Euro 2008 preview

The 2008 European Football Championship will take place in Austria and Switzerland, from 7 June to 29 June 2008. A total of 16 national teams will participate in the competition, divided into four groups of four teams each. Austria and Switzerland automatically qualified as hosts, while the remaining 14 teams have been determined through qualifying matches.

According to the current odds, Germany is once again the bookies' favourite to win the newly designed EURO 2008 trophy. Their main rivals are world champions Italy, Spain, France and Portugal. Here are the odds for the outright winner of EURO 2008:

A		B		C		D
Portugal	8.5	Germany	4.75	Italy	7	Spain	7.25
Czech Rep.	17	Croatia	15	France	8.5	Greece	26
Switzerland	34	Poland	51	Netherlands	13	Russia	26
Turkey	51	Austria	81	Romania	41	Sweden	34

Czech Republic | Portugal | Switzerland | Turkey

Czech Republic

Czech Republic had an outstanding record in qualifying, conceding only five goals in 12 matches and topping their group by two points ahead of Germany. Coach Karel Bruckner took command after the Czechs failed to qualify for the 2002 World Cup and created what many observers have said was the most exiting Czech side ever. Besides his midfield worries after losing Tomas Rosicky just weeks before the tournament, Bruckner could also face problems in the attack.

Goalkeepers: Petr Cech (Chelsea), Jaromir Blazek (Nurnberg), Daniel Zitka (Anderlecht)

Defenders: Zdenek Grygera (Juventus), Radoslav Kovac (Spartak Moscow), Marek Jankulovski (Milan), Zdenek Pospech (Kobenhavn), Michal Kadlec (Sparta Prague), Tomas Ujfalusi (Fiorentina), David Rozehnal (Newcastle United)

Midfielders: Jan Polak (Anderlecht), Tomas Galasek (Nurnberg), Libor Sionko (Kobenhavn), David Jarolim (Hamburg), Marek Matejovsky (Reading), Tomas Sivok (Sparta Prague), Rudolf Skacel (Southampton), Jaroslav Plasil (Osasuna)

Forwards: Martin Fenin (Eintracht Frankfurt), Jan Koller (Nurnberg), Vaclav Sverkos (Banik Ostrava), Stanislav Vlcek (Anderlecht), Milan Baros (Portsmouth)

Portugal

After coming close in the last two major tournaments, Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari will have a much-improved Cristiano Ronaldo to lead the team as they bid to finally win a major trophy. A good showing in Switzerland and Austria will almost certainly secure Ronaldo FIFA's Player of the Year award. Portugal lost only one game in qualifying, but had to endure a nervous finale before claiming their place in the EURO 2008 finals as runners-up to Poland.

Goalkeepers: Ricardo (Betis), Quim (Benfica), Rui Patricio (Sporting)

Defenders: Paulo Ferreira (Chelsea), Bruno Alves (Porto), Jose Bosingwa (Porto), Fernando Meira (Stuttgart), Miguel (Valencia), Jorge Ribeiro (Boavista), Pepe (Real Madrid), Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea)

Midfielders: Raul Meireles (Porto), Petit (Benfica), Joao Moutinho (Sporting), Miguel Veloso (Sporting), Deco (Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)

Forwards: Hugo Almeida (Werder Bremen), Simao (Atletico Madrid), Ricardo Quaresma (Porto), Nani (Manchester United), Nuno Gomes (Benfica), Helder Postiga (Porto)

Switzerland

Automatically qualified as co-hosts, Switzerland will hope to secure the quarter-finals of a European Championships for the first time in their history. They were eliminated from the 2006 World Cup without conceding a goal in open play. Coach Jakob "Kobi" Kuhn has a major role in Switzerland's recent progress. But the current situation is very unpleasant for Kuhn's team following four straight losses in friendlies and mounting injury problems, especially in defense.

