As we creep further into June, the sporting calendar is becoming sadly more sporadic. Nevertheless there is always action to be found from across a litany of competitions and this week is no different as the international footballing calendar starts to ramp as well as the continuation of Super League action.

Thursday 12th June Euro U21 Group Stage Czechia U21 v England U21 20:00

The Under 21 Euros are kicking off this week and current champions England get started with a group stage clash against Czechia in Slovakia.

The Young Lions have had a difficult preparation for the tournament as they opted to test themselves against higher opposition. This has led to just a solitary win in the friendlies which was their last match before the tournament against Portugal which they won 4-2.

Their other results included two draws against Spain, their last Euros final opponents and Netherlands, followed by a crushing 5-3 defeat away to France.

Czechia have been similarly lacklustre in their preparation as they have failed to win in their two friendlies as they drew 2-2 to Spain and lost 2-0 to Norway. They will be slim favourites in the group with Germany and Slovenia looking to progress alongside England but have the chance to impress following a qualification campaign that included victories over Belgium and Wales.

England have only lost once to the Czechs all the way back in 2011, and fully fledged Premier League starlets such as Rico Lewis, Adam Wharton and Liam Delap in the side, the Young Lions have more than a chance to impress in the groups and challenge to win the whole thing once again.

Date: 12/06/2025

Time: 20:00

Venue: MOL Arena, Dunajska Streda

The match will be shown on Channel 4

Friday 13th June Betfred Super League Hull FC v Castleford 20:00

Two Yorkshire sides meet in Super League this week, at differing stages of the table as we enter round 14.

Hull FC are looking towards both directions as they look to cement their playoff chances. In fifth position as things stand they remain two points off Leigh ahead of them but just a singular point away from dropping out of the playoffs entirely with St Helens and Wakefield Trinity chasing shortly behind.

The Black and Whites will be hoping the visit of Castleford will be similar to their last Super League outing where they travelled to Perpignan and demolished the Catalan Dragons 0-34. That was their second victory in a row after a more closely fought affair with Leigh who they beat once again on the road12-26.

For Castleford their mission now is to keep fighting for points to stay away from the bottom of the table. They currently have a healthy four point buffer to Huddersfield and Salford who occupy the bottom two spots in the division but remain four points adrift from Catalan in ninth.

The Tigers are coming off of back to back defeats also with a bitter 6-29 defeat at home to local rivals Leeds Rhinos followed by a 34-24 away defeat to Warrington. Cas have only tasted victory three times this season and failed to pick up the points las time the two sides met in late March as Hull travelled to The Jungle and fought out a 14-24 victory.

Prior to that result Castleford had the upper hand on Hull, winning three of their last four fixtures going back to late 2023. With Danny McGuire’s men leaving much to be desired against the top teams this season, there is less a chance of history repeating itself but a win away in East Yorkshire would be exactly what their season needs.

Date: 13/06/2025

Time: 20:00

Venue: MKM Stadium, Hull

The match will be shown on Sky Sports+