Yerots Euro 2008 Adventure

[yerotsluap]

Group A
Czech Republic
Qualification
Qualified easily from the same group as the Germans and a 3-0 win over the Germans in Munich secured them top place in the group finishing an incredible 12 points ahead of the third placed team.

Coach
68 year old Karel Bruckner is leading his team to a major tournament for the last time. He has been in charge since 2001 and is credited with bringing a more attacking style to Czech football.

Strengths
They have undoubted quality throughout the side from Cech at the back probably one of the best keepers in world football.

Weaknesses
The loss of Tomas Rosicky, their skipper, to injury could be a major blow for the Czechs and the creative responsibility may now lie with Jaroslav Plasil. Also the form of Milan Baros while on loan at Portsmouth this season must be a major concern going into this tournament.

World ranking
6

Squad
Goalkeepers: Petr Cech (Chelsea), Jaromir Blazek (Nuremberg), Daniel Zitka (Anderlecht)
Defenders: Zdenek Grygera (Juventus), Marek Jankulovski (AC Milan), Michal Kadlec (Sparta Prague), Zdenek Pospech (Copenhagen), David Rozehnal (Lazio), Rudi Skacel (Southampton), Tomas Ujfalusi (Fiorentina)
Midfielders: Tomas Galasek (Nuremberg), David Jarolim (Hamburg), Radoslav Kovac (Spartak Moscow), Marek Matejovsky (Reading), Jaroslav Plasil (Osasuna), Jan Polak (Anderlecht), Tomas Sivok (Sparta Prague)
Forwards: Milan Baros (Lyon), Martin Fenin (Frankfurt), Jan Koller (Nuremberg), Libor Sionko (Copenhagen), Vaclav Sverkos (Banik Ostrava), Stanislav Vlcek (Anderlecht)


Fixtures
v Switzerland 07/06/08 1700 BST Basle
v Portugal 11/06/08 1700 BST Geneva
v Turkey 15/06/08 1945 BST Geneva

Verdict
Usually either brilliant or poor with not a lot in between. They face a tricky first game against the Swiss but providing they negotiate that they should qualify from the group at least.

Portugal
Qualification
Lost only one game through qualification but it was not as straightforward as that sounds, only qualifying thanks to a 0-0 draw with Finland.

Coach
Luiz Felipe Scolari will be leaving his post after Euro 2008 possibly for the bright lights of the Premier League.

Strengths
Scolari has a great record in tournament football with both Brazil and Portugal, his experience could prove vital. Ricardo Carvalho is a top class centre half and the attacking midfielders include the likes of Ronaldo, Nani, Quaresma and Simao meaning defences will surely struggle when Portugal go forward.

Weaknesses
Despite the wealth of attacking options do they have anyone to play up front and lead the line?

World Ranking
9

Squad
Goalkeepers: Ricardo Pereira (Real Betis), Quim Silva (Benfica), Rui Patricio (Sporting)
Defenders: Miguel Monteiro (Valencia), Jose Bosingwa (Porto, to join Chelsea after tournament), Paulo Ferreira (Chelsea), Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea), Fernando Meira (VfB Stuttgart), Bruno Alves (Porto), Pepe (Real Madrid), Jorge Ribeiro (Boavista)
Midfielders: Raul Meireles (Porto), Joao Moutinho (Sporting), Deco (Barcelona), Armando Petit (Benfica), Miguel Veloso (Sporting)
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Simao Sabrosa (Atletico Madrid), Ricardo Quaresma (Porto), Nuno Gomes (Benfica), Hugo Almeida (Werder Bremen), Nani (Manchester United), Helder Postiga (Panathinaikos)

Fixtures
v Turkey 07/06/08 1945 BST Geneva
v Czech Republic 11/06/08 1700 BST Geneva
v Switzerland 15/06/08 1945 BST Basle

Verdict
A very talented team who should qualify from the group and make it to at least the semi finals.

Switzerland
Qualification
Qualified as co-hosts

Coach
Jakob Kuhn, a former Swiss under 21 coach who stepped up to the main role in 2001 and led the team to Euro 2004 and world cup 2006 getting out of the group stages in the latter. Quitting after the tournament but will want to do well on home soil.

Strengths
Not many, will have home support in tournament and have a goalscorer in Alexander Frei.