Goalkeepers: Diego Benaglio (Wolfsburg), Pascal Zuberbuhler (Neuchatel Xamax), Eldin Jakupovic (Grasshoppers)

Defenders: Johan Djourou (Arsenal), Ludovic Magnin (Stuttgart), Philippe Senderos (Arsenal), Stephan Lichtsteiner (Lille), Stephane Grichting (Auxerre), Christoph Spycher (Eintracht Frankfurt), Patrick Muller (Lyon), Philipp Degen (Borussia Dortmund)

Midfielders: Benjamin Huggel (Basel), Ricardo Cabanas (Grasshoppers), Gokhan Inler (Udinese), Hakan Yakin (Young Boys), Daniel Gygax (Metz), Gelson Fernandes (Manchester City), Tranquillo Barnetta (Bayer Leverkusen), Valon Behrami (Lazio)

Forwards: Alexander Frei (Borussia Dortmund), Marco Streller (Basel), Eren Derdiyok (Basel), Johan Vonlanthen (Red Bull Salzburg)

Turkey

It is only the third time Turkey have qualified for the European Championship finals, but they could surprise many and advance past the group stage with their strong young talent. The EURO 2008 squad will have a new look and feel with coach Fatih Terim not calling up longtime player Hakan Sukur. Turkey finished second in their group behind European champions Greece, but made heavy work of qualifying after a stirring start.

Goalkeepers: Rustu Recber (Besiktas), Tolga Zengin (Trabzonspor), Volkan Demirel (Fenerbahce)

Defenders: Servet Cetin (Galatasaray), Hakan Balta (Galatasaray), Gokhan Zan (Besiktas), Emre Gungor (Galatasaray), Emre Asik (Galatasaray), Ugur Boral (Fenerbahce), Sabri Sarioglu (Galatasaray)

Midfielders: Emre Belozoglu (Newcastle United), Mehmet Topal (Galatasaray), Mehmet Aurelio (Fenerbahce), Tumer Metin (Larissa), Arda Turan (Galatasaray), Colin Kazim-Richards (Fenerbahce), Ayhan Akman (Galatasaray), Hamit Altintop (Bayern Munich)

Forwards: Nihat Kahveci (Villarreal), Semih Senturk (Fenerbahce), Gokdeniz Karadeniz (Rubin Kazan), Tuncay Sanli (Middlesbrough), Mevlut Erdinc (Sochaux)

Germany | Croatia | Poland | Austria

Germany

Germany haven't won a game at the continental tournament since their last title, in 1996, but the three-time European champions and will arrive at EURO 2008 with one eye on adding a fourth crown to their collection. The defense is the weakest section of the team, while the forward line is likely to be coach Joachim Loew's best weapon. Germany also have impressive winning records against Group B opponents Croatia, Poland and Austria.

Goalkeepers: Jens Lehmann (Arsenal), Robert Enke (Hannover), Rene Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)

Defenders: Marcell Jansen (Bayern Munich), Arne Friedrich (Hertha), Clemens Fritz (Werder Bremen), Heiko Westermann (Schalke), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Christoph Metzelder (Real Madrid)

Midfielders: Simon Rolfes (Bayer Leverkusen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Torsten Frings (Werder Bremen), Michael Ballack (Chelsea), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburg), Thomas Hitzlsperger (Stuttgart), Tim Borowski (Werder Bremen), David Odonkor (Betis)

Forwards: Mario Gomez (Stuttgart), Oliver Neuville (Borussia Monchengladbach), Miroslav Klose (Bayern Munich), Lukas Podolski (Bayern Munich), Kevin Kuranyi (Schalke)

Croatia

Six months after the Croats knocked England out of EURO 2008, they travel in Austria and Switzerland with a shaky defense, a strong midfield, and an attack dented by the injury to Eduardo Da Silva. Another potential weak point is in goal. "Our primary objective is to get past the group stage" said Croatia boss Slaven Bilic, who has been called one of Europe's most talented coaches.

Goalkeepers: Stipe Pletikosa (Spartak Moscow), Mario Galinovic (Panathinaikos), Vedran Runje (Lens)

Defenders: Dario Simic (Milan), Josip Simunic (Hertha), Robert Kovac (Borussia Dortmund), Vedran Corluka (Manchester City), Hrvoje Vejic (Tom Tomsk), Dario Knezevic (Livorno)

Midfielders: Ivan Rakitic (Schalke), Ognjen Vukojevic (Dynamo Kyiv), Niko Kovac (Red Bull Salzburg), Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk), Nikola Pokrivac (Monaco), Luka Modric (Tottenham Hotspur), Jerko Leko (Monaco), Niko Kranjcar (Portsmouth), Danijel Pranjic (Heerenveen)

Forwards: Nikola Kalinic (Hajduk Split), Ivan Klasnic (Werder Bremen), Ivica Olic (Hamburg), Igor Budan (Parma), Mladen Petric (Borussia Dortmund)

Poland

Coach Leo Beenhakker guided Poland to their first-ever appearance at the European Championship, surprising many by edging Portugal to win their qualifying group. The Dutchman's arrival in July 2006 reshaped a team that were devastated by their poor World Cup performance in Germany. Beenhakker admits his squad lacks star players, but for every opponent they are a very difficult team to beat.

