Euro 2012 Schedule: Matches That Will Turn out to Be Massive Duds

Euro 2012 has featured plenty of surprises and great all-around matches thus far, but not every game is necessarily going to be entertaining. As the group stage progresses, some teams will become more desperate and willing to do anything to win, while others will simplify their games in order to solidify their spot in the next round.

Most soccer fans can find nuances to appreciate in essentially every match, but looking ahead on the schedule, there are a few contests that don't look particularly promising. You never know what might ultimately happen, but for all the exciting matches on tap, there are going to be some duds as well.

Here are three remaining group-stage matches that seem likely to disappoint fans in the coming days.

Ukraine vs. France

Despite entering the tournament as a long shot to advance, co-hosts Ukraine currently lead Group D by virtue of its victory over Sweden. While Ukrainians would obviously love to beat France on Friday, I'm sure the squad understands that the French could outclass them if they get involved in a track meet. As a result, I fully expect Ukraine to make this tilt as sloppy as possible in an effort to scratch out a draw or perhaps a 1-0 win if it can grab a fluky goal.

France will likely press the issue in an effort to pick up a win after tying with England in a match the French dominated, but space will be difficult to come by. If France is able to bust through the Ukrainian defense, this could actually be a decent match, but Ukraine is well trained in breaking the game down to its simplest form. Therefore, I wouldn't expect much scoring or many scoring chances for that matter.

Czech Republic vs. Poland

Group A is extremely interesting in that there isn't one dominant team and all of them still have a chance to advance to the knockout round. The Czech Republic and Poland will lock horns on Saturday, and while it may seem like they should be going all out to win, that may not be the case. With the Czechs sitting at three points and Poland at two, neither squad is going to want to make a mistake. For that reason, so I can see this one being touch and go for the most part.

The Czechs are technically in the driver's seat, since they have one more point than the Poles, so I'm not anticipating much offensive push from them. The Czech Republic would be more than happy with a draw, because that would likely be enough for it to move on. Meanwhile, Poland needs a win, but I doubt it will be desperate until the closing 20 minutes or so. If the score is tied at that point, we might see some good action, but for the most part these teams are just going to feel each other out.

Croatia vs. Spain

You would think that a match between Croatia and Spain for Group C supremacy would be a great match, but I'm certainly not convinced. The interesting part about this contest is that if there is a draw, both teams will have five points. Italy will have the same if it is able to defeat Ireland as expected. It would then come down to goal differential to determine who will move on. Since Spain is plus-four in that area, I don't expect the Spaniards to be as threatening as usual against Croatia.

Similarly, Croatia is plus-two in goal differential, and may be comfortable playing for a draw as well in hopes that Italy doesn't beat Ireland by more than one. That is obviously a dangerous game, but due to Spain's immense talent, Croatia probably realizes that playing a simple game and going for the tie is its best bet. The standings will dictate the way this match will be played, and I doubt it will be a particularly good one.

Date	Time (p.m. ET)	Team	v	Team	Group	Venue	TV Info
June 8	12:00	Poland	v	Greece	Group A	National Stadium	ESPN (US), ESPN Deportes (US), ESPN3 (US),International Coverage
June 8	2:45	Russia	v	Czech Republic	Group A	Stadion Miejski (Wroclaw)	ESPN (US), ESPN Deportes (US) ESPN3 (US),International Coverage
June 9	12:00	Netherlands	v	Denmark	Group B	Metalist Stadium	ESPN (US), ESPN Deportes (US) ESPN3 (US),International Coverage
June 9	2:45	Germany	v	Portugal	Group B	Arena Lviv	ESPN (US), ESPN Deportes (US) ESPN3 (US),International Coverage
June 10	12:00	Spain	v	Italy	Group C	PGE Arena	ESPN (US), ESPN Deportes (US) ESPN3 (US),International Coverage
June 10	2:45	Ireland	v	Croatia	Group C	Stadion Miejski (Poznan)	ESPN (US), ESPN Deportes (US) ESPN3 (US),International Coverage
June 11	12:00	France	v	England	Group D	Donbass Arena	ESPN (US), ESPN Deportes (US) ESPN3 (US),International Coverage
June 11	2:45	Ukraine	v	Sweden	Group D	Kiev Olympic Stadium	ESPN (US), ESPN Deportes (US) ESPN3 (US),International Coverage
June 12	12:00	Greece	v	Czech Republic	Group A	Stadion Miejski (Wroclaw)	ESPN (US), ESPN Deportes (US) ESPN3 (US),International Coverage
June 12	2:45	Poland	v	Russia	Group A	National Stadium	ESPN (US), ESPN Deportes (US) ESPN3 (US),International Coverage
June 13	12:00	Denmark	v	Portugal	Group B	Arena Lviv	ESPN (US), ESPN Deportes (US) ESPN3 (US),International Coverage
June 13	2:45	Netherlands	v	Germany	Group B	Metalist Stadium	ESPN (US), ESPN Deportes (US) ESPN3 (US),International Coverage
June 14	12:00	Italy	v	Croatia	Group C	Stadion Miejski (Poznan)	ESPN (US), ESPN Deportes (US) ESPN3 (US),International Coverage
June 14	2:45	Spain	v	Ireland	Group C	PGE Arena	ESPN (US), ESPN Deportes (US) ESPN3 (US),International Coverage
June 15	12:00	Ukraine	v	France	Group D	Donbass Arena	ESPN (US), ESPN Deportes (US) ESPN3 (US), IInternational Coverage
June 15	2:45	Sweden	v	England	Group D	Kiev Olympic Stadium	ESPN (US), ESPN Deportes (US) ESPN3 (US),International Coverage
June 16	2:45	Czech Republic	v	Poland	Group A	Stadion Miejski (Wroclaw)	ESPN2 (US), ESPN3 (US),International Coverage
June 16	2:45	Greece	v	Russia	Group A	National Stadium	ESPN (US), ESPN3 (US),International Coverage
June 17	2:45	Portugal	v	Netherlands	Group B	Metalist Stadium	ESPN (US), ESPN3 (US),International Coverage
June 17	2:45	Denmark	v	Germany	Group B	Arena Lviv	ESPN2 (US), ESPN3 (US),International Coverage
June 18	2:45	Croatia	v	Spain	Group C	PGE Arena	ESPN (US), ESPN3 (US),International Coverage
June 18	2:45	Italy	v	Ireland	Group C	Stadion Miejski (Poznan)	ESPN2 (US), ESPN3 (US),International Coverage
June 19	2:45	England	v	Ukraine	Group D	Donbass Arena	ESPN (US), ESPN3 (US),International Coverage
June 19	2:45	Sweden	v	France	Group D	Kiev Olympic Stadium	ESPN2 (US), ESPN3 (US),International Coverage

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