Group A

Switzerland
Czech Republic
Portugal
Turkey

Switzerland: The tournament's joint hosts with Austria. They were eliminated from the 2006 World Cup despite not conceding a single goal in the whole competition, and finished bottom of England’s group at Euro 2004. They have City’s Gelson Fernandes available along with Arsenal duo Johan Djourou and Philippe Senderos.

Star Man : Alexander Frei - the Borussia Dortmund forward is Switzerland’s all time leading goal scorer with a record of 35 goals in 58 games. Spent most of the first half of the season injured but recovered well and scored twice against Liechtenstein in Switzerland’s final warm-up match. Out of the tournament after first game injury.

Manager : Kobi Kuhn - the 64-year-old has only ever managed the Swiss under-21’s and the senior side. He announced in October 2006 that he would be stepping down from his position after Euro 2008.

Random Fact : Every Swiss citizen is required by law to have a bomb shelter or access to a bomb shelter.

Odds to Win : 25/1

Czech Republic: Could be one of the surprise packages. Have plenty of quality throughout the squad and reached the semi-finals in 2004. Will miss Tomas Rosicky through injury but have Portsmouth’s Milan Baros, who won the Golden Boot in 2004 alongside 6ft 7” striker Jan Koller up front.

Star Man: Petr Cech - the Chelsea shot stopper can single-handedly change a game and could be very useful if needed for a penalty shoot out. At just 26, he already has over 50 caps to his name. Cech has kept 70 clean sheets in 112 games since joining Chelsea from Rennes in 2004.

Manager: Karel Bruckner - has over 35 years of managerial experience and has been in charge of the national side since 2001. He is often praised for his team’s attractive attacking approach. Bruckner announced that this European Championships will be his last as manager of the Czech Republic.

Random Fact: A church in the Czech republic houses a chandelier made of human bones.

Odds to Win: 14/1

Portugal: Considered one of the favourites for the whole tournament. They finished runners-up when they hosted the competition four years ago. Chelsea’s latest signing Jose Bosingwa is in the 23-man squad along with new team-mates Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreria, as well as United pair Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Star Man: United’s Cristiano Ronaldo - not even constant speculation about a move to Real Madrid will faze the Reds winger. Has 20 goals for his country and is still only 23-years-old. Barcelona’s Deco could also be vital for Portugal if they want to go one better than last time.

Manager: Luiz Felipe Scolari - led the Brazilian national team to the World Cup in 2002. He famously turned down the England job after Sven-Goran Eriksson departed in 2006. Great international record and is continuously linked with big clubs in England but has said that he won’t consider his future until after the competition.

Odds to Win : 13/2

Turkey: Are going to find it difficult to qualify for the knock out stages. Finished seven points behind Group C winners Greece and have only two players who have scored more then ten international goals in the whole team. Newcastle’s departing midfielder Emre is in the squad as well as Middlesbrough striker Tuncay Sanli.

Star Man: Nihat Kahveci - the Villarreal striker will have a lot of weight on his shoulders as fellow strikers Semih Senturk and Mevlut Erdinc have only eight caps between them and just the one goal. Had a great season for Villarreal scoring 23 goals in 34 games.

Manager: Fatih Terim, been in charge of Turkey since 2005. Had two successful spells at Galatasaray, winning the UEFA Cup in 2000 as well as four successive league titles from 1996 to 2000. Was appointed A.C Milan manager in 2001 but lasted just five months before his contract was terminated.

Random Fact: The city of Istanbul straddles two continents, Europe and Asia.

Odds to Win : 40/1

Group B

Austria
Croatia
Germany
Poland

Austria: The rank outsiders, are not expected to get very far despite being joint hosts. Have won only two game in the last 18 months and suffered defeats against England, Switzerland and Chile. Have former Arsenal goalkeeper Alex Manninger in the squad along with Middlesbrough defender Emanuel Pogatetz.

Star Man: Martin Harnik - the young forward will be looking to make a real impact. He scored on his debut against the Czech Republic after just six minutes of being on the pitch and added to his tally in the final warm up match against Malta where they won 5-1.

Manager: Josef Hickersberger - won the Austrian Championship with Rapid Vienna in 2005 but lost all six group games in the Champions League the following season. Suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Faroe Islands in his first spell in charge of the national side and returned for his second spell in 2006.

Odds to Win : 150/1

Croatia: Did the double over England in qualifying and could be another surprise package in the competition. Knocked out in the group stages in 2004 but will be expected to go further in one of the easier groups. They have Tottenham’s new signing Luka Modric as well as City defender Vedran Corluka in the talented squad.