Weaknesses
Very defence minded set up and will struggle for goals even with a fit Frei, defence may not be too strong, Senderos has been poor for Arsenal and Patrick Muller is included despite being injured all season.

World Ranking
48

Squad
Goalkeepers: Diego Benaglio (Wolfsburg), Eldin Jakupovic (Grasshoppers), Pascal Zuberbuehler (Xamax Neuchatel)
Defenders: Philipp Degen (Borussia Dortmund), Johan Djourou (Arsenal), Stephane Grichting (Auxerre), Stephan Lichtsteiner (Lille), Ludovic Magnin (Stuttgart), Patrick Mueller (Lyon), Philippe Senderos (Arsenal), Christoph Spycher (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Midfielders: Tranquillo Barnetta (Bayer Leverkusen), Valon Behrami (Lazio), Ricardo Cabanas (Grasshoppers), Gelson Fernandes (Manchester City), Daniel Gygax (FC Metz), Benjamin Huggel (Basel), Gokhan Inler (Udinese), Johan Vonlanthen (Red Bull Salzburg)
Strikers: Eren Derdiyok (Basel), Alexander Frei (Borussia Dortmund), Marco Streller (Basel), Hakan Yakin (Young Boys)

Fixtures
v Czech Republic 07/06/08 1700 BST Basle
v Turkey 11/06/08 1945 BST Basle
v Portugal 15/06/08 1945 BST Basle

Verdict
Could give the Czechs a scare in the opening game but unlikely to qualify and the pressure of home support could count against them.

Turkey

Qualification
Started qualification well but a run of one win in 6 games saw them struggle until victories over Norway and Bosnia-Herzegovina saw them through

Coach
Fatih Terim in his second spell at the helm of the national side is known for decisive leadership and is a very astute tactician.

Strengths
The players know each inside out and have experience of some of the top leagues in Europe.

Weaknesses
There is no clear cut first choice goalkeeper, although Volkan should emerge as the number 1 over the very experienced Rustu. Throughout the team there is the impression that they lack the pace to compete with the top sides.

World Ranking
25

Squad
Goalkeepers: Volkan Demirel (Fenerbahce), Rustu Recber (Besiktas), Tolga Zengin (Trabzonspor)
Defenders: Gokhan Zan (Besiktas), Sabri Sarioglu (Galatasaray), Emre Asik (Ankaraspor), Servet Cetin (Galatasaray), Emre Gungor (Galatasaray), Hakan Balta (Galatasaray), Ugur Boral, Gokhan Gonul (Fenerbahce)
Midfielders: Mehmet Aurelio (Fenerbahce), Mehmet Topal (Galatasaray), Arda Turan (Galatasaray), Ayhan Akman (Galatasaray), Emre Belozoglu (Newcastle), Tumer Metin (Larissa), Hamit Altintop (Bayern Munich), Gokdeniz Karadeniz (Rubin Kazan)
Forwards: Nihat Kahveci (Villarreal), Semih Senturk (Fenerbahce), Mevlut Erdinc (Sochaux), Tuncay Sanli (Middlesbrough), Colin Kazim-Richards (Fenerbahce)

Fixtures
v Portugal 07/06/08 1945 BST Geneva
v Switzerland 11/06/08 1945 BST Basle
v Czech Republic 15/06/08 1945 BST Geneva

Verdict
Struggled through qualifying and unlikely to set the world alight at Euro 2008. They would likely be pleased to get out of the group but I cant see it happening

[yerotsluap]

Group B
Austria
Qualification
Qualified with joint hosts along with Switzerland

Coach
Josef Hickersberger is in his second spell as coach, In his first spell Austria qualified for the World Cup in 1990 before he was sacked for losing a Euro 92 qualifier against the Faroe Islands.

Captain
Andreas Ivanschitz. The 24 year old is a goal threat from midfield and will surely be under pressure from fans expecting Austria to do well as joint hosts. Plays for Panathinaikos, and as every country has their own Beckham, Ivanschitz is the ‘Austrian Beckham’.

Strengths
Austria have a relatively strong backline, with the likes of Emmanuel Pogatetz, Martin Stranzl and Sebastian Prodl, to go with a solid keeper in ex Arsenal stopper Alex Manniger.

Weaknesses
The main Austrian weakness is up front, they struggle to score goals and are up against some well organised defences in the group stage. The struggle for goals is likely to increase the burden on skipper Ivanschitz.

