Euro 2012 Preview: Breaking Down the Entire Field

It's now just three days to go until the festivities of Euro 2012 begin in Poland and Ukraine.

Matches begin on Friday, June 8, and run through until the final on July 1.

With various squads having to make last-minute changes due to injuries, it can be hard to keep up with the final 23-man rosters.

Herein lies a breakdown of what you can expect to see from each team at Euro 2012. Please note that squads are subject to change should injuries occur.

Poland

Poland are coached by Franciszek Smuda and are co-hosts of the tournament along with Ukraine. Euro 2012 marks only the second time Poland has featured in the European Championships, the last occasion being Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland.

Poland feature in Group A alongside Russia, Greece and the Czech Republic.

Their 23-man squad is as follows:

Goalkeepers

Wojciech Szczesny, Grzegorz Sandomierski, Przemyslaw Tyton

Defenders

Marcin Kaminski, Grzegorz Wojtkowiak, Sebastian Boenisch, Jakub Wawrzyniak, Damien Perquis, Marcin Wasilewski, Lukasz Piszczek

Midfielders

Rafal Murawski, Ludovic Obraniak, Maciej Rybus, Eugen Polanski, Adam Matuszczyk, Dariusz Dudka, Jakub Blaszczykowski (c), Rafal Wolski, Adrian Mierzejewski, Kamil Grosicki

Forwards

Robert Lewandowski, Artur Sobiech, Pawel Brozek

One to watch

Robert Lewandowski is Poland's hottest property. The striker notched 30 goals in 46 appearances for Borussia Dortmund last season and is a transfer target for many top European clubs.

Russia

Russia are coached by Dick Advocaat and have a strong European Championship history.

Having won the first-ever European Championship in 1960, the Russians have been runners-up three times, as well as having a third- and fourth-place finish to their name—although admittedly most of those results were under the guise of the former Soviet Union.

Russia feature in Group A alongside Poland, Greece and the Czech Republic.

Their 23-man squad consists of:

Goalkeepers

Igor Akinfeev, Vyacheslav Malafeev, Anton Shunin

Defenders

Alexander Anyukov, Aleksei Berezutski, Sergei Ignashevich, Roman Sharonov, Vladimir Granat, Kirill Nababkin

Midfielders

Igor Denisov, Roman Shirokov, Konstantin Zyryanov, Yuri Zhirkov, Alan Dzagoev, Igor Semshov, Denis Glushakov, Marat Izmailov, Dmitri Kombarov

Forwards

Andrey Arshavin (c), Aleksandr Kerzhakov, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Aleksandr Kokorin, Pavel Pogrebnyak

One to watch

Twenty-one-year-old Alan Dzagoev is the creative influence for CSKA Moscow and Russia. Dzagoev scored an impressive four goals and garnered one assist in his eight Euro 2012 qualification appearances for his country.

Greece

Fernando Santos is the man charged with winning the Euro 2012 tournament with Greece. That feat is not to be scoffed at considering the shocking way they went about winning the tournament in Euro 2004.

Greece feature in Group A alongside Poland, Russia and the Czech Republic.

Greece's 23-man squad consists of:

Goalkeepers

Kostas Chalkias, Alexandros Tzorvas, Michalis Sifakis

Defenders

Kyriakos Papadopoulos, Avraam Papadopoulos, Stelios Malezas, Giorgos Tzavellas, Vasilis Torosidis, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Jose Holebas

Midfielders

Giorgos Karagounis (c), Grigoris Makos, Ioannis Maniatis, Georgios Fotakis, Sotiris Ninis, Kostas Katsouranis, Kostas Fortounis, Giannis Fetfatzidis

Forwards

Kostas Mitroglou, Nikos Liberopoulos, Georgios Samaras, Theofanis Gekas, Dimitris Salpigidis

One to watch

If Greece can keep him injury free, they possess a real weapon in Sotiris Ninis. The Greek playmaker has blistering pace and a great array of skills, something which Panathinaikos know all about at club level.

Czech Republic

Michal Bilek knows only too well that his side are up against it if they want to progress in this competition. Former Czechoslovakia won the competition in 1976, but since the rising of the Czech Republic, a second-place finish is the best they have mustered—that was back in 1996.

Czech Republic are in Group A alongside Poland, Russia and Greece.