Goalkeepers: Artur Boruc (Celtic), Tomasz Kuszczak (Manchester United), Lukasz Fabianski (Arsenal)

Defenders: Mariusz Jop (Moscow), Jakub Wawrzyniak (Legia Warsaw), Pawel Golanski (Steaua Bucuresti), Jacek Bak (Austria Vienna), Marcin Wasilewski (Anderlecht), Michal Zewlakow (Olympiacos), Adam Kokoszka (Wisla Krakow)

Midfielders: Dariusz Dudka (Wisla Krakow), Jacek Krzynowek (Wolfsburg), Lukasz Gargula (Belchatow), Michal Pazdan (Gornik Zabrze), Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund), Wojciech Lobodzinski (Wisla Krakow), Mariusz Lewandowski (Shakhtar Donetsk), Rafal Murawski (Lech Poznan), Roger Guerreiro (Legia Warsaw)

Forwards: Euzebiusz Smolarek (Racing Santander), Maciej Zurawski (Larissa), Marek Saganowski (Southampton), Tomasz Zahorski (Gornik Zabrze)

Austria

The Austrians have automatically qualified for EURO 2008 as joint hosts, their first major contest since the 1998 World Cup. Austria, by far the lowest-ranked team at the tournament, slipped out of FIFA's top 100 for the first time earlier this year after a poor run of results. However, surviving the first round, in their first-ever EURO appearance, is the ultimate goal, said coach Josef Hickersberger.

Goalkeepers: Alex Manninger (Siena), Jurgen Macho (AEK Athens), Ramazan Ozcan (Red Bull Salzburg)

Defenders: Martin Stranzl (Spartak Moscow), Emanuel Pogatetz (Middlesbrough), Ronald Gercaliu (Red Bull Salzburg), Markus Katzer (Rapid), Gyorgy Garics (Napoli), Sebastian Prodl (Sturm Graz), Jurgen Patocka (Rapid), Martin Hiden (Rapid)

Midfielders: Joachim Standfest (Austria Vienna), Christian Fuchs (Mattersburg), Rene Aufhauser (Red Bull Salzburg), Ivica Vastic (Linz), Christoph Leitgeb (Red Bull Salzburg), Andreas Ivanschitz (Red Bull Salzburg), Umit Korkmaz (Rapid), Jurgen Saumel (Sturm Graz)

Forwards: Roland Linz (Braga), Roman Kienast (HamKam), Martin Harnik (Werder Bremen), Erwin Hoffer (Rapid)

France | Italy | Netherlands | Romania

France

Increasing competition for places has helped France build a solid team for EURO 2008, probably their most balanced look in many years. With the emergence of young talents, coach Raymond Domenech has also established stars and experienced veterans. Many observers pick France to win their third European crown, but if the 2006 World Cup finalists are to add to their 1984 and 2000 titles, they will need to progress from the toughest group.

Goalkeepers: Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Sebastien Frey (Fiorentina), Gregory Coupet (Lyon)

Defenders: Jean-Alain Boumsong (Lyon), Eric Abidal (Barcelona), William Gallas (Arsenal), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Francois Clerc (Lyon), Lilian Thuram (Barcelona), Sebastien Squillaci (Lyon), Willy Sagnol (Bayern Munich)

Midfielders: Patrick Vieira (Inter), Claude Makelele (Chelsea), Florent Malouda (Chelsea), Samir Nasri (Marseille), Jeremy Toulalan (Lyon), Lassana Diarra (Portsmouth), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich)

Forwards: Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea), Karim Benzema (Lyon), Sidney Govou (Lyon), Thierry Henry (Barcelona), Bafetimbi Gomis (Saint-Etienne)

Italy

Italy ended their streak of bad luck in World Cups two years ago. Now, the World champions want to show they can do the same at EURO 2008 after their only continental triumph came on home soil in 1968. Coach Roberto Donadoni was hired when Marcello Lippi resigned immediately after the victory in Germany. Francesco Totti and Alessandro Nesta also retired from international play, but the Italy squad hasn't changed much either.

