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Podolski hopes for strong Euro start
Posted Friday, May 25, 2012 by ESPNSTAR.com

Podolski hopes for strong Euro start

Lukas Podolski claims Germany's Euro 2012 opener against Portugal will determine how far his side go in the tournament.

Joachim Low's men are in the toughest group of the competition, with Holland and Denmark also in Group B.

And Podolski accepts the team will have to hit the ground running.

"The first game of the tournament against Portugal is decisive," the Arsenal-bound striker said on www.dfb.de.

"We have to be ready."

Germany reached the final of the European Championships four years ago and the semi-finals of the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.

And Podolski insists there is a belief in the squad they can go all the way this time.

He added: "We are good enough and have developed well enough over the past years that we can say we can win the title."

Low's side take on Switzerland in a friendly on Saturday.

Standings
    Rank Team W/D/L Pts

    Cities & Stadiums

    The Top 3 Teams of Previous Tournaments

    Year Winners Runner-up Third place
    2008SpainGermanyRussia / Turkey
    2004GreecePortugalNetherlands / Czech Republic
    2000FranceItalyNetherlands / Portugal
    1996GermanyCzech RepublicFrance / England
    1992DenmarkGermanyNetherlands / Sweden
    1988NetherlandsSoviet UnionItaly / West Germany
    1984FranceSpainDenmark / Portugal
    1980West GermanyBelgiumCzechoslovakia
    1976CzechoslovakiaWest GermanyNetherlands
    1972West GermanySoviet UnionBelgium
    1968ItalyYugoslaviaEngland
    1964SpainSoviet UnionHungary
    1960Soviet UnionYugoslaviaCzechoslovakia