World Ranking
101

Squad
Goalkeepers: Alex Manninger (AC Siena), Juergen Macho (AEK Athens), Ramazan Ozcan (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim)
Defenders: Gyorgy Garics (Napoli), Ronald Gercaliu (Austria Vienna), Martin Hiden (Kaernten), Markus Katzer (Rapid Vienna), Juergen Patocka (Rapid Vienna), Emanuel Pogatetz (Middlesbrough), Sebastian Proedl (Sturm Graz), Martin Stranzl (Spartak Moscow)
Midfielders: Rene Aufhauser (Salzburg), Christian Fuchs (Mattersburg), Andreas Ivanschitz (Panathinaikos), Umit Korkmaz (Rapid Vienna), Christoph Leitgeb (Salzburg), Juergen Saumel (Sturm Graz), Joachim Standfest (Austria Vienna), Ivica Vastic (LASK Linz)
Forwards: Martin Harnik (Werder Bremen), Erwin Hoffer (Rapid Vienna), Roman Kienast (Ham Kam), Roland Linz (Braga)

Fixtures
v Croatia 08/06/08 1700 BST Vienna
v Poland 12/06/08 1945 BST Vienna
v Germany 16/06/08 1945 BST Vienna

Verdict
Not the hardest group but it might as well be for the Austrians, they will do really well to get anything from the Germans or Croatians. I expect them to finish bottom of their group even though they will most likely benefit from the support as hosts.
Croatia
Qualification
Won their qualifying group by 5 points, beating England home and away and winning 9 of 12 games.

Coach
Slaven Bilic. Ex West Ham player who spent 2 years as under 21 coach before taking over the senior side in 2006. He has made Croatia a force to be reckoned with and they could be contenders for this tournament.

Captain
Niko Kovac has been Croatian skipper for four years, and in his defensive midfield role he is the fulcrum of the side almost always using the ball intelligently.

Strengths
The undoubted strength of the Croats is their teamwork, still a relatively new country (only 17 years old) you can see that it means a lot to every player to play for their country something you don’t always get with England.

Weaknesses
The main weakness for the Croats in this competition could be scoring goals after the nasty injury suffered by main striker Eduardo.

World ranking
13

Squad
Goalkeepers: Stipe Pletikosa (Spartak Moscow), Vedran Runje (Lens), Mario Galinovic (Panathinaikos)
Defenders: Vedran Corluka (Manchester City), Dario Simic (AC Milan), Robert Kovac (Borussia Dortmund), Josip Simunic (Hertha Berlin), Dario Knezevic (Livorno), Hrvoje Vejic (Tomsk), Danijel Pranjic (Heerenveen)
Midfielders: Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk), Niko Kovac (Red Bull Salzburg), Luka Modric (Tottenham), Niko Kranjcar (Portsmouth), Jerko Leko (AS Monaco), Ivan Rakitic (Schalke), Ognjen Vukojevic (Dinamo Bucharest), Nikola Pokrivac (AS Monaco)
Forwards: Mladen Petric (Borussia Dortmund), Ivica Olic (Hamburger SV), Ivan Klasnic (Werder Bremen), Igor Budan (Parma), Nikola Kalinic (Hajduk Split)

Fixtures
v Austria 08/06/08 1700 BST Vienna
v Germany 12/06/08 1700 BST Klagenfurt
v Poland 16/06/08 1945 BST Klagenfurt

Verdict
Dark horses for the tournament, a Croatian victory would not be a surprise of Greece proportions, I fancy them to comfortably qualify from this group and have a good chance of making the semi finals at least

Germany
Qualification
First country to qualify for Euro 2008 but only finished 2nd to Czechs in the group

Coach
Joachim Low. Was assistant to Jurgen Klinnsman for the last world cup and from all accounts was basically the coach with Klinnsman as the figure head.

Captain
Michael Ballack is undoubtedly one of the best midfielders in the world on his day, perhaps still has point to prove since his move to Chelsea but has been on form in the second half of the season and goes into this tournament playing well.

Strengths
More attack minded than German teams of the past but Low has also ominously tightened up the defence as well. Almost guaranteed to win a game if it goes to penalties.

Weaknesses
Not many, perhaps lacking a touch of top class creativeness to open up the better organised defences.