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Marco Amelia (Livorno), Morgan De Sanctis (Sevilla)

Defenders: Christian Panucci (Roma), Fabio Grosso (Lyon), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Andrea Barzagli (Palermo), Gianluca Zambrotta (Barcelona), Marco Materazzi (Inter)

Midfielders: Gennaro Gattuso (Milan), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Massimo Ambrosini (Milan), Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus), Simone Perrotta (Roma), Andrea Pirlo (Milan), Alberto Aquilani (Roma)

Forwards: Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus), Luca Toni (Bayern Munich), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Marco Borriello (Genoa), Fabio Quagliarella (Udinese), Antonio Cassano (Real Madrid)

Netherlands

The Netherlands remain one of the most powerful sides, but player scandals have followed the Dutch for years. The latest is Clarence Seedorf 's decision to skip EURO 2008. However, twenty years after winning their only European title, Marco van Basten will look to finish with cup glory again, this time as a coach. The team is expected to look similar to the World Cup squad of 2006, when they easily survived also the toughest group.

Goalkeepers: Edwin van der Sar (Manchester United), Henk Timmer (Feyenoord), Maarten Stekelenburg (Ajax)

Defenders: Andre Ooijer (Blackburn Rovers), John Heitinga (Ajax), Joris Mathijsen (Hamburg), Mario Melchiot (Wigan Athletic), Wilfred Bouma (Aston Villa), Tim de Cler (Feyenoord)

Midfielders: Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord), Demy de Zeeuw (AZ Alkmaar), Orlando Engelaar (Twente), Wesley Sneijder (Real Madrid), Nigel de Jong (Hamburg), Ibrahim Afellay (PSV Eindhoven), Rafael van der Vaart (Hamburg)

Forwards: Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid), Arjen Robben (Real Madrid), Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Ajax), Ryan Babel (Liverpool), Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink (Celtic)

Romania

Romania finished ahead of the Netherlands in qualifying, holding them to a 0-0 draw in Rotterdam and then progressing to EURO 2008 with a 1-0 win at home. So, coach Victor Piturca's side will hold some psychological advantage over one of their Group C rivals, but they are also more than capable of upsetting their illustrious first-round opponents. Piturca has built a solid team that relies on discipline.

Goalkeepers: Bogdan Lobont (Dinamo Bucuresti), Marius Popa (Politehnica Timisoara), Eduard Stancioiu (Cluj)

Defenders: Cosmin Contra (Getafe), Razvan Rat (Shakhtar Donetsk), Gabriel Tamas (Auxerre), Cristian Chivu (Inter), Cristian Sapunaru (Rapid Bucuresti), Sorin Ghionea (Steaua Bucuresti), Dorin Goian (Steaua Bucuresti), Cosmin Moti (Dinamo Bucuresti), Stefan Radu (Dinamo Bucuresti)

Midfielders: Mirel Radoi (Steaua Bucuresti), Florentin Petre (CSKA Sofia), Paul Codrea (Siena), Razvan Cocis (Lokomotiv Moscow), Banel Nicolita (Steaua Bucuresti), Adrian Cristea (Dinamo Bucuresti), Nicolae Dica (Steaua Bucuresti)

Forwards: Ciprian Marica (Stuttgart), Adrian Mutu (Fiorentina), Marius Niculae (Inverness Caledonian Thistle), Daniel Niculae (Auxerre)

Greece | Russia | Spain | Sweden

Greece

The Greeks surprisingly won the title at EURO 2004, ending their stunning run with three straight 1-0 wins against France, the Czech Republic and host Portugal. After their failure to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, Greece's longest-serving coach Otto Rehhagel said his team's initial target in Switzerland and Austria is to get past the group stages. Despite the modest ambitions, Rehhagel's team now has more depth and experience than four years ago and more options from the bench.

Goalkeepers: Antonios Nikopolidis (Olympiacos), Konstantinos Chalkias (Aris), Alexandros Tzorvas (OFI Crete)

Defenders: Giourkas Seitaridis (Atletico Madrid), Christos Patsatzoglou (Olympiacos), Nikos Spiropoulos (Panathinaikos), Traianos Dellas (AEK Athens), Loukas Vyntra (Panathinaikos), Vasilis Torosidis (Olympiacos), Sotirios Kyrgiakos (Eintracht Frankfurt), Yannis Goumas (Panathinaikos), Paraskevas Antzas (Olympiacos)

Midfielders: Angelos Basinas (Mallorca), Stelios Giannakopoulos (Bolton Wanderers), Giorgos Karagounis (Panathinaikos), Kostas Katsouranis (Benfica), Alexandros Tziolis (Panathinaikos)

