European Championship 2012: Prominent Squads Bound to Disappoint

We all know that Spain, Germany and the Netherlands enter the European Championships as the favorites.

But which teams generally in contention for the biggest tournaments in international play are bound to disappoint?

Be it due to outside distractions, a brutal group stage or a side crippled by injuries, I've identified three premier squads in danger of a very short tournament. My condolences if you are a fan of these sides.

Italy

The Italian team will have a lot on its mind at the European championships.

For one, the country is dealing with the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes and aftershocks that rocked the Emilia-Romagna region.

And the country is also dealing with a sordid match-fixing scandal that implicated Lazio captain Stefano Mauri, Juventus coach Antonio Conte and eliminated Domenico Criscito from the Italian roster for the Euros.

To say Italy is coming into the tournament cold is an understatement—they've dropped three-straight friendlies by a combined score of 5-0.

With several players already beat up and enough scandal surrounding the team to fill a novel, the Italians look in danger of bowing out during the group stage.

Portugal

The Portuguese have the talent to advance in most groups. But in the Group B—the group of death—they won't survive.

The prohibitive favorites to advance out of the group are Germany and the Netherlands, two of the best sides in the world. And for good measure, the group also includes a strong Denmark squad.

Portugal has Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani, and those two are a handful for any team to deal with. But unless Portugal exceeds expectations for a change, the Euros will be a short tournament for the squad.

England

At this point, the English side are simply too beat up to pull off a deep run in this tournament.

Gary Cahill, Gareth Barry and Frank Lampard, Jack Wilshere, John Ruddy and Kyle Walker are all out for the tournament with injuries

And then there is Wayne Rooney, suspended for the first two matches against France and Sweden, both matches England could be in danger of dropping. France looks to be the group favorite on the heels of the team's 20-game unbeaten streak in international play.

England may sneak out of the group, but they aren't a serious contender at this tournament. The squad simply has too many hurdles to overcome.

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