Euro 2012: Predicting How the Entire Tournament Will Go

We just had the draw for next summer's Euro 2012 and I'm sure we all couldn't be more excited.

Group A—with the Poles, Greeks, Russians and Czechs—is by far the weakest, but having such an inferior group provides for Groups B, C and D to be filled with exciting matchups. I can't wait to see Germany battle the Netherlands and then later that day watch the Irish and Spaniards battle it out. England against France? The Battle for the English Channel, indeed.

But who's in what groups and who has the best chance to make it to the quarterfinals not only intact but ready to go deep?

Follow me as I make my predictions through group play, the quarterfinals, semifinals, and who will hoist the trophy over their head. Will Spain be the first repeat winners in the tournament's history, or will someone new rise to the challenge?

Group A: Poland, Greece, Russia, Czech Republic

If there's a Group of Death, this seems to be the Group of Choice for the tournament.

Poland wouldn't be at Euro 2012 if they weren't hosting and I haven't seen anything to make me think differently. Seeing Greece and Croatia in the same group will be fun after they battled it out in qualification.

Who will make it out? Russia and Greece. Easily. There's very little that needs to be said about this group. There's a geographic rivalry there with Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic, but other than that, nothing too exciting.

Group B: Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Portugal

Here it is, the Group of Death. This is a three-horse race and I think everyone knows it.

The Netherlands is a strong favorite to win this summer's tournament. With 37 goals in qualification, the most of all the teams, Rafael van der Vaart and company will easily make it out of group play.

Germany can adapt to anyone’s style of play. They have one of the best goalkeepers in the world and a back line that played together through the entire qualification process. They make matches look like a video game to television viewers.

Portugal underperformed during the qualification process and just barely advanced over Norway due to a better goal differential. They squeaked by in a relatively weak group that included Iceland and Cyprus.

Denmark is the goat of the team. Not even Beowulf could advance this country to the quarterfinals.

Who will make it out? The Netherlands and Germany. Portugal is playing its worst soccer in years and Denmark should be proud they made it back to the finals after missing out on Euro 2008.

Group C: Spain, Italy, Republic of Ireland, Croatia

Spain’s player pool is just too deep. They will go undefeated in group play and not see trouble until at least the semifinal round. Look for wins over all three teams.

Italy's ticket deeper into the tournament will rest with their defense and goalkeeper.

The Republic of Ireland is being overlooked by a lot of people, but I truly don’t know why. Their defense plays a very physical game, goalkeeper Shay Given was one of the best in qualifying and their scrappy, unorthodox play may cause problems for Spain and Croatia.

Croatia is an incredible group that is as balanced as you'll find in the finals. Niko Kranjčar is a player that is rarely used by his club team (Tottenham Hotspur) but will be utilized well here.

Who will make it out? Spain and Croatia. Italy has shown vulnerability in recent friendlies, most notably against the Republic of Ireland. The Irish have had a little luck thus far, but with Spain in the group, it's all but over for the Boys In Green.

Group D: Ukraine, Sweden, France, England

Like Poland, the Ukraine wouldn't have even come close to taking part in this tournament if it weren't for the fact that they were hosting it. France and England are both coming out of weak groups and Sweden seems to be the only one who has experienced true competition coming into the tournament.

Also, England manager Fabio Capello has been given a gift of the second-easiest group in the tournament. Coincidence with him leaving after the tournament? I think not!

Who will make it out? England and Sweden. They're the two best attacking teams in the group. Ukraine will do well to even capture a point and France still hasn't rebuilt its program since the debacle at the 2010 World Cup.

Quarterfinals: The Elite Eight

With the way the tournament is run, and plugging in my predictions, here are how I see the quarterfinals shaping up:

Greece (Group A Winner) vs. Germany (Group B Runner-up): Easily Germany. Need I say more?

Spain (Group C Winner) vs. Sweden (Group D Runner-up): Again, easily Spain. Defending champions who won all of their qualifying matches. They're not about to trip up in the quarterfinals.

Netherlands (Group B Winner) vs. Russia (Group A Runner-up): The Russians have come a long way and traditionally do well in the UEFA European Championship, finishing third in 2008. The Dutch, however, look unstoppable and will not slow down against their European neighbors.

England (Group D Winner) vs. Croatia (Group C Runner-up): The quarterfinals are shaping up to be one of the easiest rounds to predict. However, this is the game where I see bettors everywhere losing a bit of money. Croatia is the better team; they have better form in the midfield and a better counter-attack. Look for Croatia to make some noise this tournament.

Semifinals: The Final Four

Germany vs. Spain: Oh, sweet it will be for the Germans—to be able to face the team that beat them to capture the Euro 2008 championship title. This is when the Germans find their revenge and advance to their first Euro championship since 1996. Onward, Die Mannschaft. Onward.

Netherlands vs. Croatia: This is as far as the Vatreni go. Running up against the Netherlands isn't a very enviable position and the high-powered Dutch offense (did I mention they led the round of qualification with 37 goals?) will lay waste to a Croatian team that thrives in contests where they can keep the score low and control possession of the ball. Croatia will be forced to chase an early lead and be forced out of playing their true game. 

The third place game, between Spain and Croatia, will easily be won by the Spaniards. I mean, c'mon.

The Championship: Who Will Win?

The Netherlands vs. Germany: The rivalry between the Germans and the Dutch is one of the few longstanding rivalries in international soccer.

There's a lot of bitterness here as the Netherlands were one of the occupied territories during World War II and I predict this will play out much like the 1974 World Cup finals match, except for one small difference—the Germans will win by a larger margin than 2-1.

Germany looks absolutely unstoppable in the Euro 2012 finals. They won more matches (10) than any other country in the round of qualification and had a plus-27 goal differential. According to oddsmakers around the world, they are split with Spain as the favorite to win the tournament.

Put down some spare Euros on Germany winning the tournament, buy a couple of pints with the winnings and give a toast to me as thanks.