World Ranking
5

Squad
Goalkeepers: Jens Lehmann (Arsenal), Robert Enke (Hanover 96), Rene Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)
Defenders: Christoph Metzelder (Real Madrid), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Arne Friedrich (Hertha Berlin), Marcell Jansen (Bayern Munich), Clemens Fritz (Werder Bremen), Heiko Westermann (Schalke 04)
Midfielders: Michael Ballack (Chelsea), Thomas Hitzlsperger (VfB Stuttgart), Simon Rolfes (Bayer Leverkusen), Torsten Frings (Werder Bremen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburg SV), Tim Borowski (Werder Bremen)
Forwards: David Odonkor (Real Betis), Miroslav Klose (Bayern Munich), Lukas Podolski (Bayern Munich), Mario Gomez (VfB Stuttgart), Kevin Kuranyi (Schalke 04), Oliver Neuville (Borussia Moenchengladbach)

Fixtures
v Poland 08/06/08 1945 BST Klagenfurt
v Croatia 12/06/08 1700 BST Klagenfurt
v Austria 16/06/08 1945 BST Vienna

Verdict
Not the best team at the tournament but will be feared by most other teams. Can never be ruled out and should go well again.




Poland
Qualification
Qualified in impressive style, topping a group including Portugal, Belgium and Serbia. A defeat and draw in the first two games were followed by 6 wins in a row.

Coach
Leo Beenhakker, the veteran Dutchman, has vast experience of football from all around the world.

Strengths
In Artur Boruc the Poles have a top class keeper and in Ebi Smolarek they have someone who can put the ball in the net.

Weaknesses
The Poles have a lack of quality in depth and could struggle to create chances for the talented Smolarek to put away.

World Ranking
27

Squad
Goalkeepers: Artur Boruc (Celtic), Tomasz Kuszczak (Manchester United), Lukasz Fabianski (Arsenal)
Defenders: Marcin Wasilewski (Anderlecht), Pawel Golanski (Steaua Bukarest), Mariusz Jop (FC Moscow), Jacek Bak (Austria Vienna), Michal Zewlakow (Olympiakos), Adam Kokoszka (Wisla Krakow), Jakub Wawrzyniak (Legia Warsaw), Dariusz Dudka (Wisla Krakow), Michal Pazdan (Gornik Zabrze)
Midfielders: Mariusz Lewandowski (Shakhtar Donetsk), Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund), Rafal Murawski (Lech Poznan), Lukasz Gargula (GKS Belchatow), Jacek Krzynowek (VfL Wolfsburg), Roger Guerreiro (Legia Warsaw), Wojciech Lobodzinski (Wisla Krakow)
Forwards: Euzebiusz Smolarek (Racing Santander), Maciej Zurawski (Larissa), Marek Saganowski (Southampton), Tomasz Zahorski (Gornik Zabrze)

Fixtures
v Germany 08/06/08 1945 BST Klagenfurt
v Austria 12/06/08 1945 BST Vienna
v Croatia 16/06/08 1945 BST Klagenfurt

Veridct
Poland have an outside chance of getting out of the group but they may find Germany and Croatia just too good for them

[yerotsluap]

Group C
France

Qualification
Finished behind Italy in qualification but really struggled through the campaign, which included two losses to Scotland.

Coach
Raymond Domenech. Has been criticised for sticking with his experienced stars no matter their form rather than playing the youngsters, however there are a number of top quality youngsters in the squad.

Strengths
World class talent across the side as well as some of the most promising youngsters in world football.

Weaknesses
Domenech has a tendency to tinker with formations and personnel, also the French back line depending on selection could be ageing and lacking in pace.
World Ranking
7

Squad
Goalkeepers: Gregory Coupet (Lyon), Sebastien Frey (Fiorentina), Steve Mandanda (Marseille)
Defenders: Eric Abidal (Barcelona), Jean-Alain Boumsong (Lyon), Francois Clerc (Lyon), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), William Gallas (Arsenal), Willy Sagnol (Bayern Munich), Lilian Thuram (Barcelona), Sebastien Squillaci (Lyon)
Midfielders: Lassana Diarra (Portsmouth), Claude Makelele (Chelsea), Jeremy Toulalan (Lyon), Patrick Vieira (Inter Milan), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Samir Nasri (Marseille), Florent Malouda (Chelsea)
Strikers: Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea), Karim Benzema (Lyon), Bafetimbi Gomis (St Etienne), Thierry Henry (Barcelona), Sidney Govou (Lyon),

Fixtures
v Romania 09/06/08 1700 BST Zurich
v Netherlands 13/06/08 1945 BST Berne
v Italy 17/06/08 1945 BST Berne

Verdict
France are always difficult to beat and if focused are potential champions but with the quality in this group its not a given that they will qualify.