Their 23-man squad consists of:

Goalkeepers

Petr Čech, Jaroslav Drobný, Jan Laštůvka

Defenders

Theodor Gebre Selassie, Roman Hubník, Michal Kadlec, David Limberský, Tomás Sivok, Marek Suchý

Midfielders

Vladimír Darida, Tomás Hübschman, Petr Jiráček, Daniel Kolář, Milan Petržela, Václav Pilař, Jaroslav Plasil, František Rajtoral, Tomás Rosický (c)

Forwards

Milan Baros, David Lafata, Tomás Necid, Tomás Pekhart, Jan Rezek

One to watch

Chelsea's Petr Čech looked back to his former best towards the end of the Premier League season and has recently signed a new four-year deal with the Stamford Bridge outfit. Look for him to keep his side's goal difference positive.

Netherlands

Bert van Marwijk is in his fourth year of coaching the Dutch national side and recently signed another contract to take him through until 2016.

Netherlands are one of the hot favourites to win the tournament, and history suggests they'll at least make the latter stages. A 1988 championship has been followed up with two quarterfinal appearances and three semifinal appearances. Would you bet against them?

Netherlands feature in Group B alongside Denmark, Germany and Portugal in this competition's "Group of Death."

Their 23-man squad contains: 

Goalkeepers

Maarten Stekelenburg, Michel Vorm, Tim Krul

Defenders

Joris Mathijsen, Wilfred Bouma, John Heitinga, Gregory van der Wiel, Stijn Schaars, Jetro Willems, Ron Vlaar, Khalid Boulahrouz

Midfielders

Wesley Sneijder, Nigel de Jong, Mark van Bommel (c), Kevin Strootman, Rafael van der Vaart

Forwards

Arjen Robben, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Dirk Kuyt, Robin van Persie, Ibrahim Afellay, Luciano Narsingh, Luuk de Jong

One to watch

Whilst yet to be as prolific for his country, Robin van Persie had the season of his life for Arsenal. The Gunners striker scored 37 goals in all competitions last term, making him potentially lethal going into the European Championships.

Denmark

Morten Olsen is the coach who has the unenviable task of matching the achievements of 1992's Denmark side that won the European Championships—a victory that was only allowed to happen due to Yugoslavia pulling out of the competition and thus allowing the unqualified Danes to enter.

Denmark are in the "Group of Death" with Netherlands, Germany and Portugal.

Their 23-man squad consists of:

Goalkeepers

Stephan Andersen, Anders Lindegaard, Kasper Schmeichel

Defenders

Simon Poulsen, Lars Jacobsen, Daniel Agger (c), Simon Kjaer, Andreas Bjelland, Jores Okore, Daniel Wass

Midfielders

Christian Eriksen, William Kvist, Christian Poulsen, Michael Silberbauer, Lasse Schone, Thomas Kahlenberg, Jakob Poulsen, Niki Zimling

Forwards

Nicklas Bendtner, Dennis Rommedahl, Michael Krohn-Dehli, Nicklas Pedersen, Tobias Mikkelsen

One to watch

Christian Eriksen of Ajax is fast becoming a Danish superstar. The 20-year-old has been on the radar of top European clubs for some time, and he will be looking to put himself in the shop window during this tournament.

Germany

What can you say about Joachim Low's Germany that hasn't already been said? The German national team is a machine that seems to always win when it matters.

With three European Championships to their name—the last coming in 1996—Die Mannschaft will be looking to build upon their second-place finish from 2008.

Germany are in Group B with Netherlands, Denmark and Portugal.

Their 23-man squad is as follows:

Goalkeepers

Manuel Neuer, Tim Wiese, Ron-Robert Zieler

Defenders

Mats Hummels, Philipp Lahm (c), Benedikt Höwedes, Marcel Schmelzer, Per Mertesacker, Holger Badstuber, Jerome Boateng

Midfielders

Andre Schürrle, Mesut Özil, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Sami Khedira, Ilkay Gundogan, Lars Bender, Mario Götze, Toni Kroos, Marco Reus

Forwards

Lukas Podolski, Miroslav Klose, Mario Gomez, Thomas Müller

One to watch

Whilst the temptation is to point to the exciting talent of Mario Götze and Mesut Özil, keep an eye on veteran striker Miroslav Klose. Klose seems to score goals for fun in big international competitions and is second on the all-time leading World Cup goal-scorer charts with 14.

Portugal

Paulo Bento's Portugal completes the "Group of Death" alongside Netherlands, Denmark and Germany.

Portugal have made at least the quarterfinal stage in five out of the last six European Championship competitions, so they shouldn't be underestimated when it comes to their chances of winning.

