As the tournament is only a few days away, we take a look at some of the teams that have a chance of going all the way to clinch the title.
The tournament which is being held in Ukraine and Poland, a total of 16 countries will be contesting in it for the European crown. The sixteen teams include the likes of Spain, Netherlands, Germany, France, Portugal, Italy, England,
Russia, Croatia, Denmark, Czech Republic, Ireland, Sweden, and co-hosts Poland and Ukraine.
The teams are divided into four groups, each group consisting of four countries. Group B, which is also known as the Group of Death; this group being the hardest of all includes Germany, Netherlands, Portugal and Denmark.
Although this tournament is capable of causing some of the most shocking upsets e.g. Denmark winning it in 1992 and Greece in 2004, but we tip the usual suspects to go all the way to lift the trophy on July 1 in Kiev.
Favorites
Spain: Speaking of favorites we look no further than Spain, the reigning world champions who will look to defend their European crown, which they lifted in 2008 after beating the Germans in Vienna. The Spaniards,
however, will be without their all time leading goal scorer David Villa, and Carles Puyol,the heartbeat of their defense.
Despite the absence El Guaje and Puyol, La Furia Roja has the likes of Fernando Llorente, Iker Muniain to fill the void left by Barcelona Striker. Spain is paired with Italy, Croatia and Republic of Ireland, not particularly a
hard group, as La Roja is capable of beating these sides to qualify for the knock-outs.
Germany: Tipped by many bookies to dethrone the Spaniards, Joachim Low’s men have the second best odds to clinch Euro 2012 title at 3-1. In order to reach the knock out stages, the Germans have a massive task in
front of them. Their group which is the hardest of all the groups will be a cup final on its own. If Die Mannschaft qualifiy for the knock-out stage, then they will go all the way given the amount of talent they have in their ranks.
Netherlands: The Dutch have not won a major tournament since the 1998 European Championships. They came close to lifting the 2010 World Cup, but were edged by an extra time Andres Iniesta winner. Now once again
they look to restore their pride. The current Oranje side is capable of beating any team in the tournament; in Robin Van Persie they have the best striker in the world.
The striker scored 37 goals for the Gunners and fired them to Champions league qualification. The only thing the Flying Dutchmen should be worried about is their defence. If they can keep their backline organized; Bert Van Marjwijk’s
men are capable of wearing the European crown.
Dark Horses
Italy: Since lifting the World Cup in 2006, the Italians have not really fulfilled their potential. Cesare Prandelli has some of the world’s renowned talents at his disposal. However the recent match fixing scandals
and injuries have rocked the national side, players including the likes of Domenico Criscito and Andrea Barzagli will be missing the entire tournament. Italy however can bounce back from this setback with a rejuvenated and comparatively young side.
Portugal: Paulo Bento’s men, as mentioned earlier, will be a contesting with the favourites Germany and Netherlands for a place in the knockouts. The Portuguese, led by their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, will be
looking to cause an upset in Group B. The team's star studded attack and rearguard can guide them to the European crown if they manage to cross the first hurdle by beating the favourites.
Few other teams such as England, Russia and Croatia have an outside chance of winning the Cup. England’s chances diminished when they suffered a serious injury crisis. This year’s European Championships are bound to cause an upset
or two due to the unpredictability of the modern game.
Tags: