Germany is a squad filled with young talent, and one of the favorites to win the whole tournament. And Portugal is a team that always seem to be less that the sum of its parts. Built around a player, Cristiano Ronaldo, who excellent in his own right, fails to bring out the best in his teammates, and underperforms for his national team. Will be a major upset if Germany and Holland don't advance.
A resounding play-off success against Bosnia and Herzegovina secured Portugal's place at UEFA EURO 2012, where they will hope to improve on the near misses of recent tournaments. Since reaching the UEFA EURO 2004 finals, Portugal have become fixtures in the knockout stages of major tournaments. Semi-finalists at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and quarter-finalists at UEFA EURO 2008, they were unlucky to encounter eventual winners Spain in the last 16 in South Africa two summers ago...
Top scorers in qualifying with 37 goals, the Netherlands are in good shape to add to their 1988 European success having been denied by Spain in the final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Still with only the 1988 UEFA European Championship to show for over four decades near the summit of world football, there are signs that the Oranje are ready for more silverware. For a while it looked like coming at UEFA EURO 2008, before Russia sent the Netherlands home in the quarter-finals...
Famously champions in 1992, Morten Olsen's Denmark fought their way past Portugal to qualify automatically but now face a tough finals task in Group B, which includes the Portuguese again. When Morten Olsen leads Denmark to Poland and Ukraine, they will be returning to a competition which has served them famously well down the years. Having failed to qualify in 2008, the 2012 showcase will be the 1992 champions' eighth UEFA European Championship final tournament...
The UEFA European Championship's most successful team and runners-up to Spain in 2008, Germany are aiming for a fourth title after qualifying for the finals with a perfect record. Three-time victors and thrice runners-up, Germany are the UEFA European Championship's most successful side and an exciting squad approach UEFA EURO 2012 knowing the Nationalmannschaft, last winners in 1996, have never had to wait more than four editions for glory...