Forwards: Georgios Samaras (Manchester City), Angelos Charisteas (Nurnberg), Dimitrios Salpigidis (Panathinaikos), Theofanis Gekas (Bayer Leverkusen), Ioannis Amanatidis (Eintracht Frankfurt), Nikolaos Liberopoulos (AEK Athens)

Russia

Since the break up of the Soviet Union, Russia haven't done much at the European Championship. However, coach Guus Hiddink's legacy in Russian football has already been assured, regardless of the team's showing in Switzerland and Austria. After guiding his unfancied side to EURO 2008 against some unlikely odds, the Dutchman has chosen six players from the UEFA Cup-winning Zenit St. Petersburg in the provisional squad for the continental tournament.

Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow), Vladimir Gabulov (Kuban), Vyacheslav Malafeev (Zenit St. Petersburg)

Defenders: Vasili Berezutskiy (CSKA Moscow), Renat Yanbayev (Lokomotiv Moscow), Sergei Ignashevich (CSKA Moscow), Aleksei Berezutskiy (CSKA Moscow), Denis Kolodin (Dynamo Moscow), Roman Shirokov (Zenit St. Petersburg), Aleksandr Anyukov (Zenit St. Petersburg)

Midfielders: Dmitri Torbinsky (Lokomotiv Moscow), Sergei Semak (Rubin Kazan), Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (Lokomotiv Moscow), Konstantin Zyrianov (Zenit St. Petersburg), Yuri Zhirkov (CSKA Moscow), Igor Semshov (Dynamo Moscow), Vladimir Bystrov (Spartak Moscow)

Forwards: Roman Adamov (Moscow), Ivan Saenko (Nurnberg), Andrei Arshavin (Zenit St. Petersburg), Pavel Pogrebnyak (Zenit St. Petersburg), Roman Pavlyuchenko (Spartak Moscow), Dmitri Sychev (Lokomotiv Moscow)

Spain

Spain are heading into the European Championship with "the best players on paper" and as one of the favorites, just like at just about every other major tournament. However, they won their only major international title at home at EURO 1964. At the 2006 World Cup, they lost to France in the second round. The core of coach Luis Aragones' squad is relatively unchanged since then, the one notable absentee remaining Real Madrid striker Raul Gonzalez.

Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Andres Palop (Sevilla), Jose Manuel Reina (Liverpool)

Defenders: Raul Albiol (Valencia), Fernando Navarro (Mallorca), Carlos Marchena (Valencia), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Joan Capdevila (Villarreal), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Alvaro Arbeloa (Liverpool), Juanito (Betis)

Midfielders: Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Xavi (Barcelona), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Santi Cazorla (Villarreal), Xabi Alonso (Liverpool), Marcos Senna (Villarreal), David Silva (Valencia), Ruben de la Red (Getafe)

Forwards: David Villa (Valencia), Fernando Torres (Liverpool), Sergio Garcia (Zaragoza), Dani Guiza (Mallorca)

Sweden

With the surprise return of veteran striker Henrik Larsson, Sweden's squad look solid in all positions except between the posts. Coach Lars Lagerback, entering his fifth consecutive major championship with Sweden, is counting on mostly the same players he selected for the 2006 World Cup. Lagerback's side made a bright start in the EURO 2008 qualifying campaign, but they completed the job on a dramatic final round, finishing in second place in their group behind Spain.

Goalkeepers: Andreas Isaksson (Manchester City), Rami Shaaban (Hammarby), Johan Wiland (Elfsborg)

Defenders: Mikael Nilsson (Panathinaikos), Olof Mellberg (Aston Villa), Petter Hansson (Stade Rennais), Fredrik Stoor (Rosenborg), Daniel Majstorovic (Basel), Andreas Granqvist (Wigan Athletic), Mikael Dorsin (Cluj)

Midfielders: Tobias Linderoth (Galatasaray), Niclas Alexandersson (Goteborg), Anders Svensson (Elfsborg), Fredrik Ljungberg (West Ham United), Kim Kallstrom (Lyon), Sebastian Larsson (Birmingham City), Daniel Andersson (Malmo), Christian Wilhelmsson (Nantes)

Forwards: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter), Johan Elmander (Toulouse), Henrik Larsson (Helsingborg), Marcus Allback (Kobenhavn), Markus Rosenberg (Werder Bremen)