Euro 2008 Preview: Group B

Austria, Croatia, Germany, Poland

Germany couldn't have asked for a better group, really. They should go through easily –possibly all the way to the final, what with having the easier side of the draw and (practically) home field advantage. I expect Croatia to be the team to join them in the quarter-finals. Poland did very well in qualifying, but I don't think they can keep it up in the tournament. Australia will just be hoping that they can manage to pick up a point or two.

AUSTRIA
FIFA rank: 101
Odds of winning: 100-1
Coach: Josef Hickersberger
How they got here: Qualified automatically as co-hosts
Past record: This is their first ever appearance in at a European championship, and their last World Cup was 1998, when they were eliminated at the group stage
Questions to ask:

• Will their own fans get behind them, seeing as they were circulating a petition before the tournament trying to get the team to drop out?
  
• Captain Andreas Ivanschitz is supposedly known as the Austrian David Beckham: is that a good thing or not?
  
• How bad is it when the only name on the roster I recognize is Middlesbrough's Emanuel Pogatetz?

Why to cheer for them: You feel like the home team ought to win at least one game.

CROATIA
FIFA rank: 13
Odds of winning: 12-1
Coach: Slaven Bilic
How they got here: Qualified top of their group, ahead of Russia and England
Past record: Finished third in their group at Euro 2004; also eliminated at the group stage in the 2006 World Cup
Questions to ask:

• How will they cope without Eduardo up front?
  
• Will playmaker Luka Modric prove that he was worth all the money Tottenham just paid for him?
  
• Just how cool is Slaven Bilic?

Why to cheer for them: They're the official dark horse candidates of the tournament.

GERMANY
FIFA rank: 5
Odds of winning: 4-1
Coach: Joachim Low
How they got here: Qualified easily, but – perhaps intentionally – slipped to second in their group behind the Czech Republic
Past record: Finished third in their group at Euro 2004 (they haven't won a game at the Euros since 1996!); third place in the 2006 World Cup
Questions to ask:

• How will Jens Lehmann perform, after spending most of the year on the Arsenal bench? And will he start a fight with anyone?
  
• Michael Ballack, now in form for Chelsea, will be running the midfield, but which of their plethora of strikers will be providing the goals up front?
  
• Will Jogi Low (and his natty scarf) prove that he was really the brains behind their 2006 World Cup campaign?

Why to cheer for them: They actually know how to win on penalties.

POLAND
FIFA rank: 27
Odds of winning: 50-1
Coach: Leo Beenhakker
How they got here: Somewhat surprisingly, finished first in their group ahead of Portugal and Serbia
Past record: They've never qualified for a European championship before; went out at the group stage at the 2006 World Cup
Questions to ask:

• How *did* they manage to do so well in qualifying?
  
• Why does Poland seem to produce lots of good goalkeepers and not much else?
  
• They're defensively disciplined, but do they have anybody who can grab a goal for them when they counter-attack?

Why to cheer for them: You like watching Artur Boruc taunt opposing fans.