Euro 2012 Predictions

This should be a great tournament. A lot of competition, especially in Groups B and C with Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, and Spain. These countries are definitely the frontrunners to win the tournament. They've had the most success in international play and have the most talent. Here's who will likely come out of each group:

Group A:

Russia and Poland. By far the weakest group in the Euro 2012. With the Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, and Greece, there really isn't any threat of these teams going deep into the tournament. With that being said, I like Russia and Poland to come out of this group. These teams haven't had a lot of international success, especially in the Euro tournaments, but this year is different. Russia and Poland have more talent this year and with weak competition in their group, I expect these teams to come out into the knockout stage.

Group B:

Germany and the Netherlands. Many aren't picking the Netherlands to advance, but they seem to forget that this team was in the finals of the World Cup two years ago. Portugal has some ability and you can never discount a team with Christiano Ronaldo playing on it, but Germany and the Netherlands are more well-rounded with better defenses and scoring threats. Denmark shouldn't pose much of a problem either.

Group C:

Italy and Spain. This is the easiest group to predict. Italy and Spain are proven teams with boatloads of talent. Spain just won the World Cup two years ago and their forwards looks terrific. Italy isn't as stacked as Spain, but they make up for it with good coaching and great game planning. Ireland and Croatia have never been international players and still lack the talent to go far in tournaments.

Group D:

England and France. This group will probably be the most competitive. England and France are great teams, but won't totally overpower Sweden and Ukraine. England and France have been in transition for the last few years. They have a new generation of players. The one wild-card here could be experience. Many players on England and France only have a limited number of international caps under their belts. I expect the superstars on England like John Terry and Steven Gerrard to take charge though. France doesn't have a superstar, but a group of more than capable players who can defend well and stretch the field.