Euro 2012 Predictions: Which Countries Will Escape Weak Group A?

Much of the Euro 2012 talk has been about Group B—this tournament's "group of death"—but the balanced and even Group A is just as intriguing.

There isn't a single squad that stands heads and shoulders above the rest in this group, and any two countries could advance.

Poland will have the most pressure as a co-host, Russia is probably the tentative favorite to win the group, Greece has been excellent since the 2010 World Cup and the Czech Republic is capable of excellence and mediocrity from one game to the next.

So how will this mercurial group play out?

Czech Republic

This team has settled on a 4-2-3-1 formation, and it could be the difference between bowing out in group play and advancing to the quarterfinals.

Tomas Rosicky is at his best as a central attacking midfielder, where he dominates play when he is on his game. Vaclav Pilar is dangerous on the left wing and should open some eyes at the Euros. Theo Gebre Selassie has been fantastic as a right back for the national team, and Petr Jiracek and Jaroslav Plasil have looked good in the holding midfielder role.

The Czech Republic aren't a prolific goal-scoring squad, but with the recent run of dominant play from Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, they should be able to limit the scoring against them. It won't be pretty, but I think they'll advance.

Place: Second

Greece

The Greeks have lost only one game in their last 21 international affairs, so they certainly come into this tournament playing at a high level and will expect to advance.

But will they score enough goals to do so?

Two of the team's most dangerous offensive weapons, Sotiris Ninis and Giannis Fetfatzidis, are likely to come off the bench. Theofanis Gekas still has his moments as the team's striker (and really, Greece's only natural forward), but his best years are behind him.

Greece will win if they play stifling defense and execute set pieces. They'll be close in every game, but I don't see them moving on.

Place: Third

Poland

More so than any other team in this tournament, Poland will need a few elite players to carry the load for this team to advance to the quarterfinals.

Arsenal's Wojciech Szczesny will have to be top-notch in goal, Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski—who scored 22 goals for the squad this season—will need to be one of the tournament's elite forwards, and Jakub Blaszczykowski and Ludovic Obraniak will need to control the midfield for Poland to succeed.

Right-back Lukasz Piszczek is strong defensively, but he'll be a major factor if he is able to assist the attack.

With a very strong counter-attack, Poland should be able to score goals in this group. But with holes in various positions on the pitch and a lack of depth, I don't see Poland moving on.

Place: Fourth

Russia

Andrei Arshavin has the ability to be dominant on the wing, though we haven't seen him do so in quite a while. For Russia, it's fairly simple—if he and Aleksandr Kerzhakov can threaten on the attack and put the ball in the back of the net, Russia will be tough to handle for the rest of this group.

Keep an eye on Alan Dzagoev on the wing opposite Arshavin. He's an exciting young forward who, at 22-years-old, is one of the bright young stars on a veteran Russian squad.

Veteran Roman Shirokov is fresh off a solid season for Zenit Saint Petersburg and is dangerous coming forward from his holding position in the midfield to join the attack.

Russia has the talent to win this group if several key players step up. Look for them to advance.

Place: First

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