Countdown to Euro 2008

The European Football Championship is upon us again. Co-hosts Switzerland will get Euro 2008 under way against the Czech Republic in Basel on 7 June, before fellow co-hosts Austria begin their Group B campaign the following day in Vienna. Let’s take a look at all the 16 competing teams and their groupings.

Group A

Switzerland (co host)
FIFA world ranking: 44
Formation: 4-3-2-1

Czech Republic
FIFA world ranking: 6
Formation: 4-4-2
Player(s) to watch: Petr Cech

Portugal
FIFA world ranking: 11
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Player(s) to watch: Christiano Ronaldo

Turkey
FIFA world ranking: 20
Formation: 4-5-1
Player(s) to watch: Nihat Kahveci

My predictions:
Group A winner: Portugal
Runner-up: Czech

Group B

Austria (co host)
FIFA world ranking: 92
Formation: 4-4-2

Croatia
FIFA world ranking: 15
Formation: 4-1-3-2
Player(s) to watch: Luka Modric

Germany
FIFA world ranking: 5
Formation: 4-4-2
Player(s) to watch: Miroslav Klose, Michael Ballack

Poland
FIFA world ranking: 28
Formation: 4-2-3-1

My predictions
Group B winner: Germany
Runner-up: Croatia

Group C (Group of Death)

France
FIFA world ranking: 7
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Player(s) to watch: Frank Ribery

Holland
FIFA world ranking: 10
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Player(s) to watch: Rafael van der Vaart

Italy
FIFA world ranking: 3
Formation: 4-3-3
Player(s) to watch: Luca Toni

Romania
FIFA world ranking: 12
Formation: 4-4-2
Player(s) to watch: Adrian Mutu

My predictions
Group winner: France
Runner-up: Romania

Group D

Greece (Defending Champion)
FIFA world ranking: 8
Formation: 4-3-3

Spain
FIFA world ranking: 4
Formation: 4-5-1
Player(s) to watch: David Villa, Fernando Torres

Sweden
FIFA world ranking: 30
Formation: 4-1-3-2
Player(s) to watch: Zltan Ibrahimovic

Russia
FIFA world ranking: 24
Formation: 3-5-2
Player(s) to watch: Andrei Arshavin

My predictions
Group winner: Spain
Runner-up:Sweden