Euro 2012 Group D
GROUP D
[Team Jersey Images © Soccerphile]
England
Expectations for England are at an almost unprecedented low. Previous coach Fabio Capello got England safely enough to the finals but resigned over John Terry being stripped of the captaincy amid allegations of the racial abuse of QPR defender Anton Ferdinand during a Premier League match. Striker Wayne Rooney is suspended for the first two games and possible replacement Darren Bent is out through injury as is Arsenal's Jack Wilshire. New manager Roy Hodgson has remained loyal to the majority of Capello's squad but compared with Spain, Germany and Holland, the lack of real quality in the team makes qualifying from the group the likely limit of England's prospects.
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England Kit 1 |
England Kit 2 |
England v France 11 June; Donetsk
England v Sweden 15 June; Kiev
England v Ukraine; 19 June; Donetsk
Coach
Roy Hodgson
Record
1964, 1972, 1976, 1984, 2008 Did Not Qualify, 1980, 1988, 1992, 2000 First Round, 2004 Quarter Final, 1968, 1996 Semi Final
Men to watch
Ashley Young impressed in qualifying and along with Danny Welbeck will be hoping to bring his good form for Manchester United this season east to the Ukraine. The wild card is Arsenal's winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain but it is doubtful he will see much playing time.
Will struggle to make it out of the group, if they do, they will not make it past the quarter-finals.
Euro 2012 Betting
How they qualified
Won Group G winning five games and drawing three times, scoring 17 times.
On the sidelines
England will stay at the Stary Hotel in Krakow and train at Stadion Suche Stawy.
Analysis
Ukraine
Co-hosts Ukraine do not appear to be in great shape going into a tournament where they are desperate to impress and put on a good show. Animosity between Ukraine's two biggest club sides, Dynamo Kiev and Shakhtar Donestk threatens to spill over into the national squad and there have been injuries to some key players such as defender Dmytro Chygrynskyi and Andriy Shevchenko. The continuing political turmoil in the country following the jailing of opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko could also cast a shadow over the team's preparations. Except for a 3-3 draw with Germany in the inaugural match at Kiev's Olympic Stadium, results have also been poor in friendlies with defeats against two of Ukraine's Group D opponents France and Sweden.
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Ukraine Kit 1 |
Ukraine Kit 2 |
Ukraine v Sweden 11 June; Kyiv
Ukraine v France 15 June; Donetsk
Ukraine v England; 19 June; Donetsk
Coach
Oleg Blokhin
Record
1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 Did not qualify
Men to watch
Bayern's Anatoliy Tymoschuk is the team's engine room. Andriy Yarmolenko is a powerful force on the left.
On paper Ukraine are the weakest of the four teams in the group but massive home support should help the hosts. Need to gain momentum with a result in their opening game against Sweden.
How they qualified
Co-hosts so qualified automatically.
On the sidelines
Ukraine will train at Dynamo Kiev's training centre at Koncha-Zaspa.
Analysis
France
France were pushed all the way in qualifying by Bosnia-Herzegovina but eventually came through to top the group. France are much improved from the shambolic group that crashed out of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa: pride in the shirt has been restored, the public image of the team rebuilt and a new resilience runs through the squad. A recent 2-1 friendly win in Germany serves warning that France have the individual talent to win any game: Samri Nasri, Franck Ribery, Yann M'Vila and Karim Benzema are all major stars in their respective leagues.
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France Kit 1 |
France Kit 2 |
France v England 11 June; Donetsk
France v Ukraine 15 June; Donetsk
France v Sweden; 19 June; Kiev
Coach
Laurent Blanc
Record
1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1988 Did not qualify; 1992, 2008 Group stage; 2004 Quarter-final; 1960, 1996 Semi-final; 1984, 2000 Winners
Men to watch
Real Madrid's Karim Benzema has been in fine form this season and his fitness will be vital to his team's chances of progress. Defensive midfielder Yann M'Vila will be looking to showcase his talents as he is thought to be leaving Rennes for a bigger club after the tournament.
France could be possible dark horses in the tournament. We predict the semi-finals from Blanc's boys.
How they qualified
France won Group D but not without a struggle, the outcome of the group going to the last game.
On the sidelines
France are based at Shakhtar Donetsk's Kirsha Training Centre.
Analysis
Sweden
Sweden have adopted a more attacking style since Erik Hamren took over the reins from the more pragmatic Lars Lagerback. Blessed with the talents of Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Manchester City's John Guidetti, who has spent the season on loan at Feyrnoord, Sweden offer a potent offence, with Johan Elmander and Ola Toivonen in reserve. It is at the back that Sweden have weaknesses, with the veteran Olof Mellberg, their best defender. The Swedish midfield is solid but lacks flair with Anders Svensson and Kim Kallstom set to start - solid pros but hardly world-beaters.
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Sweden Kit 1 |
Sweden Kit 2 |
Sweden v Ukraine 11 June; Kiev
Sweden v England 15 June; Kiev
Sweden v France; 19 June; Kiev
Coach
Erik Hamren
Record
Record 1964-1988 Did not qualify, 1992 Semi-final, 1996 Did not qualify, 2000 Group stage, 2004 Quarter-final, 2008 Group Stage
Men to watch
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the obvious dangerman but look out too for Sunderland's dead ball specialist Sebastian Larsson.
We think they may struggle to escape the group, which they didn't in 2000 and 2008. Much depends on their opening match with the hosts, Ukraine.
How they qualified
Sweden were second in Group E; qualified as the best-performing second-placed side with 24 points from 10 matches, three points behind winners Holland.
On the sidelines
Sweden will be based just outside Kiev in the Platinum Hotel in Kozyn.
Analysis
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