Star Man: Niko Kovac - Croatia’s captain although being 36 will dictate most games in the competition. His cool and calm approach has earned him 77 caps and will still be a real handful. Might not get on the score sheet but will assist others and is very committed.

Manager: Slaven Bilic, the former West Ham and Everton defender has turned a good team into a very good team. Has won 14 out of the 20 matches he has been in charge for with only two defeats. He was in the Croatia squad that finished third in the World Cup 1998.

Random Fact: Manager Bilic plays in a rock group called Rawbau.

Odds to Win : 12/1

Germany: Slight favourites for the competition and will look to build on their third place finish at the World Cup two years ago. Are three times winners of the championship but haven’t won a game in the competition since the Euro 96 final. Chelsea’s Michael Ballack is captain of the national side and Jens Lehmann will be appearing in his last tournament for Germany.

Star Man: Miroslav Klose - scored five goals in each of the last two World Cups and is a real threat in the air. Bayern Munich bought the forward for €15million in 2007 and scored ten goals in 27 games, he also helped Bayern win both the Bundesliga and German Cup in his first season.

Manager: Joachim Low, was assistant to Jurgen Klinsmann for the World Cup in Germany and took full control of the team when Klinsmann departed in 2006. Low is known for his tactical awareness but has yet to taste success since his first managerial job in 1996.

Random Fact: The autobahn is the only motorway in the world without a speed limit.

Odds to Win : 4/1

Poland: First time the nation have competed in the Euros after they finished top of Group A above Portugal. Their final group game against Croatia should decide which team will go through to knockout stages. United’s reserve keeper Tomasz Kuszczak has returned home after suffering a back injury.

Star Man: Jacek Krzynowek - the two time Polish footballer of the year will add class to the Polish midfield. Played with Andriy Voronin and Dimitar Berbatov at Bayer Leverkusen and is now at VfL Wolfsburg. He has 75 international caps to his name and has scored 14 goals for his country.

Manager: Leo Beenhakker - the 65-year-old has a huge amount of experience at managerial level and has been in charge of Real Madrid, AFC Ajax, Feyenoord and the Netherlands. He also led Trinidad and Tobago to their first ever World Cup campaign in Germany two years ago.

Odds to Win : 40/1

Group C

Netherlands
France
Italy
Romania

Netherlands: Have constantly performed in the competition since winning the tournament in 1988, reaching the semi-finals on the last two occasions. They have a number of Premier League stars in their squad with Mario Melchiot from Wigan, Dirk Kuyt from Liverpool and United’s number one Edwin van der Sar all available.

Star Man: Ruud van Nistelrooy, the former United hit man came out of international retirement last year and will be looking to add to his four goals from Euro 2004. He scored 95 times in 150 games for the Red Devils and continued his sublime form when he joined Real Madrid in 2006.

Manager: Marco van Basten - the double World Footballer of the Year winner will take over at AFC Ajax after the tournament and will want to go out on a high. Van Basten led Holland to a second place finish behind group rivals Romania in qualifying and will struggle unless they play to their best in the ‘group of death’.

Odds to Win : 12/1

France: Despite finishing second behind Italy in qualifying, France were unbeaten against the World Champions and will be hoping for another positive result when the side meet in their crucial third and final group game. Have a host of Premier League stars including United’s Patrice Evra and Chelsea trio Florent Malouda, Claude Makelele and Nicolas Anelka.

Star Man: Karim Benzema - Sir Alex Ferguson is a well-known admirer of the 20-year old Lyon forward and will be hoping to thrash out a deal when the tournament finishes. Will most likely start upfront with former Arsenal captain Thierry Henry in a impressive attacking line-up.

Manager: Raymond Domenech - wasn’t a favourite with the fans when he took over from Jacques Santini in 2004. Made a number of contraversal decisions including selecting former United keeper Fabian Barthez as his number one for Euro 2004. France finished as runners-up at the World Cup two years ago but some fans still aren’t convinced.

Random Fact: There are 1,792 steps to the top of the Eiffel Tower

Odds to Win: 8/1

Italy: The World Cup winners suffered a major blow in the lead up to the tournament as influence captain Fabio Cannavaro was ruled out, they will find it difficult to replace his drive and determination. They finished top of their qualifying group which involved Scotland as well as fellow Group C side France.

Star Man: Gennaro Gattuso, the tough tackling midfielder adds stability alongside Andrea Pirlo. Gattuso was pivotal when Italy won the World Cup two years ago and the Italian fans will be hoping he can do the same again. Despite playing in 31 games, Gattuso couldn’t help Milan from finishing a disappointing 5th in Serie A last season.