Their 23-man squad consists of:

Goalkeepers

Eduardo, Rui Patricio, Beto

Defenders

Fabio Coentrao, Pepe, Bruno Alves, Rolando, Ricardo Costa, Miguel Lopes, Joao Pereira

Midfielders

Joao Moutinho, Custodio, Miguel Veloso, Raul Meireles, Ruben Micael, Hugo Viana, Nani, Ricardo Quaresma

Forwards

Nelson Oliveira, Hugo Almeida, Cristiano Ronaldo (c), Helder Postiga, Silvestre Varela

One to watch

It can only be Cristiano Ronaldo. Arguably the best player in world, unarguably in the top two best player category with Lionel Messi. The Portuguese forward will be wowing the crowds with his speed, power, trickery and fancy footwork

Spain

Vicente del Bosque heads into Euro 2012 knowing that his team are the outright favourites for the championship. The current world and European holders have an abundance of talent at their disposal and offer strength in depth in every department.

Spain are in Group C alongside Italy, Republic of Ireland and Croatia.

Their 23-man squad consists of:

Goalkeepers

Iker Casillas (c), Pepe Reina, Victor Valdes

Defenders

Juanfran, Gerard Pique, Raul Albiol, Alvaro Arbeloa, Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba, Javi Martinez

Midfielders

Cesc Fabregas, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Xabi Alonso, Santi Cazorla, David Silva, Jesus Navas

Forwards

Fernando Torres, Pedro Rodriguez, Fernando Llorente, Juan Mata, Alvaro Negredo

One to watch

With so much impressive talent on display, any of Spain's starting XI will be worth watching. However with David Villa not making the final squad due to injury, pressure will be on Fernando Torres to provide the goals. With Spain lacking an abundance of out-and-out strikers in their squad, Torres may be the man who steps up to the challenge.

Italy

Cesare Prandelli has work to do if Italy's last friendly outing is anything to go by. The 1968 European champions suffered a 3-0 defeat to Russia last week and find themselves without a final appearance since 2000.

Italy are in Group C alongside world and European champions Spain, Republic of Ireland and Croatia.

Their 23-man squad consists of:

Goalkeepers

Gianluigi Buffon (c), Salvatore Sirigu, Morgan De Sanctis

Defenders

Angelo Ogbonna, Federico Balzaretti, Ignazio Abate, Giorgio Chiellini, Christian Maggio, Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci

Midfielders

Claudio Marchisio, Thiago Motta, Daniele De Rossi, Emanuele Giaccherini, Riccardo Montolivo, Andrea Pirlo, Alessandro Diamanti, Antonio Nocerino

Forwards

Antonio Di Natale, Antonio Cassano, Mario Balotelli, Fabio Borini, Sebastian Giovinco

One to watch

If you take your eyes off Mario Balotelli for a second, you could miss a piece of history. It may not be football-related, but one thing "Super Mario" does well is make headlines. It's time he showed us some of his massive potential.

Republic of Ireland

Giovanni Trapattoni's Republic of Ireland squad doesn't feature a single player that plays in their home country—a sad day for Irish football standards. This tournament marks their first appearance in the European Championships since 1988.

Republic of Ireland are in Group C with Spain, Italy, and Croatia.

Their 23-man squad consists of:

Goalkeepers

Shay Given, Keiren Westwood, David Forde

Defenders

John O'Shea, Richard Dunne, Stephen Ward, Sean St. Ledger, Stephen Kelly, Paul McShane, Darren O'Dea

Midfielders

Damien Duff, Keith Andrews, Aiden McGeady, Glenn Whelan, Stephen Hunt, Darron Gibson, Paul Green, James McClean

Forwards

Robbie Keane (c), Kevin Doyle, Jon Walters, Simon Cox, Shane Long

One to watch

Normally Ireland's results are focused purely on what magic Robbie Keane can conjure, but there's a new wizard in town, and his name is James McClean. After bursting onto the Premier League scene last season under the guidance of Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill, McClean's stock has skyrocketed. This will be an excellent stage to test his raw abilities.

Croatia

Croatia haven't made it past the quarterfinals since their split from the former Yugoslavia in 1991. Fifth place in Euro 2008 is the best they have achieved, and Slaven Bilic doesn't look likely to top that finish this time around.

Croatia are in Group C with Spain, Italy and the Republic of Ireland.

Their 23-man squad consists of:

Goalkeepers

Stipe Pletikosa, Ivan Kelava, Danijel Subasic

Defenders

Jurica Buljat, Vedran Corluka, Danijel Pranjic, Josip Simunic, Ivan Strinic, Gordon Schildenfeld, Domagoj Vida

Midfielders

Darijo Srna (c), Luka Modric, Ognjen Vukojevic, Ivan Rakitic, Tomislav Dujmovic, Ivo Ilicevic, Ivan Perisic, Niko Kranjcar, Milan Badelj

Forwards

Nikica Jelavic, Mario Mandzukic, Nikola Kalinic, Eduardo

One to watch

Tottenham's Luka Modric has attracted a lot of attention for his magnificent displays in the Premier League. Look for him to be pulling the strings for Croatia.

