| Football Bettor's Survey | ||
|
It may be foolish to try and predict a tournament before the squads are finalised but with millions of pounds and euros already been splashed on bets for the tournament there is clearly a demand for it. One of the quirks of the tournament draw is that there will definitely be one team from Groups A and B in the final and they will play a team from Group C or D.
With this in mind, we suggest that taking Italy to win would not be bad idea with the Czech Republic a good tip for a semi-final spot at least.
For a full preview of the teams in Euro 2008, please read below.
There is still plenty to be decided in domestic leagues across Europe but football fans are already starting to think towards Euro 2008 taking place in Austria and Switzerland. Sandwiched in neatly between World Cups, the European Championships are a great addition to any summer calendar and because it is based in Europe, the kick-off times are sure to suit the majority of the working population.
There may be no British involvement this summer but with so many great players on show, who cares about that? Germany appear to be the bookmakers favourite going into the tournament but there will be at least seven teams who have genuine expectations of lifting the Cup on the 29th of June. Of course, you only have to think back to 2004 when Greece provided a massive upset in winning the tournament to realise that in a tight month of football, anything can happen.
Our Euro 2008 preview will lead you through the groups, hopefully predict some star names and what may happen and hopefully throw in some surprising facts along the way. It's nearly time for the action to start so get set for a great month of football action!
Group A features one of the host nations in Switzerland and Portugal, Turkey and the Czech Republic. It is maybe not the group that is going to catch the imagination like some of the others but three of the four teams have made a large impact on recent tournaments. With Portugal having the most talked about player in the world in Ronaldo in place and other players such as Petr Cech, Milan Baros and Alexander Frei, Group A has plenty going for it.
Group A also provides the fixtures of the opening day of the tournament and will be the first place where football fans get their Euro 2008 fix. Saturday 7th June sees Switzerland play the Czech Republic in the opening match before Portugal square off against Turkey. Each team will have genuine hope of making it through the group stages and this group look like being a tough one to predict.
How they qualified: Automatically as one of the host nations.
Coach: Jacob Kuhn
Top scorer in qualification: Not Applicable
Player to look out for:
Hakan Yakin
As one of the host nations, Switzerland will have a level of expectation placed upon them, even more so when Austria have appeared to have written off their chances of achieving anything. Although never having set any major tournament on fire, Switzerland have been regular qualifiers for events over the past decades and their players have made it in the major leagues of Europe. The playmaking skills of Hakin Yakin may not be as high as they were in his FC Basel prime but he will still be capable of pulling the strings of the team. Alexander Frei is by far the highest goal-scorer in the current Swiss squad so he too will be expected to chip in if the team is going to do anything.
Switzerland’s coach Jacob Kuhn has promised his wife that he will retire from football management after his teams exits the tournament. Unlike most people, it is likely that Kuhn will be looking to put off his retirement for at least an extra week or two as he hopes to steer one of the hosts to a creditable finish.
How they qualified: Runners-up in Qualification Group A, finishing behind Poland. Portugal claimed 27 points from 14 games.
Coach: Phil Scolari
Top scorer in qualification:
Cristiano Ronaldo
Player to look out for: Cristiano Ronaldo
Previous times at the European Championship: 4
Previous times Winners of the European Championship: 0
By the time Euro 2008 kicks off, the world will know if Ronaldo won a Champions League winners medal with Manchester United but the player will be carrying the hopes of his nation in his heavily manicured hands and feet. He was Portugal’s top scorer in qualification and had the most shots on target throughout the entire qualification campaign. 31 efforts on goal is proof of the player’s willingness to hit the target but Portugal are more than a one man team. Portugal were the only team in qualification who managed more than 100 shots on goal throughout the campaign, with 101 efforts on goal far outstripping their closest rivals. This determination to shoot is indicative of Portugal's attacking philosophy and of the tactics of 'Big' Phil Scolari. The coach has been in huge demand over recent years with the English FA having a serious interest in replacing Sven Goran Erickson with him. The current talk is that Manchester City will be seeking to hire Scolari for next season, to replace Goran Erickson. Football has a strange habit of turning up these quirks of fate and many eyes in England will be on what the manager achieves this summer.