Italy

Qualification
Topped their group thanks largely to wins home and away against Scotland.

Coach
Roberto Donadoni, massively inexperienced when taking the job he endured a difficult start but results picked up soon.

Strengths
After winning the last world cup they know how to win tournaments and they have some of the worlds top talent in Buffon, Pirlo, Toni etc.

Weaknesses
Donadoni lacks big match managerial experience and the players are not completely used to the 4-3-3 system he seems to prefer. The apparent loss of Fabio Cannavaro could be vital in terms of leadership.

World Ranking
3

Squad
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Marco Amelia (Livorno), Morgan De Sanctis (Sevilla)
Defenders: Christian Panucci (Roma), Fabio Grosso (Lyon), Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Marco Materazzi (Inter Milan), Gianluca Zambrotta (Barcelona), Andrea Barzagli (Palermo), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus)
Midfielders: Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan), Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan), Massimo Ambrosini (AC Milan), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Simone Perrotta (Roma), Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus), Alberto Aquilani (Roma)
Forwards: Luca Toni (Bayern Munich), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Fabio Quagliarella (Udinese), Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus), Marco Borriello (Genoa), Antonio Cassano (Sampdoria)

Fixtures
v Netherlands 09/06/08 1945 BST Berne
v Romania 13/06/08 1700 BST Zurich
v France 17/06/08 1945 BST Zurich

Verdict
May struggle to get out of the group, this time around. The lack of an experienced coach could cost them as no doubt will the absence of Cannavaro.

Netherlands

Qualification
Qualified fairly easily from their group but finished 3 points behind Romania who are in this group with them.

Coach
Marco Van Basten, one of the greatest footballers ever seen in Europe. Took over in 2004 and took the Dutch to the last 16 of the world cup. Will be looking to finish on a high before taking the Ajax job after the tournament.

Strengths
A settled defence which conceded only 5 goals in 12 qualifying games and clinical strikers to put away the chances in Van Nistelrooy and Huntelaar.

Weaknesses
Under Van Basten the Dutch seem to struggle for goals just 15 from 12 games in qualifying but if they can create chances they should be able to convert them.

World Ranking
10

Squad
Goalkeepers: Edwin Van der Sar (Manchester United), Maarten Stekelenburg (Ajax), Henk Timmer (Feyenoord)
Defenders: Ibrahim Afellay (PSV Eindhoven), Wilfred Bouma (Aston Villa), Tim De Cler (Feyenoord), Johnny Heitinga (Ajax), Joris Mathijsen (Hamburg), Mario Melchiot (Wigan), Andre Ooijer (Blackburn), Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord), Khalid Boulharouz (Sevilla)
Midfielders: Orlando Engelaar (Twente), Nigel de Jong (SV Hamburg), Arjen Robben (Real Madrid), Wesley Sneijder (Real Madrid), Rafael van der Vaart (Hamburg), Demy de Zeeuw (AZ Alkmaar)
Forwards: Klaas Jan Huntelaar (Ajax), Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid), Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink (Celtic)

Fixtures
v Italy 09/06/08 1945 BST Berne
v France 13/06/08 1945 BST Berne
v Romania 17/06/08 1945 BST Berne

Verdict
Could struggle to qualify from the group if the French and Italians turn it on. Will likely have to be a bit more attacking than in qualifying to go far in this tournament.


Romania

Qualification
Qualified 3 points clear of the Dutch to top their group

Coach
Victor Piturca is in his second spell as coach having been sacked after making it to the Euro 2000 finals.

Strengths
Quality partnerships up front in Mutu and Maric and at the back in Chivu and Contra

Weaknesses
Romania do not have a settled side, Piturca used 39 players in the qualifying campaign.