Ukraine

Euro 2012 marks Ukraine's first European Championship as an individual nation (formerly a part of the Soviet Union), but they only qualified by way of hosting the tournament with Poland.

Home support will be key to Oleh Blokhin's side getting any further than the group stages.

Ukraine are in Group D with Sweden, France and England.

Their squad consists of:

Goalkeepers

Maksym Koval, Andriy Pyatov, Olexandr Goryainov

Defenders

Olexandr Kucher, Yevhen Khacheridi, Yevhen Selin, Taras Mykhalyk, Vyacheslav Shevchuk, Yaroslav Rakitskiy, Bohdan Butko

Midfielders

Oleh Husyev, Olexandr Aliyev, Denys Harmash, Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, Ruslan Rotan, Yevhen Konoplyanka, Serhiy Nazarenko

Forwards

Andriy Yarmolenko, Andriy Voronin, Andriy Shevchenko (c), Yevhen Seleznyov, Artem Milevskiy, Marko Devic

One to watch

Anatoliy Tymoshchuk is Ukraine's most capped player of all time—slightly ahead of Andriy Shevchenko. Tymoshchuk will spend his pitch time breaking down attacks and putting in the dirty work that some players prefer to ignore. He is paramount to the success of the team.

Sweden

Sweden are always a difficult team to negotiate despite their relatively poor finishes in the European Championships. Their best attempt to date was a semifinal finish the 1992 European Championships, which they themselves hosted.

Coach Erik Hamren will have to do something masterful if he expects to get out of the group stages.

Sweden are in Group D with Ukraine, France and England.

Their 23-man squad consists of:

Goalkeepers

Andreas Isaksson, Johan Wiland, Par Hansson

Defenders

Andreas Granqvist, Martin Olsson, Olof Mellberg, Mikael Lustig, Mikael Antonsson, Behrang Safari, Jonas Olsson

Midfielders

Kim Kallstrom, Anders Svensson, Sebastian Larsson, Rasmus Elm, Pontus Wernbloom, Emir Bajrami, Samuel Holmen, Christian Wilhelmsson

Forwards

Johan Elmander, Zlatan Ibrahimovic (c), Tobias Hysen, Ola Toivonen, Markus Rosenberg

One to watch

They don't come any more self-confident or enigmatic than AC Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swede has enjoyed a distinguished career and is capable of the sublime when his mind is on the job.

France

Laurent Blanc has his France team churning out good results and finds himself heading into Euro 2012 on the back of 20 games undefeated. France are two-time European champions and can't be underestimated going into this competition.

France are in Group D with Ukraine, Sweden and England.

Their squad is as follows:

Goalkeepers

Hugo Lloris (c), Steve Mandanda, Cedric Carrasso

Defenders

Adil Rami, Philippe Mexes, Patrice Evra, Mathieu Debuchy, Anthony Reveillere, Laurent Koscielny, Gael Clichy

Midfielders

Samir Nasri, Franck Ribery, Yohan Cabaye, Yann M'Vila, Florent Malouda, Blaise Matuidi, Marvin Martin, Alou Diarra, Hatem Ben Arfa

Forwards

Karim Benzema, Olivier Giroud, Mathieu Valbuena, Jeremy Menez

One to watch

If Laurent Blanc starts him, Hatem Ben Arfa could be highly dangerous for the French. Ben Arfa's form in the Premier League towards the back end of the season was devastating, and it could continue into this competition.

England

Last but by no means least is England. Roy Hodgson is the man who has stepped in to fill the Fabio Capello void, and he has immediately been hit with a number of injuries to contend with.

England have never won the European Championships, and their hosted Euro 1996 platform was their best performance to date.

England are in Group D with co-hosts Ukraine, France and Sweden.

Their squad is as follows:

Goalkeepers

Joe Hart, Robert Green, Jack Butland

Defenders

Martin Kelly, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Glen Johnson, Phil Jones, Joleon Lescott, Leighton Baines, Phil Jagielka

Midfielders

Ashley Young, Jordan Henderson, Theo Walcott, Steven Gerrard (c), Scott Parker, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Stewart Downing

Forwards

Wayne Rooney, Andy Carroll, Jermain Defoe, Danny Welbeck

One to watch

Steven Gerrard has finally been given the England captaincy on a full-time basis, and if he can produce the awe-inspiring brilliance he displays so often for Liverpool, England will respond accordingly. Also look for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to make an impact from the bench.

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