How they qualified: Winners of Group D, finishing ahead of Germany. Czech Republic claimed 29 points from 12 games.
Coach: Karel Bruckner
Top scorer in qualification: Jan Koller
Player to look out for:
Petr Cech
Previous times at the European Championship: 6 (includes 3 times as Czechoslovakia)
Previous times Winners of the European Championship: 1
With six goals, four assists in qualification, as well as committing 36 fouls, the most of any player throughout the qualification campaign, Jan Koller was certainly in the thick of things for the Czech Republic. Finishing ahead of Germany in the qualifying campaign will undoubtedly have boosted the confidence of the team. Of all the teams in Group A, Czech Republic scored the most with 27 goals from 12 games and only Germany and Croatia scored more in qualification that the Czech Republic did. The build-up to the tournament has been rocked with rumours that Tomas Rosicky will miss the tournament due to a hamstring injury. This blow should be offset by the form of Petr Cech in goals for the Czech Republic. Football fans who watch the Premier League will be well aware of the talent showed by Cech in recent years and the consistency, even allowing for a horrendous run of injuries, may provide the Czech Republic with the strong base to build from. This is the Czech Republic’s fourth consecutive Europe Nations which started at Euro 2006 when the country got to the final at Wembley.
How they qualified: Runners up in Group C, finishing behind Greece. Turkey claimed 24 points from 12 games.
Coach: Fatih Terim
Top scorer in qualification: Hakan Sukur
Player to look out for:
Emre
Previous times at the European Championship: 2
Previous times Winners of the European Championship: 0
The Turkish national side may have been missing from the major events since the 2002 World Cup but their progress to Group A of Euro 2008 has given them a chance to make their mark again on the football map.
The experienced midfield players will be vital for providing Turkey with the opportunity to progress from Group A. Players like Emre and Tuncay have experience of playing in the Premier League whilst Yildiray Basturk and Hamit Altintop have shown their skills in the Bundesliga.
It was thought that Hakan Sukur would carry the nation’s goal-scoring hopes on his shoulders but he was omitted from the provisional squad. This means that a new goal scoring hero will be required to fill the boots of the Turkish legend.
With ‘Big’ Phil in charge, most people will be expecting Portugal to qualify from the group which means that the rest will be competing for the other spot. In all likelihood Turkey and the Czech Republic will be the favourites for the second spot, which makes their game in Geneva on the 15th June crucial to both teams’ qualification hopes.
Group B features the other host nation in Austria and Croatia, Germany and Poland. Austria aside, the other teams have been some of the better footballing sides in recent years and this group may be one where many of the neutrals watch with great interest. Footballers like Michael Ballack, Artur Boruc, Ludik Modric and Lukas Podolski all have enough skill and character to get fans off their seats and cheering.
How they qualified: Automatically as one of the host nations.
Coach: Josef Hickersberger
Top scorer in qualification: Not applicable
Player to look out for:
The fans
The player to look out for may not be able to affect matters on the park but the build up to Euro 2008 has certainly given more focus to Austria’s woes. Earlier this year, there was an online petition where the Austrian fans were so concerned about the players embarrassing the country. This is clearly not something that is going to encourage a team to perform at their best so hopefully they will be more vociferous in their support at matches.
There aren’t too many goals in the current Austrian squad with Ivica Vastic supplying double figures from midfield and he may be asked to deliver if the host nation is going to avoid finishing last in the group.
How they qualified: Winner of Group E, finishing ahead of Russia. Croatia claimed 29 points from 12 games.
Coach: Slaven Bilic
Top scorer in qualification:
Eduardo de Silva
Player to look out for: Luka Modric
Previous times at the European Championship: 2
Previous times Winners of the European Championship: 0
Croatia are one of the key reasons why England are not appearing at Euro 2008 and the two victories that Croatia achieved over the English was a fair measure of their superiority. Both games showcased basic errors from the English goalkeeper but the 3-2 victory at Wembley which condemned England to a dull summer was a massive result. Grabbing a quick 2-0 lead, England pegged Croatia back to 2-2 and given they had already qualified; it would have been easy to have downed tools. The attacking style of the Croatian team allowed them to stroll through the English backline and pick off a winner which only underlined their dominance.