World Ranking
12

Squad
Goalkeepers: Bogdan Lobont (Dinamo Bucharest), Eduard Stanciou (CFR 1907 Cluj), Marius Popa (FCU Politehnica Timisoara)
Defenders: Cosmin Contra (Getafe), Gabriel Tamas (Auxerre), Stefan Radu (Lazio), Razvan Rat (Shakhtar Donetsk), Cristian Chivu (Inter Milan), Cristian Sapunaru (Rapid Bucharest), Dorin Goian, Sorin Ghionea, Mirel Radoi (all Steaua Bucharest), Cosmin Moti (Dinamo Bucharest)
Midfielders: Florentin Petre (CSKA Sofia), Paul Codrea (Siena), Razvan Cocis (Lokomotiv Moscow), Banel Nicolita (Steaua Bucharest), Adrian Cristea (Dinamo Bucharest)
Forwards: Nicolae Dica (Steaua Bucharest), Adrian Mutu (Fiorentina), Ciprian Marica (Stuttgart), Daniel Niculae (Auxerre), Marius Niculae (Inverness)

Fixtures
v France 09/06/08 1700 BST Zurich
v Italy 13/06/08 1700 BST Zurich
v Netherlands 17/06/08 1945 BST Berne

Verdict
Romania have a number of quality players but could be out of their depth in this group. Although they did qualify ahead of the Dutch so anything really could happen in this group.

[yerotsluap]

Group D
Greece

Qualification
Qualified with two games to spare and racked up more points than any other team an incredible 31.

Coach
Otto Rehagel is still in charge at 69 years old after leading the Greeks to the title in Portugal four years ago.

Strengths
The main Greek strength is their wily coach Rehagel, for them to come close to repeating their success of four years ago he needs to be tactically at his best.

Weaknesses
After Euro 2004 no-one is going to take the Greeks likely and so the element of surprise has gone.

World Ranking
8

Squad
Goalkeepers: Antonis Nikopolidis (Olympiakos), Kostas Chalkias (Aris), Alexandros Tzorvas (OFI Crete)
Defenders: Paraskevas Antzas (Olympiakos), Giourkas Seitaridis (Atletico Madrid), Vassilis Torossidis (Olympiakos), Sotirios Kyrgiakos (Eintracht Frankfurt), Christos Patsatzoglou (Olympiakos), Traianos Dellas (AEK), Yiannis Goumas (Panathinaikos), Nikos Spiropoulos (Panathinaikos), Loukas Vyntra (Panathinaikos)
Midfielders: Giorgios Katsouranis (Benfica), Angelos Basinas (Real Mallorca), Giorgos Karagounis (Panathinaikos), Stelios Giannakopoulos (Bolton), Alexandros Tziolis (Panathinaikos)
Forwards: Ioannis Amanatidis (Eintracht Frankfurt), Georgios Samaras (Manchester City), Dimitrios Salpigidis (Panathinaikos), Angelos Charisteas (FC Nuremburg), Theofanis Gekas (Bayer Leverkusen), Nikolaos Liberopoulos (AEK)

Fixtures
v Sweden 10/06/08 1945 BST Salzburg
v Russia 14/06/08 1945 BST Salzburg
v Spain 18/06/08 1945 BST Salzburg

Verdict
Greece have a chance to get out of this group if they can dispatch the Swedes in the first game.

Russia

Qualification
Just about qualified at England’s expense in a group which had many twists and turns.

Coach
One of the best international coaches in the world. Guus Hiddink has worked wonders wherever he has been most notably his performance as South Korea coach the 2002 world cup.

Strengths
Hiddinks experience and being in one of the easier groups are probably the best you can say about a work man like squad (Andrei Arshavin excludes)

Weaknesses
Russia lack that genuine quality and will undoubtedly miss Arshavin who is suspended for the first two games.

World Ranking
25

Squad
Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeyev (CSKA Moscow), Vyacheslav Malafeyev (Zenit St Petersburg), Vladimir Gabulov (Amkar Perm)
Defenders: Sergei Ignashevich (CSKA), Vasili Berezutski (CSKA), Aleksei Berezutski (CSKA), Aleksandr Anyukov (Zenit), Denis Kolodin (Dynamo Moscow), Renat Yanbayev (Lokomotiv Moscow), Roman Shirokov (Zenit)
Midfielders: Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (Lokomotiv), Yuri Zhirkov (CSKA), Igor Semshov (Dynamo), Dmitri Torbinsky (Lokomotiv), Vladimir Bystrov (Spartak Moscow), Konstantin Zyryanov (Zenit), Sergei Semak (Rubin Kazan)
Forwards: Andrei Arshavin (Zenit), Pavel Pogrebnyak (Zenit), Roman Pavlyuchenko (Spartak), Dmitri Sychev (Lokomotiv), Roman Adamov (FK Moscow), Ivan Saenko (Nuremberg)

Fixtures
v Spain 10/06/08 1700 BST Innsbruck
v Greece 14/06/08 1945 BST Salzburg
v Sweden 18/06/08 1945 BST Innsbruck

Verdict
The last group game against Sweden could be crucial, but I feel they will rue the loss of Arshavin for the first two games.

