefacup81: Germany

2. Name a team who will reach the semi-finals.
al: Portugal
Going Underground: Germany
greatkingrat: Germany
jamesthegill: France
jbom: Spain
Root: Germany
Sam: Germany
scrxisi: Netherlands
Steeevooo: Germany
The Raven: Germany
tubeguru: Netherlands
uefacup81: Germany

3. Name a team who will finish bottom of their group.
al: Denmark
Going Underground: Denmark
greatkingrat: Republic of Ireland
jamesthegill: England
jbom: Republic of Ireland
Root: Czech Republic
Sam: Poland
scrxisi: Republic of Ireland
Steeevooo: Greece
The Raven: Republic of Ireland
tubeguru: Sweden
uefacup81: Denmark

4. Name a team who will score at least three goals in any single match.
al: France
Going Underground: Netherlands
greatkingrat: Spain
jamesthegill: Russia
jbom: Spain
Root: Netherlands
Sam: Netherlands
scrxisi: Czech Republic
Steeevooo: Germany
The Raven: Sweden
tubeguru: Spain
uefacup81: Italy

5. Name a team who will concede at least three goals in any single match.
al: England
Going Underground: Denmark
greatkingrat: Croatia
jamesthegill: Denmark
jbom: Republic of Ireland
Root: Ukraine
Sam: Denmark
scrxisi: Poland
Steeevooo: Ukraine
The Raven: Ukraine
tubeguru: Poland
uefacup81: Croatia

6. Name a team who will have at least one player sent off in the tournament.
al: Ukraine
Going Underground: Italy
greatkingrat: Greece
jamesthegill: England
jbom: Italy
Root: Republic of Ireland
Sam: England
scrxisi: Netherlands
Steeevooo: Poland
The Raven: Italy
tubeguru: England
uefacup81: Italy

7. Name a player who will score at least three goals in the tournament.
al: Thomas Müller (Germany)
Going Underground: Mario Gomez (Germany)
greatkingrat: Robin van Persie (Netherlands)
jamesthegill: Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
jbom: Pedro (Spain)
Root: Robin van Persie (Netherlands)
Sam: Robin van Persie (Netherlands)
scrxisi: Robin van Persie (Netherlands)
Steeevooo: Robin van Persie (Netherlands)
The Raven: Antonio Di Natale (Italy)
tubeguru: Miroslav Klose (Germany)
uefacup81: Mario Gomez (Germany)

8. Name a player who will be in one of the starting line-ups in the final.
al: Sergio Ramos (Spain)
Going Underground: Iker Casillas (Spain)
greatkingrat: Sergio Ramos (Spain)
jamesthegill: Iker Casillas (Spain)
jbom: Pedro (Spain)
Root: Philipp Lahm (Germany)
Sam: Manuel Neuer (Germany)
scrxisi: Robin van Persie (Netherlands)
Steeevooo: Manuel Neuer (Germany)
The Raven: Manuel Neuer (Germany)
tubeguru: Pepe Reina (Spain)
uefacup81: Manuel Neuer (Germany)

9. Name an outfield player (not a goalkeeper) who will play in every one of England's matches in the tournament. They don't have to play 90 minutes in each match; any appearance is sufficient.
al: Steven Gerrard
Going Underground: Ashley Cole
greatkingrat: James Milner
jamesthegill: Ashley Cole
jbom: Ashley Cole
Root: Danny Welbeck
Sam: Ashley Cole
scrxisi: Phil Jones
Steeevooo: Ashley Cole
The Raven: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
tubeguru: Glen Johnson
uefacup81: Scott Parker

10. Name a round of the tournament in which England will play (options: group stage, quarter-final, semi-final, final).
al: Group stage
Going Underground: Group stage
greatkingrat: Group stage
jamesthegill: Group stage
jbom: Group stage
Root: Group stage
Sam: Quarter-final
scrxisi: Group stage
Steeevooo: Group stage
The Raven: Group stage
tubeguru: Group stage
uefacup81: Quarter-final

A few players are already guaranteed the best score of 1 point for some questions. jamesthegill correctly predicted that Russia would score at least three goals in a match, while greatkingrat and Steeevooo's red card predictions were both proved correct in the opening match of the tournament.

Looking at question 10, we don't have a lot of confidence in England in this tournament, do we? Everyone who said group stage is going to get 10 points, while Sam and uefacup81 will get either 2 or 20 points, depending on whether England make it out of their group. I think England have about a 50% chance, which makes those odds of effectively 10-1 pretty good, so I wish I had said quarter-final instead.

[tubeguru]

Let me make this easy for you: England are shit in major tournaments.

[perkyperky]

Let me make this easier for you: England are shit.