One aspect which has overshadowed Croatia’s build up to the tournament has been the horrific leg breaking challenge that has ruled out Eduardo from the tournament. A thuggish and reckless challenge from a Birmingham player not only effectively derailed Arsenal’s title charge; it has robbed Croatia of their top scorer in the qualifying campaign. North London interest still exists as Tottenham have recently purchased Luka Modric and fans will be able to get an early view of the skills he will be hoping to bring to Spurs. Niko Kranjcar is another player well familiar to English fans and his long range shooting may well be an intriguing aspect of Euro 2008.
How they qualified: Runner up of Group D, finishing behind the Czech Republic. Germany claimed 27 points from 12 games.
Coach: Joachim Low
Top scorer in qualification: Lukas Podolski
Player to look out for:
Michael Ballack
Previous times at the European Championship: 9 (includes 5 as West Germany)
Previous times Winners of the European Championship: 3
One of the world’s greatest footballing nations, Germany restored some of the feel-good factor to their game with a spirited host nation performance in the 2006 World Cup. Narrowly losing out to Italy in an epic semi-final was probably as far as Germany dared to dream they would achieve and hopes are high for this summer’s event. A quick check of the bookmakers would show that Germany are the favourites for the tournament and it will interesting to see how they fare with this level of expectation.
With Chelsea reaching the Champions League final, their end of season form was largely impacted by the return to form by Michael Ballack. Ballack has been harshly treated at Chelsea; injuries have curtailed his effectiveness as well as having to play second fiddle to the inferior Frank Lampard. Scoring the two goals against Manchester United that dragged the season to the final day showed that Ballack still has the big game attributes that powered Germany to the 2002 World Cup final.
How they qualified: Winner of Group A, finishing ahead of Portugal. Poland claimed 28 points from 12 games.
Coach: Leo Beenhakker
Top scorer in qualification: Euzebiusz Smolarek
Player to look out for:
Artur Boruc
Previous times at the European Championship: 0
Previous times Winners of the European Championship: 0
It may be Poland’s first appearance at the European Championships but the country has a fine record of World Cup attendances. A lot of Poland’s hopes are going to rely on their goalkeeper Artur Boruc. Affectionately known as The Holy Goalie, Boruc is one of the best goalkeepers in Europe at the moment and most importantly, he is one who performs on the biggest scale. Champions League performances for Celtic have shown that he is one of the best in the business and his performances at the 2006 World Cup were also eye-catching. A game between Germany and Poland saw virtually one-way traffic heading towards Boruc’s goal but a phenomenal performance kept Germany at bay until a last minute winner tipped the tie in the hosts favour.
It is hard to see past the form book and the bookies odds which means that Germany and Croatia will be expected to qualify from their group. This could place importance on their match which takes place on the 12th of June. A win for either team may allow them to enter the final round of fixtures having secured qualification and could ease the pressure on them and their opponents.
The Austria versus Poland match also on the 12th of June promises to be the match that will see the loser finish bottom of the group and possibly end up with 0 points from the three games. The 12th of June is clearly looking like the decisive date in Group B and these two games should attract a lot of attention and bets.
It is football tradition that there is always a “Group of Death” and at Euro 2008, this title falls on Group C. With 3 teams who have genuine ambitions of winning the tournament, it is easy to have a little sympathy for Romania but their qualification record stands alongside any of the teams in the Group. With all four teams in with a chance of qualifying, Group C will be the most keenly fought matches and we may see teams cutting each others throats and it looks an extremely difficult group to call.
There are is shortage of players who can excite and mesmerise in Group C and you can expect players Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Adrian Mutu and Antoni Di Natale to leave a lasting impression on this tournament.
How they qualified: Runner up of Group B, finishing behind Italy. France claimed 26 points from 12 games.