Spain

Qualification
Struggled early on but won 8 of the last 9 games to qualify ahead of Sweden

Coach
Luis Aragones is a controversial figure, witness his racist remarks about Thierry Henry, and is another coach packing it in after the tournament.

Strengths
A very technically talented team with the likes of Fabregas, Torres, Xavi and Iniesta buth they also have perhaps the best keeper in Europe in Iker Casillas.

Weaknesses
The Spanish have been labelled under achievers so often now that part of the national psyche must be that they will not do well at a major tournament.

World Ranking
4

Squad
Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Pepe Reina (Liverpool), Andres Palop (Sevilla)
Defenders: Raul Albiol (Valencia), Carlos Marchena (Valencia), Joan Capdevila (Villarreal), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Juanito Gutierrez (Real Betis), Fernando Navarro (Mallorca), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Alvaro Arbeloa (Liverpool)
Midfielders: Xavi Hernandez (FC Barcelona), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), David Silva (Valencia), Xabi Alonso (Liverpool), Ruben De La Red (Getafe), Marcos Senna (Villarreal), Santi Cazorla (Villarreal)
Forwards: Fernando Torres (Liverpool), David Villa (Valencia), Daniel Guiza (Mallorca), Sergio Garcia (Zaragoza).

Fixtures
v Russia 10/06/08 1700 BST Innsbruck
v Sweden 14/06/08 1700 BST Innsbruck
v Greece 18/06/08 1945 BST Salzburg

Verdict
Would be popular winners and if they really believe they will win they could be a very dangerous team in this tournament.

Sweden

Qualification
Qualified behind Spain after finishing ahead of Northern Ireland

Coach
Lars Lagerback, experienced man in role started as joint coach in 2001 before taking sole charge in 2004. Was criticised after disappointing defeat to Germany in 2006 world cup but recently signed new deal until 2010

Strengths
They have quality players in forward positions with the likes of Ibrahimovic, Elmander and Larrson.

Weaknesses
A lack of playing time this season for Andreas Isakkson could be a problem. The undoubted Swedish number 1 has only played 4 games in the premier league this season.

World Ranking
23

Squad
Goalkeepers: Andreas Isaksson (Manchester City), Rami Shaaban (Hammarby), Johan Wiland (Elfsborg)
Defenders: Olof Mellberg (Juventus), Petter Hansson (Rennes), Fredrik Stoor (Rosenborg), Daniel Majstorovic (Basle), Mikael Dorsin (CFR Cluj), Andreas Granqvist (Helsingborg)
Midfielders: Mikael Nilsson (Panathinaikos), Niclas Alexandersson (IFK Gothenburg), Tobias Linderoth (Galatasaray), Freddie Ljungberg (West Ham), Anders Svensson (Elfsborg), Kim Kallstrom (Lyon), Sebastian Larsson (Birmingham), Daniel Andersson (Malmo), Christian Wilhelmsson (Deportivo de la Coruna)
Forwards: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan), Johan Elmander (Toulouse), Henrik Larsson (Helsingborg), Marcus Allback (FC Copenhagen), Markus Rosenberg (Werder Bremen)

Fixtures
v Greece 10/06/08 1945 BST Salzburg
v Spain 14/06/08 1700 BST Innsbruck
v Russia 14/06/08 1945 BST Innsbruck

Verdict
Much depends on the forward players in this squad if Ibrahimovic and co don’t perform Sweden could be going home early.

[yerotsluap]

Winner Germany @ 5.00
Top Scorer Lukas Podolski @ 29.00

[yerotsluap]

07/06/08
2.80 Czech Republic v Switzerland 2.88 Draw 3.25 Czech Republic won 1-0
1.93 Portugal v Turkey 5.50 Draw 3.58 Won 2-0

[yerotsluap]

1/2
50%
-0.07pts

[yerotsluap]

08/06/08
5.50 Austria v Croatia 1.91 Draw 3.32 Won 1-0
1.57 Germany v Poland 8.00 Draw 4.10 Won 2-0

[vegyjones]

That's a cracking good price on Croatia I think!

