European Championships Countdown: France

By Citizen Correspondent Sir Stephen

Date Posted: 05/30/08

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With just 1 week to go now the cream of Europe’s footballing nations are gearing up for the European Championships in Austria and Switzerland. The fact none of the Home Nations have managed to qualify has put a dampener on the tournament for the majority of the United Kingdom’s population, but let us not get away from the fact that true football fans will still be tuning in for a feast of great action between June 7-29. Sixteen countries divided into four groups will go head-to-head to become the pride of Europe for another four years as Greece, who stunned the football betting world in 2004, return to defend their crown. In the week ahead of the big kick-off on June 7 when co-hosts Switzerland face the Czech Republic at St Jakob Park in Basel, I have assessed the teams in each of the four groups and looked at their prospects of lifting a new version of the Henri Delaunay trophy which has been created for the Euro 2008 tournament....

GROUP C
Every tournament has a ‘Group of Death’ and that sums up Group C in Euro 2008. Reigning world champions Italy, now led by Roberto Donandoni, will now aim to become kings of Europe with their hopes resting on the likes of captain Fabio Cannavaro and striker Luca Toni.

However they must get past 1998 world champions and Euro 2000 winners France, who boast a number of star names such as Thierry Henry, Nicolas Anelka, David Trezeguet, Franck Ribery and Lilian Thuram, who already has a mammoth 137 caps to his name.The Netherlands have always threatened to emulate their Euro 88 success in recent years and they will be confident in Austria and Switzerland with prolific hitmen Ruud van Nistelrooy, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Celtic’s Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Arsenal’s Robin van Persie all available to coach Marco van Basten.

Euro 2000 quarter-finalists Romania make up Group C and they are more than capable of creating a problem for the three big guns up against them. As always in a big tournament draw there is always several highly-fancied teams thrown together which ultimately leads to a big-name first round casualty in what is commonly referred to as a ‘Group of Death’.

Euro 2008 is no different as current world champions Italy, runners up France, the impressive-looking Holland and a Romania side, who will be written off at football betting punters’ peril, are set to battle it out for just two quarter-final places.

Starting with underdogs first and Victor Piturca’s Romanian side arrive in Austria and Switzerland not expected to make much of an impact given their illustrious first-round opponents, but they are more than capable of upsetting the apple cart.