Coach: Raymond Domenech
Top scorer in qualification: Thierry Henry
Player to look out for:
Franck Ribery
Raymond Domenech can seem to be so misunderstood and so unloved at times. It is easy to say that managing a team full of world class players should be easy but quite often, the egos are harder to control than the skills and the French manager has not had his troubles to seek. He may look like Eugene Levy of American Pie fame but coaching France is no laughing matter for Domenech. Twice in qualification, France lost to Scotland and there were serious doubts over Les Bleus participation this summer. However, Scotland lost in Georgia and then stumbled at home to Italy to provide the French a lifeline and the team can renew old rivalries with Italy in Group C.
One of the major controversies over Domenech's reign is his refusal to play David Trezeguet. Trezeguet is one of the most natural finishers that Europe has produced in recent years and his current goal scoring form speaks for itself.
With Thierry Henry suffering in form throughout the season at Barcelona and the defence not having the same impenetrable air that it used to carry, France may be one of the major nations who are nervously looking over the shoulder at their group rivals. Or they could blow everyone out of the water; it is hard to tell what French team will turn up.
How they qualified: Runner up of Group G, finishing behind Romania. Holland claimed 26 points from 12 games.
Coach: Marco van Basten
Top scorer in qualification:
Robin van Persie
Player to look out for: Rafael van der Vaart
Previous times at the European Championship: 7
Previous times Winners of the European Championship: 1
Of all the strange bets you can place on a major international tournament, one of the most common ones would be to determine when the Dutch team would implode? There is no doubting the class and potential of the Dutch team but a characteristic of so many of its greats side is the fact there seems to be a self-destruct button that they press so willingly.
The 1970s legends lost in two World Cup finals failing to live up to their club sides glory in the European Cup so the 1988 European Nations win was probably their greatest moment. The triumvirate of Gullit, Van Basten and Rijkaard pulled the strings as the Dutch national team finally showed that their brand of total football could generate results. Today’s batch of Dutch footballers may lack the skills of that classic side but they are worth keeping an eye on.
Selling Ruud Van Nistelrooy to Real Madrid raised questions about Alex Ferguson but both have went onto further glory since that unpleasant fall out. A regular scorer at domestic level, Van Nistelrooy is still to make a genuine impact on an international event and 2008 may be his year. The Dutch lack a genuine rival for the horse-faced goal-getter but have a strong assortment of secondary strikers including Celtic’s Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink or Liverpool’s Dirk Kuyt. The Dutch may rely on more traditionally wide players like Arjen Robben or Robin van Persie to drift inside and add an extra cutting edge to their play.
How they qualified: Winners of Group B, finishing ahead of France. Italy claimed 29 points from 12 games.
Coach: Roberto Donadoni
Top scorer in qualification:
Luca Toni
Player to look out for: Andrea Pirlo
Previous times at the European Championship: 6
Previous times Winners of the European Championship: 1
Current World Cup holders Italy will enter Euro 2008 with the same belief and confidence that they appear to have in all walks of life. Ranked only behind Germany in the eyes of many with regards to winning the trophy, the Italians carry the age old knack of being hard to beat but offer up some strong attacking options too.
Part of this confidence in their defensive attributes stems from the performances of Gianluigi Buffon. Having a commanding goalkeeper is the basis for many a successful team and there is no doubt that Buffon remains one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Staying loyal to Juventus when they were demoted, the goalkeeper has played his part as the Old Lady have looked commanding on their return to Serie A and can look forward to next years Champions League with confidence.
Fabio Cannavarro may have done a runner from Juventus when things turned ugly but he is certainly no less important than Buffon. Playing at the heart of the defence, entering a tournament as the current World Cup winner’s captain will only provide extra confidence to the playing skills of the Real Madrid stopper.
With Andrea Pirlo providing pin-point accuracy in his dead ball delivery, Gennaro Gattuso providing the ankle-biting snap from midfield and Luca Toni being available to tuck the ball away when required, do not be surprised to see Italy involved at the very end of the tournament.
How they qualified: Winners of Group G, finishing ahead of Holland. Romania claimed 29 points from 12 games.
