Two footballers playing on the Côte d’Azur will compete in the final phase. They are the Monégasques Jerko Leko and Nikola Pokrivac. They will wear the Croatian colors. No players from OGC Nice will be in the competition. However, it is worth mentioning Patrice Evra, who wore the red and black colors for two seasons (2000 and 2001), and Roland Linz (Austria) in 2004. We will be watching their performance.
The competition is intense. All sixteen teams are on the starting line. There are obviously big favorites like Italy, Germany, Spain, France, the Netherlands, and Portugal, but the other nations can be dangerous. Greece, in 2004, proved it.
Group D: Spain, Greece, Sweden, Russia
Greece, to the surprise of many, became the European champion in 2004. Four years later, after failing to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the team coached by Otto Rehhagel regained its former glory to compete in the final phase in Switzerland and Austria. The heroes of 2004 are back: Charisteas, Nikopolidis, Basinas, Karagounis, Dellas, Seitaridis, Giannakopoulos… They will be supported by the new generation, including Samaras, the physical striker from Celtic Glasgow. The Greeks can no longer rely on the element of surprise but will need to be even more united to get through a very competitive Group D, where three teams will fight for the second qualifying spot behind Spain.
Sweden has in its ranks some well-known footballers from the French championship: Lyon’s midfielder Kim Källström, Toulouse’s star striker Johan Elmander, Stade Rennais’s central defender Petter Hansson, and those who had a short stay in France: goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson, full-back Mikael Dorsin, and midfielder Christian Wilhelmsson. These quality players will complement a strong squad, with Zlatan Ibrahimović as the main star, competing with veterans Henrik Larsson and Fredrik Ljungberg. The Scandinavians have what it takes to be serious contenders for a quarter-final qualification.
Russia will be dangerous. The easternmost country in this competition will rely on players from Zenit Saint Petersburg, recent UEFA Cup winners. Arshavin, Zyryanov, Shirokov, Anyukov, Malafeev now know how to dominate the European continent. Coach Guus Hiddink, a specialist in major tournaments, regrets the absence of the giant Pogrebnyak, top scorer in the UEFA Cup. The attack will be led by a familiar face in French football, Dmitri Sychev, and rising star Andrei Arshavin. The Russians can cause a surprise in this group.
Spain is the clear favorite of Group D. It consists of stars in every position: Casillas in goal, Sergio Ramos and Carlos Puyol in defense, Cesc Fabregas and Andres Iniesta in midfield, and Fernando Torres and David Villa in attack. Spain’s main rival is itself and its collection of stars. The Spaniards have not excelled in major national competitions. The Iberians haven’t won anything since 1964 and have had to be content with a victory at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. But a year will be the year of Spain. It could be 2008!
Schedule:
Tuesday 10/06/2008
In Innsbruck 6:00 PM
SPAIN – RUSSIA
In Salzburg 8:45 PM
GREECE – SWEDEN
Saturday 14/06/2008
In Innsbruck 6:00 PM
SWEDEN – SPAIN
In Salzburg 8:45 PM
GREECE – RUSSIA
Wednesday 18/06/2008
In Innsbruck 8:45 PM
RUSSIA – SWEDEN
In Salzburg 8:45 PM
GREECE – SPAIN
Star players:
Zlatan Ibrahimović, Fernando Torres, Iker Casillas, Henrik Larsson
Revelation players:
Andrei Arshavin, Georgios Samaras, Johan Elmander, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov
Nice-Premium’s editorial prediction:
1-Spain 2-Sweden 3-Russia 4-Greece
