Coming up - Euro 2008

For the uninitiated, the Euro Cup is the most prestigious footballing tournament after the World Cup, simply because Europe is where the depth in footballing strength lies. Talk about Euro 2008, and the first noteworthy feature about this event has to be the absence of England(an for that matter, any UK teams). Yes, this is not the first time that is happening but still, a Euro without the likes of Rooney, Gerrard, Beckam, Lampard......(the list goes on, actually) does lose a bit of sheen. That said, it's not as if England faced very difficult qualifying rounds or had some other bad luck. 'If they are not there, they simply don't deserve to be there' might just be the harsh truth. The show must, and will go on.....

The format is simple - 4 groups of 4 teams each. Two teams qualify from each group, and the rest of the tournament is the usual knockout format - quarterfinals, semifinals and of course, the Final. Here is a look at the groups for the tournament -

Group A
Switzerland, Czech Republic, Portugal, Turkey

Group B
Austria, Croatia, Germany, Poland

Group C
Netherlands, Italy, Romania, France

Group D
Greece, Sweden, Spain, Russia

QF #1 - Winner Group A v Runner-up Group B
QF #2 - Winner Group B v Runner-up Group A
QF #3 - Winner Group C v Runner-up Group D
QF #4 - Winner Group D v Runner-up Group C
SF #1 - QF 1 Winner v QF 2 Winner
SF #2 - QF 3 Winner v QF 4 Winner
Final - SF #1 Winner v SF #2 Winner

Now, it is not expected that all groups be evenly balanced in a tournament of this sort and the draw of lots always brings about mixed responses from different teams. And this time too, there is a group of death - Group C, with France, Italy and the Netherlands not only rule Romania out of any realistic pre-tournament ambitions but also themselves have their tasks cut out. World Champions Italy certainly seem to have the personnel to go through, but you simply cannot count out the evergreen Les Bleus or the attractive and flair-filled Dutchmen. What you can be sure of, though, is some hard fought football- mostly exciting too! Elsewhere, Portugal will be expected to ease their way into the knockout phase from Group A, with the other 3 teams all fighting for the other berth. Similarly, Germany will be heavy favourites to top group B, with 'England-killers' Croatia most likely to bag the 2nd spot. However, don't rule Poland out. Atleast, not just as yet. Group-D meanwhile provides perennial underdogs Spain the perfect platform to launch themselves into the knockout stages. With the kind of players have, Christopher Colombus(sorry, my knowledge of Spanish history is limited!) will be turning in his grave if they don't make it to the quarterfinals. Though Sweden may look stronger than Greece on paper, who can discount the defending champions so easily? This group might not have the heavyweights but should be just as interesting.

Finally, who are the favourites for this Euro? Well, for their history, experience and well-rounded teams, one would expect Italy, France and Germany to be the safe favourites. But, having said that, Portugal look menacingly dangerous, Spain certainly have the ammunition to give any defence sleepless nights, and Holland also possess a team brimming with flair and a lot of quality. And, apart from all these big-name teams, there are also the less fancied Sweden, Poland and some other outfits raring to show that they are up to it. Now, who can bet that they won't do a Greece?????

Let the action begin........