Euro 2012: Predicting Which Teams Will Survive Group Stage

The 2012 UEFA European Championship starts Friday June 8, meaning we are just hours away from some salivating football action.

The continent's 16 best teams will be battling for bragging rights and that shiny Henri Delaunay Trophy, which will be handed to the champions on July 1. 

Before we can get there, though, Europe's finest will have to survive the grueling group stage. Here are my predictions for each of the four groups.

Group A

None of the groups can be considered "easy," but Group A is certainly the least terrifying of the four.

Poland, Greece, Russia and the Czech Republic are all quality sides with several talented players, but they're not the type of teams that have the rest of the continent shaking in their boots.

Russia has to be considered the favorite of the group, with captain Andrei Arshavin and striker Pavel Pogrebnyak leading the way. Arshavin notched two goals and four assists in 26 appearances with Arsenal this season, while Pogrebnyak scored six goals in eight games for Fulham.

I also like the Czech Republic to advance. With Milan Baros and Tomas Rosicky on the attack and Petr Cech in the net, I can't picture them losing to the offensively-deficient Greece and Poland.

Group B

In the dreaded Group of Death, I'm expecting Germany and the Netherlands to emerge from the wreckage.

The Germans will have many players returning from their squad that finished third at the 2010 World Cup, including young midfielder Mesut Ozil. The fluid and creative Ozil was the engine behind that team, and after leading La Liga with 17 assists in 30 appearances this season, the Real Madrid star looks in top form.

For the second survivor, I'm tempted to say that Cristiano Ronaldo's individual brilliance will lead Portugal past the Dutch, but the Netherlands are the much more complete team.

With guys like Robin van Persie, Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben and Dirk Kuyt roaming the pitch, I would pick the Flying Dutchmen to beat every team in the field other than Germany and Spain.

Group C

Spain will certainly be the juggernaut of this group, but the battles between the other three teams will be very interesting.

Ireland, Croatia and Italy all have fatal flaws. The Irish can't score, the Croatians can't stop people from scoring and the Italians...well, let's just say they've got their fair share of off-field distractions.

In the end, I think Italy will be the second team to advance. Ireland is feisty, but they lack the necessary talent, and while Croatia has a quality attack, they won't be able to keep pace with Mario Balotelli and the rest of the Italian side.

Group D

With their potent offense, I'm expecting France to romp over their Group D counterparts.

They will play England before Wayne Rooney gets back from suspension, and with Karim Benzema, Franck Ribery and Samir Nasri, they've simply got too much firepower for Sweden and Ukraine.

Aside from Rooney's suspension, the English will also have to survive despite a multitude of injuries. I don't think they can overcome the plague of injuries, and I'm looking for them to fall to Sweden on June 15.

Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic was dominant for AC Milan this season, scoring 28 goals in 32 Serie A appearances. I think he will take advantage of England's depleted back line and lead his country into the knockout rounds.