Euro 2012 Predictions: Teams That Will Surprise During the Group Stage

The 14th edition of the European Championship gets underway Friday as Euro 2012 begins, and there are sure to be teams that will surprise and make some noise in each group. Some of the best teams in the UEFA will take to the pitch to begin the long battle to win soccer's European Championship.

There are powerhouses playing in Euro 2012; teams like Spain, Germany and the Netherlands are ready to go. Other teams are set to surprise as play begins, as teams like Portugal, Croatia and Italy are always tough outs.

One thing we can count on in group play is that there are always surprises in international soccer matches, and this year will be no different. The format calls for a round-robin group phase in which teams in each group will play each other.  If a team wins, they get three points. A tie is worth one point, and a loss is worth nothing.

After the group phase is over, the top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout phase. The first part of the knockout phase is the quarterfinals. The winner of Group A gets to face the runner-up of Group B and so on. This is a stage in the tournament where a loss means that your team is going home.

Teams continue to play on in elimination matches through the semifinals and ultimately on to the Euro 2012 Finals, which will be played on July 1 in Kiev, Ukraine. Let’s look at each group to see where potential surprises are going to be coming from.

Group A

Group A is comprised of the Czech Republic, Greece, Poland and Russia. Poland is hosting the tournament, along with Ukraine, and they will have the home-field advantage. Unfortunately, it won’t be enough to carry Poland through, as Greece, Russia and the Czech Republic will all be very tough teams for them to beat.

It appears that this group is a three-horse race. Russia, Greece and the Czechs will battle for the two spots that will move on. Russia is the highest-ranked team in the FIFA’s UEFA rankings, followed by Greece and the Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic always plays well in international competition, and this draw really helps their cause. Look for the Czech Republic to upset Greece and emerge as one of the two teams that come out of Group A.

Group B

Group B has Denmark, Germany, Netherlands and Portugal. This is a loaded group. Any of these teams could emerge from this group to win Euro 2012. They are all ranked in the top seven in FIFA’s UEFA rankings.

It is very difficult to not see Germany making it to the knockout stage, as they are a force in international soccer. They have too much talent everywhere to not come out of the group.

That leaves three sides fighting for one spot, and that spot will go to Denmark, who have really played well of late. Denmark beat Portugal 2-1 last year, and they tied Germany 2-2 in 2010. Denmark is underrated, and they will be the team that surprises us all coming out of the “Pool of Death”.

Group C

Croatia, Italy, the Republic of Ireland and Spain make up Group C. Spain is the class of the group, as they are defending World Cup champions. Italy and Croatia will realistically battle it out for one spot, but Ireland should not be overlooked; they haven’t lost in 14 matches.

Italy will come out of Group C as they are a very talented team, and they have a lot of questions to answer. They are facing adversity back home with a match-fixing scandal underway. The Italians need to shut out the noise and just play soccer, something they can do extremely well.

Group D

England, France, Sweden and Ukraine are all in Group D. Ukraine is hosting the games also, and expect the home crowd to help out the Ukrainian squad. In the end, the Ukraine team is outgunned in this group, as teams like France, England and Sweden have too much talent for them.

France is riding a 21-game unbeaten streak, and they are a lock to come out of the group. That leaves England and Sweden fighting it out for one spot in the quarterfinals. England’s Wayne Rooney is suspended for the first two games, and that will give Sweden the little opening it needs. These games will all be very close. Look for Sweden to sneak into the runner-up spot in Group D.