Coach: Victor Piturca
Top scorer in qualification: Adrian Mutu
Player to look out for:
Christian Chivu
Previous times at the European Championship: 3
Previous times Winners of the European Championship: 1
It may be easy for Romania to feel overawed at the company they are keeping Group C but a fantastic qualification campaign should provide the team with confidence. Romania finished three points ahead of Group C rivals Holland and would gladly settle for the same outcome again.
Euro 2008 is Romania’s first international tournament since Euro 2000 where they defeated England in the last minute to qualify from the group but lost to Italy in the quarter finals. This knock-out was the last international match played by Hagi and the country has had an international hangover until this season’s qualification campaign. Adrian Mutu is a survivor from the 2000 squad and no doubt, many hopes are being pinned upon the Fiorentina striker.
There are not a lot of goals in the current Romanian squad with only Mutu and Marius Niculae breaking into double figures but a strong unity may see Romania providing a shock or two along the way.
It isn’t called the ‘Group of Death’ for nothing. Strangely enough, Holland and Romania were in the same qualification group as were Italy and France. This means the teams will have an in-depth knowledge of one of their opponents which may make for a cagey affair as both teams are familiar with each other. In a 3 game group there is not much for scope for taking stock and one team may have to throw caution to the wind. The final round of matches in the Group features the qualification re-matches.
With Italy probably having the slight edge of the teams, the match between Holland and France could be vital. If a team loses the game, they may be waving goodbye to the event whereas a draw may allow Romania to overtake both. The 13th of June is the date for this crucial tie and could leave one team in a dire position heading into the last group game.
Group D has the current holders of the tournament, it has the team who narrowly edged out England in qualification, it has one of the most consistent teams in Europe and it has the team who never lives up to its potential. Group D is certainly one of the most open of groups and each team will be thinking that if they play to their top form, they could be extending their participation to the knock-out rounds.
Any group that contains players like Torres, Ibrahimovic, Larsson, Arshavin and Alonso will be a treat for any football fan and Group D is likely to appeal to the neutrals. The form of Greece in the qualification campaign may indicate they will have a bit more attacking spirit to them than in 2004 but in all honesty, most attention will be on Spain and seeing if they can finally do themselves some justice.
How they qualified: Winners of Group C, finishing ahead of Turkey. Greece claimed 31 points from 12 games.
Coach: Otto Rehhagel
Top scorer in qualification: Theofanis Gekas
Player to look out for:
No matter what you think of their methods, the Greek team of 2004 will be forever remembered as the champions of Europe. Their use of tactics, nullifying their opponent’s key players and utilising their strength at set-pieces combined to cause a major upset. It is one thing being aware of how an opposition team will be looking to play, it is entirely another thing to stop them from doing so. Around 2004, football went through a spell of tactics winning over skill which also saw Jose Mourinho and Rafa Benitez triumphing in Europe. However, that was then and this is now. Greece qualified with 31 points, the most of any team in the qualification stages. This is even more impressive when you consider that Greece only played twelve games and there was a group of 14 games.
Compared to some of the teams taking part in Euro 2008, the Greeks may not have as many household names as the other squads but whilst their strength lies in team unity, there are still names recognisable to football fans. British fans will be aware of Georgios Samaras and Stelios at Bolton but the Greece squad can also draw from La Liga and the Bundesliga, in addition to its domestic league.
In a group that appears to be more open than the rest, there is no reason why Greece cannot force their way into the quarter final stages.
How they qualified: Winners of Group F, finishing ahead of Sweden. Spain claimed 28 points from 12 games.
Coach: Luis Aragones
Top scorer in qualification:
David Villa
Player to look out for: Fernando Torres
Previous times at the European Championship: 7
Previous times Winners of the European Championship: 1
No matter the tournament, Spain always look as though they are potential winners of the tournament but they always seem to implode somewhere along the way. A trawl of the bookmakers suggests that Spain are tucked in behind Germany and Italy and would be a decent bet to reach at least the semi-finals. If Fernando Torres can recreate his Liverpool form over the summer, there is every chance that Spain could be in with a shout. That said, it is not as if Spain are a one man team.