Manager: Roberto Donadoni, was capped 63 times by Italy and took over from Marcello Lippi after their World Cup triumph. He didn’t start well losing three and drawing one of his first four matches. Despite a poor start they still managed to finish top of their qualifying group and are considered one of the favourites for the tournament.

Random Fact: The average Italian consumes 28kgs of pasta each year.

Odds to Win: 7/1

Group D

Greece
Sweden
Spain
Russia

Romania: Best ever finish in a major tournament is the quarter final stage and would do remarkable to reach that achievement in such a difficult group. They finished with 29 points in qualifying, more than both France and Holland in their groups but have an uphill task to get through the group stages.

Star Man: Cristian Chivu - the Inter Milan defender will be have to be at his best to stop the likes of Thierry Henry, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Luca Toni, Alessandro Del Piero and many others in such a tough group. Will have a very busy three games but could surprise a few with his set-piece ability.

Manager: Victor Piturca - was sacked from his first spell in charge despite leading the team to Euro 2000 and being undefeated in the qualification campaign. Piturca took over in 2004 for a second stint after winning the Romanian championship with Steaua Bucuresti.

Odds to Win: 50/1

Greece: The reigning champions surprised the whole of Europe when they won the tournament four years ago. Will find it extremely difficult to repeat the feat but could qualify for the knockout stages depending on key results against Russia and Sweden who will all be vying for second place behind Spain.

Star Man: Angelos Charisteas, the tall centre forward scored the goal against Portugal that won Greece the tournament four years ago. Not the most prolific goal scorer but because of his height is a real handful. He is currently playing for 1.FC Nuremberg following spells at Werden Bremen, AFC Ajax and Feyenoord.

Manager: Otto Rehhagel, the hugely experienced 69-year-old has been in charge of the current European Champions since 2001 and was the first ever foreign manager to win the competition. Rehhagel is known for his strong defensive teams with their greatest threat coming from set-pieces.

Random Fact: The national anthem of Greece has 58 verses.

Odds to Win: 28/1

Sweden: Progressed furthest when they got to the semi-finals while hosting the competition in 1992 only to lose to Germany. Have West Ham’s Freddie Ljungberg available as well as Wigan defender Andreas Granqvist and Man City’s Andreas Isaksson who conceded eight in his last City game against Middlesbrough.

Star Man: Kim Kallstrom, the Olympique Lyonnais play maker will be at the heart of all of Sweden’s game. Already played over 50 matches for his country and will supply Zlatan Ibrahimovic and former United striker Henrik Larsson the ammunition they need to fire Sweden through to the knockouts.

Manager: Lars Lagerback, the longest reigning coach in the competition when he became joint coach along with Tommy Soderberg in 2000. He has led the team to five successive major competitions but has only reached the quarter finals once in that time. Lagerback has said he will step down as Sweden coach after the tournament.

Random Fact: Matchsticks were invented in Sweden.

Odds to Win: 33/1

Spain: The underachievers of world football and haven’t got past the quarter final stage of any major competition since finishing runners up in the 1984 European Championships. Have a hugely talented squad included Liverpool quartet Pepe Reina, Alvaro Arbeloa, Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres as well as Arsenal youngster Cesc Fabregas.

Star Man: David Villa, the Valencia forward has been linked with a big money move away from the Mestalla, with United and Chelsea both interested. Valencia experienced an embarrassing season and Villa will be hoping a good Euro 2004 can get him a move to one of Europe’s leading clubs.

Manager: Luis Aragones, the controversial 69-year-old has been in charge since 2001 and will step down after the tournament to be replaced by former Real Madrid manager Vicente Del Bosque. Aragones has been in charge of some of the top teams in Spain since he retired from playing in 1974.

Odds to Win: 5/1

Russia: Will have to improve greatly if they want to reach the knockout stages. Even if they do finish in the top two, they will come up against either Italy, France and Holland and have never gone beyond round one of a major competition. They will miss Andrei Arshavin, who is unavailable for the opening two matches.

Star Man: Sergey Ignashevich, the CSKA Moscow captain will be joined at the back alongside twin brothers, Aleksei and Vasili Berezutskiy. He has three goals in his 37 caps and is considered to be one of the most skilful central defenders in the whole of Europe.

Manager: Guus Hiddink, one of the most thought after coaches in the world. Continuously linked to top jobs including Chelsea and England and has a great track level at all levels. Won endless trophies, most notably while in charge of PSV Eindhoven.

Odds to Win: 28/1

Odds are pre-tournament odds

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