UEFA Euro 2012 Group A Guide: Poland, Greece, Russia and Czech Republic

With less than two months to go until Euro 2012 kicks off in Poland and Ukraine, we take a look at the teams who'll do battle in Group A—Poland, Greece, Russia and Czech Republic.

Poland

FIFA World Ranking: 65th

Coach

Well-traveled coach Franciszek Smuda took over the Polish national team in 2009, by which time their World Cup 2010 qualifying hopes were already over. Smuda then faced the difficult task of preparing Poland for this summer's tournament without a single competitive game to learn from.

Qualification

As hosts, Poland didn't have to qualify for Euro 2012.

Form

Poland have lost just three times in their last 17 friendly matches, dating back to October 2010. Notable results include a 2-1 victory against Argentina, a 2-2 draw against Germany and a 2-2 draw with the United States.

Star Player

Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski will be leading the line for Poland at Euro 2012. The 23-year-old has scored 13 times in 40 appearances for his country and has furthered his reputation as a natural finisher in the Bundesliga.

Euro 2012 Fixtures

vs. Greece (8th June, Warsaw), vs. Russia (12th June, Warsaw), vs. Czech Republic (16th June, Wroclaw)

Overview

Three games before a partisan home crowd should give Poland a real chance of progressing from the group stages. They remain something of an unknown quantity, given their lack of competitive games, however.

"We've created a young team, with an average age between 23 and 24 years old," said Smuda, per UEFA's website. "However, we have found a team that plays to 100 percent of its capabilities. First it was necessary to find the first XI, and then 25, 26 players."

Greece

FIFA World Ranking: 14th

Coach

Portuguese coach Fernando Santos took over in July 2010 and has been extremely successful thus far—earning himself a new contract to last until the 2014 World Cup. Greece have lost just once in his 19 games in charge.

Qualification

Greece went unbeaten in qualifying for Euro 2012, finishing top of a group that included Croatia, Israel, Latvia, Georgia and Malta.

They won seven and drew three of their matches, but it's worth pointing out Santos' team only managed 14 goals in 10 games—the second-lowest haul of the 16 teams who qualified (Czech Republic scored 12, though they did add three more in the playoffs).

Form

Greece have played three friendlies since completing the qualifying process, drawing with both Belgium and Russia and ending a run of 17 games unbeaten when they fell 3-1 at home to Romania.

Star Player

Olympiacos defender Avraam Papadopoulos was named Greek Player of the Year for 2011 and played a big part in his team's qualification process. Greece conceded just five times in 10 games. The 27-year-old, Australian-born Papadopoulos was by all accounts their rock.

Euro 2012 Fixtures

vs. Poland (8th June, Warsaw), vs. Czech Republic (12th June, Wroclaw), vs. Russia (16th June, Warsaw)

Overview

Well-organized, disciplined and miserly in defense, Greece will—as usual—be hard to break down. Don't expect too many fireworks going forward, but Santos' team are eminently capable of squeezing their way through to the knockout stages. A repeat of their 2004 triumph is highly unlikely, however.

Russia

FIFA World Ranking: 11th

Coach

Dick Advocaat is a veteran of coaching at the international level, having previously been employed by the Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, South Korea and Belgium. The Dutchman took the Russia job in July 2010.

Qualification

Russia topped their group in qualifying, with their one slip coming in a home loss to Slovakia. In 10 matches, they conceded just four times.

Form

Unbeaten since a 1-0 loss to Iraq in February 2011, Russia's two most recent friendlies brought a 1-1 draw with Greece and a 2-0 win away in Denmark.

Star Player

The obvious candidates here are Roman Pavlyuchenko and Andrei Arshavin, but watch out for CSKA Moscow's 21-year-old midfielder Alan Dzagoev. He scored four times in qualifying and is highly rated by Advocaat. Dzagoev needs to recover from a broken toe to get there, though.

Euro 2012 Fixtures

vs. Czech Republic (8th June, Wroclaw), vs. Poland (12th June, Warsaw), vs. Greece (16th June, Warsaw)

Overview

Russia have a hugely experienced coach, a solid defense and a handful of players capable of producing attacking inspiration.

A win against Czech Republic first up is key, because taking on Poland in front of a home crowd will be tough and nobody wants to go into a game against Greece needing a victory.

Czech Republic

FIFA World Ranking: 26th

Coach

Michal Bilek took over the Czech team in 2009, after they failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The 46-year-old will be entering his first major tournament as a coach, no doubt drawing on his experience as a player with the Czech Republic at the 1990 World Cup.

Qualification

The Czechs finished runners-up to Spain in their qualifying group, and made Euro 2012 via a 3-0 aggregate playoff victory against Montenegro. They lost twice to Spain in the group stages and also fell at home to Lithuania.

As mentioned earlier, Bilek's team scored the fewest goals of all 16 Euro 2012 qualifiers in the group stages—managing just 12 in 10 games.

Form

Following their 2-0 and 1-0 wins against Montenegro, Czech Republic traveled to face Republic of Ireland in a friendly that finished 1-1.

Star Player

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech will be key to their chances. The 29-year-old will captain the Czech team this summer and has plenty of experience to offer in his 88 international caps.

Euro 2012 Fixtures

vs. Russia (8th June, Wroclaw), vs. Greece (12th June, Wroclaw), vs. Poland (18th June, Wroclaw)

Overview

On paper, Czech Republic are perhaps the weakest team in the group. They have a young coach and have struggled to score goals. It's hard to see them emerging from the group stages.