David Villa showed his star qualities at the 2006 World Cup and will no doubt want to shake off the effects of a poor domestic season. Spain also have a strong rearguard with Ikor Casillas remaining in fine form and will be entering the tournament on the back of another title winning year at Real Madrid. It is easy to forget how young Casillas is but this is a great opportunity to make an impact at a major international event.
Head coach Aragones is no stranger to controversy and it can only be hoped that his mind and mouth remains focused on the job at hand. If the Spaniards do take a tumble out of the tournament, do not be surprised if he takes a step down from the national team.
How they qualified: Runner up of Group F, finishing behind Spain. Sweden claimed 26 points from 12 games.
Coach: Lars Lagerback
Top scorer in qualification: Marcus Allback
Player to look out for:
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Previous times at the European Championship: 3
Previous times Winners of the European Championship: 0
The first shock from the provisional Swedish squad is that Henrik Larsson has been included. Although previously retired from the international game (at least twice), the King of Kings has been added to the potential squad and his experience may be vital in coming from the bench. A legend in Glasgow and a hero in Barcelona where he drove the team onto Champions League glory, the return of Larsson may give Sweden an extra boost to get out of Group D.
Aside from this Sweden are a consistent force, they regularly qualify for the major events and they never disgrace themselves without ever looking like they are going to make a semi-final or final again. In modern times, they reached the semi-final of the World Cup in 1994 but if the current team can make it out of the group stages, they should consider this a successful campaign.
At the back, the team will be marshalled by Juventus bound Olaf Mellberg whilst up front, the nations hopes will be riding upon Zlatan Ibrahimovic. There is no doubt that Ibrahimovic is a quality player but he is also a frustrating player for a fan to watch. He has all the skill in the world but at times he does not impose himself on matches and he can go missing when he is really needed. To prove himself as a top player, he needs to make a good showing at a major football event and this summer would be a great time for Zlatan to deliver.
Sweden will make themselves hard to beat and play to their strengths in attack. If other results go their way and perhaps with Mr. Larsson coming off the bench at the death, Sweden may just be able to squeeze into one of the qualification spots come the end of the group stages.
How they qualified: Runner up of Group F, finishing behind Croatia. Russia claimed 24 points from 12 games.
Coach: Guus Hiddink
Top scorer in qualification: Aleksandr Kerzhakov
Player to look out for:
Marat Izmailov
Previous times at the European Championship: 8 (5 as the Soviet Union, 1 as the CIS)
Previous times Winners of the European Championship: 1
It wasn’t an easy qualification ride but somehow Guus Hiddink and the Russian team sneaked into Euro 2008. When the team lost away to Israel in their second last fixture, they were left requiring a helping hand from Croatia to leapfrog England in the group. Russia did the necessary with a nervy final game win before the news that Croatia had triumphed at Wembley and the Russian dream was heading to Austria and Switzerland.
The calibre of Guus Hiddink is such that there is no great surprise he has moulded a team of such quality and to his credit, the current Russian national side is a youthful one. The national league may now be awash with money meaning that many big name imports are playing in the domestic game but there is a lot of talent still coming through.
With the Champions League final being held in Moscow this year, there has been a lot of focus on football in Russia. Expect the team to play with a packed midfield and to hit on the break whenever they can. It is going to be a tight group and Russia will set out to ensure they do not lose first. In qualifying they only let in seven goals, four of which went to England.
Yet again, this is a tricky group to call. Spain will likely play their usual matador style of football whilst the three remaining teams may impose more of a holding game. This does not look to be the group where the goals will be flying in, so perhaps gamblers who love the 0-0 draws or the under 2 goals in a game bet may be attracted to Group D. Assuming that Spain live up to their form, the other three teams will be fighting for one spot which means that a good start is vital. Greece play Sweden on Tuesday the 10th of June and defeat for either team may provide them with too much of a mountain to climb. A lot could depend on the result of the Spain versus Russia match earlier in the day though. If the early kick-off ends in a draw, the prize for winning the other game is straightforward.
A team of great players you will probably know:
A team of great players you may not know:
