Euro 2012 Schedule: Wednesday's Games Will Be Most Pivotal of Tournament so Far

Group B will be in action on Wednesday, and the two games played will prove to be the most important matches in the 2012 European Championship so far.

Denmark and Portugal meet at 12:00 p.m. ET in Lviv, Ukraine, as the Danes try to all but ensure a spot in the knockout stage by picking up their sixth point of the tournament. Portugal, on the other hand, are in dire straits and need a victory to remain relevant in the group.

Then, at 2:45 p.m. ET, the Netherlands and Germany square off in Kharkiv. Both teams are facing similar situations to their aforementioned group members, as Germany is looking to put a stranglehold on the group. The Netherlands are akin to Portugal in regards to their chances if they are to fall in this match.

The balance of the "Group of Death" was thrown off when Denmark scored a 1-0 upset over the Dutch. That trend can either continue, or the ship can be righted in terms of which teams were previously expected to advance.

If the Netherlands can bounce back from their crushing defeat and get a win against Germany, the group gets interesting heading into the final matches. If Portugal can beat Denmark, we'll have utter craziness on our hands with the last match of the round on the horizon.

A Portugal victory over Denmark and a Dutch victory over Germany would tie every team in the group at three. If the margin of victory is one goal in both games, then the goal differentials are tied as well.

That sets the group up for pure chaos in the last match of group play.

This group is the most important in all of the competition, as it contains two serious favorites in the Netherlands and Germany, a threatening dark horse in Portugal and an unheralded underdog in Denmark.

Whichever team wins this group will play the runner-up of Group A. Russia is going to win that group, in all likelihood, so finishing atop Group B is crucial.

Russia is the best team in Group A and will be able to beat Greece even though they played to a draw against Poland in their second match.

The Czech Republic and Poland are going to be fighting it out to see who moves on as the group's runner-up. Any of the teams in the "Group of Death" would rather avoid Russia and play the Czechs or Poland in the next round, which is why Wednesday's games are so important.

The pre-tournament predictions have been all but ruined after the Netherlands lost to Denmark, but that doesn't mean we're not in for a wild ride.

If you want to see madness on June 17 when the teams play for the final time, root for the Dutch and the Portuguese to get a win on Wednesday.