Euro 2012 Schedule: Breaking Down the Group Stage's Best Rivalry Matches

The European Championships feature national teams representing countries that have hundreds of years of built-up tension between them.

The contempt that these rivalries breed is often unconcealed on the pitch or in the stands. 

Here, analyzed and broken down, are three rivalry matches that will go down the in the group stage. 

The full Euro 2012 schedule can be found here, courtesy of UEFA.com. 

England vs. France, Group D—June 11, 12 p.m. ET, Donbass Arena (Ukraine)

Few countries have been rivals for as long as these two. Any time two nations fight a war that lasts over 100 years, the people are unlikely to ever be fond of each other.

In the world of football, the French and English sides have never played nice. England owns the all-time series, going 16-8-4 against France. However, the French will bring a remarkably talented team in the European Championships.

Between Franck Ribery, Samir Nasri and Karim Benzema, the French will have a very potent attack. The English, on the other hand, will be without Wayne Rooney, as their star striker is suspended for the first two games of the tournament because of a red card in October of 2011. 

Without Rooney, the English will not have enough firepower to beat the French, and the entire country will surely by seething with anger at the end of the match.

Netherlands vs. Germany, Group B—June 13, 2:45 ET, Metalist Stadium (Ukraine)

Some wounds opened in WWII will never heal, and few countries bore the brunt of the Third Reich like the Netherlands.

Please, let me clearly state that no German footballer, nor any reasonable German citizen, has anything at all to do with the Nazis, and any comparison suggesting this is truly despicable. But this does not make history go away, and tensions between nations in the European Championships are real, even if they are never overt enough to cause any real danger.

But an international football rivalry must be made from more than just historical tension, and this rivalry is very much due to the quality of both sides. The Germans are the No. 3-ranked team in the world right now, and Dutch are No. 4.

Both were among the last four teams standing at the 2010 World Cup, and few would be surprised if either of these teams won the tournament. This match will be the most exciting game played in the group stage. 

Ultimately, the potency of the Dutch attack will catch the Germans slightly by surprise, and the men in orange will win in a high-scoring thriller. 

Poland vs. Russia, Group A—June 12, 2:45 p.m. ET, National Stadium (Poland)

These are two more countries with a very unfortunate 20th century relationship. The people in both nations will never forget the horrors of Joseph Stalin’s regime, but the dictator’s treatment of the Poles is infamous. 

Again, I do not mean to suggest in any way that the disturbing parts of these countries’ history are directly related to the footballers or the regular people in those nations. But Europe has had rough times at points, and tensions still do exist. This adds to the drama at the tournament.

While Russia and Poland are not considered to be world powers, any Euro rivalry match has the potential to be thrilling. The Russians are coming off a dominant 3-0 win in a friendly over Italy where they looked very strong.

The team also made a surprising run to the semifinals of Euro 2008, and they will be looking to equal their success from four years ago. But Poland will have the home crowd advantage and the striking talents of Borussia Dortmund’s Robert Lewandowski. 

The host nation will want to treat its fans to at least one big victory, and beating Russia would send the crowd into an elated frenzy. That will provide the necessary motivation for the Polish team to pull of an upset.