Euro 2012 Preview: 10 Things to Know About Germany

Germany are the most successful nation in the history of the UEFA European championship. Three European titles (1972, 1980 and 1996) place them above all others.

However, their past several major tournaments have ended in utter frustration as great German teams have been beaten within an arm's reach of glory. Their loss in the 2008 final allowed Spain to become the only other nation besides Germany and France to have won two European Championships.

This summer's edition of the UEFA European Football Championship is one that Germany will be desperate to win, and doing so would place them on top once again after suffering heartbreaking results in both the 2008 Euros and 2010 World Cup.

With only a few more months 'til the competition kicks off in Poland and the Ukraine, the build up has only just begun.

Great WAGs

Had to start things off on a lighter note.

Germany is known for having some of the best-looking fans in the stands no matter where they go.

These fräuleins are some of the best WAGs in all of football, and we are certain to get some great views during the entirety of the tournament.

Group B: The Group of Death

Germany faces by far the toughest test to get to the second round, with the Netherlands, Denmark and Portugal all standing in their way.

World Cup finalist Holland last won the European championship on German soil in 1988, but was knocked out in disappointing fashion during the quarterfinals of 2008, finishing sixth. This go around the Dutch are heavy favorites to make a run for the title.

The Danes failed to qualify for the 2008 Euros but are former champions, having lifted the 1992 trophy. Their last European championship saw them finish eighth in 2004. Denmark is the true wild card of the group, as they could beat any of their opponents on a given day and are still highly-ranked by FIFA at ninth.

Portugal is the only group member not to have won a European championship, and while the squad is highly talented, it has a knack for under-performing at the wrong time and is on the list of major nations that could be gone in the first round.

Manuel Neuer

Manuel Neuer may be making his first appearance in the European championship, but his strong 2010 FIFA World Cup performance saw him perform for his nation on the biggest stage.

He will be key to the club being able to hold off attack after attack, as he will see some of the best attackers in the tournament between Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani, as well as the Netherlands' Robin Van Persie and Denmark's Christian Eriksen.

Young Defense

Germany have one of the younger sides going into the tournament at the moment.

Their defense has an average age of 24, and the highly-talented likes of Borussia Dortmund's Mats Hummels and Bayern Munich's Holger Badstuber and Jerome Boateng are all prime contenders for starts at just 23 years old.

Bayern's Phillip Lahm is sure to return as the captain in the back, but he is likely to see Hummels or Badstuber by his side rather than older former partners like Per Mertesacker of Arsenal.

Podolski and Schweinsteiger

Lukas Podolski and Bastian Schweinsteiger will be hugely important to their nation once again.

There is no hiding their ability or their importance to the national side, as the two already have 95 (Podolski) and 90 (Schweinsteiger) appearances at the ages of 27 and 26.

The two have combined for 66 goals—43 for Podolski and 23 by Schweinsteiger.

Schweinsteiger also has 30 assists to add to his goals, while Podolski has nine.

Miroslav Klose

This will most likely be the last major tournament of Miroslav Klose's remarkable international career. With 63 goals in 114 appearances for his nation, he is the second all-time leading goal scorer for Germany, only five goals behind the legendary Gerd Müller.

His continued ability to score for his nation was highlighted with nine goals over the 2012 European championship qualifying rounds.

Germany will need their veteran goal scorer up front to help Mario Gomez—his future replacement—shine.

Qualifying Statistics vs Group Opponents

Germany had strong numbers on all sides of their team during the European championship qualification phase.

The nation's 34 goals scored were only outpaced by fellow Group B nation the Netherlands, with 37 goals scored.

Only seven goals were allowed against the team, and the only other Group B nation with a better total was Denmark, who only allowed in six while scoring just 15 for themselves.

Portugal was middle-of-the-road in both categories, with 14 goals against and 27 for.

Phenomenal Fan Support

Co-host nation Poland is a geographical neighbor to Germany, just as Austria and Switzerland were in 2008.

If you think the fan support in Austria and Switzerland was strong four years ago, you can be sure it will be just as great or better this summer.

With three of the hardest games in the opening round—against Portugal, the Netherlands and Denmark—the German national team will need all the support they can get.

Talented Youngsters Set to Explode

This summer will see Germany have some of the best young talent in the world on display.

Borussia Dortmund's Mario Götze, at only 19, is likely to be one of those that step into the spotlight and shine for their nation at the Euros.

Other young players that will look to begin a long tenure with the national team are Bayern Munich 22-year-olds Toni Kroos and Thomas Müller.

Mesut Ozil at 23 is still looking to make an even bigger impact, as are fellow 23-year-olds, Mats Hummels and Holger Badstuber.

Rounding out the possible youth display are several others in their early 20s, such as Borussia Monchengladbach's Marco Reus, Schalke 04 defender Benedikt Höwedes, VfL Wolfsburg's Christian Träsch, and Lars and Sven Bender of Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund, respectively.

Expectations of Victory

In Germany's proud European championship history, they have already lifted Europe's biggest national trophy three times in 1972, 1980 and 1996.

What those results don't tell you is that every time they have finished second place in the competition, the nation has come back and won the following tournament.

In 2008 Germany were beaten 0-1 by Spain, thanks to a Fernando Torres goal. This time around the Germans will be out to make sure history repeats itself in their favor.

Conclusion

Germany have a deep and rich European championship history, and they are chomping at the bit to get back on top of Europe.

Although they face a daunting task of getting out of Group B alive, if they succeed in that trial they will have even higher expectations on their backs.

How far do you think Germany can go this summer?

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