Best of luck with these Paul, excellent write ups so far

[yerotsluap]

Was a real good price on Croatia yesterday but so was the price for Portugal the day before as well. Couple of goals for Lukas Podolski yesterday as well.

2/2
3/4 overall
75%
+1.41pts

[yerotsluap]

09/06/08
5.60 Romania v France 1.83 Draw 3.50 Drew 0-0
3.35 Netherlands v Italy 2.50 Draw 3.10 Lost 3-0

Absolutely anything could happen in this group

[yerotsluap]

0/2
3/6 Overall
50%
-0.59pts

[yerotsluap]

10/06/08
1.75 Spain v Russia 5.60 Draw 3.62 Won 4-1
3.16 Greece v Sweden 2.63 Draw 3.20 Lost 2-0

[yerotsluap]

1/2
4/8 Overall
50%
-0.84pts

[yerotsluap]

11/06/08
5.60 Czech Republic v Portugal 1.91 Draw 3.33 Won 3-1
2.31 Switzerland v Turkey 3.40 Draw 3.40 Won 2-1

[yerotsluap]

2/2
6/10 Overall
60%
+2.47pts

[yerotsluap]

12/06/08
6.70 Croatia v Germany 1.83 Draw 3.40 Lost 2-1
3.40 Austria v Poland 2.39 Draw 3.40 Drew 1-1

[yerotsluap]

1/2
7/12 Overall
58.33%
+3.87 pts

[yerotsluap]

13/06/08
1.73 Italy v Romania 6.00 Draw 3.60 Drew 1-1
2.75 Netherlands v France 3.00 Draw 3.20 Won 4-1

[yerotsluap]

1/2
8/14 Overall
57.14%
+4.62pts

[yerotsluap]

14/06/08
6.50 Sweden v Spain 1.70 Draw 3.75 Won 2-1
3.63 Greece v Russia 2.30 Draw 3.43 Won 1-0

[yerotsluap]

2/2
10/16 Overall
62.50%
+6.62pts

[yerotsluap]

Will post rest of the group games today as I'm away on a course this week and not sure whether I'll have internet access

15/06/08
3.40 Switzerland v Portugal 2.30 Draw 3.45 Lost 2-0
3.60 Turkey v Czech Repulic 2.40 Draw 3.10 Lost 3-2

16/06/08
11.00 Austria v Gemany 1.40 Draw 4.90 Won 1-0
2.44 Poland v Croatia 3.03 Draw 3.60 Won 1-0

17/06/08
2.88 France v Italy 2.50 Draw 3.88 Italy won 2-0
3.30 Netherlands v Romania 2.20 Draw 4.00 Won 2-0

18/06/08
5.00 Greece v Spain 1.91 Draw 3.75 Won 2-1
2.63 Russia v Sweden 2.88 Draw 3.30 Lost 2-0

[yerotsluap]

19/06/08
2.63 Portugal v Germany 3.10 Draw 3.00 Won 3-2

20/06/08
2.00 Croatia v Turkey 4.50 Draw 3.20 Drew 0-0

[yerotsluap]

5/10
15/26 Overall
57.69%
+9.36pts

[yerotsluap]

21/06/08
1.75 Netherlands v Russia 5.50 Draw 4.20 Drew 1-1

[yerotsluap]

0/1
15/27 Overall
55.55%
+8.36pts

[yerotsluap]

22/06/08
2.60 Spain v Italy 3.25 Draw 3.13 Drew 0-0

[yerotsluap]

0/1
15/28 Overall
53.57%
+7.36pts

[yerotsluap]

25/06/08
1.44 Germany v Turkey 8.50 Draw 4.70 Won 3-2
26/06/08
4.00 Russia v Spain 2.12 Draw 3.50 Lost 3-0

[yerotsluap]

1/2
16/30 Overall
53.33%
+6.80pts

[yerotsluap]

29/06/08
3.40 Germany v Spain 2.30 Draw 3.20

[yerotsluap]

Winner Germany @ 5.00
Top Scorer Lukas Podolski @ 29.00


Cant believe I'm saying this but come on the Germans. A couple from Podolski would make for a good result too