Euro 2012 Preview: Group D

Group D: Ukraine, England, France, Sweden

Fixtures: Monday 11 June
                France v England. 5pm. Donbass Arena, Donetsk
                Ukraine v Sweden. 7:45pm. Olympic Stadium, Kiev

               Friday 15 June
               Ukraine v France. 5pm. Donbass Arena, Donetsk
               Sweden v England. 7:45pm Olympic Stadium, Kiev

               Tuesday 19 June
               Sweden v France. 7:45pm. Olympic Stadium, Kiev
               England v Ukraine. 7:45pm. Donbass Arena, Donetsk

Ukraine

Ukrainian legend Oleg Blokhin returned to manage the national side after three previous coaches had tried and failed to live up to high expectations. Blokhin was at the helm when Ukraine somehow managed to reach the quarter finals of the 2006 World Cup, despite only scoring two goals throughout the whole competition. A lot of that squad remains, including AC Milan legend but Chelsea flop Andriy Shevchenko, who remarkably still leads the line despite being 36 and his best days a long way behind him. That could prove their weakness, but they proved in 2006 that you can go far without scoring many goals.

Yarmolenko. Not a household name. Yet.

Key Player: Andriy Yarmolenko. Not a household name yet, but the 22-year-old Dynamo Kiev forward, tipped as the 'new Shevchenko' has been in fine form. He scored 12 times in 20 league appearances, leading to some Premier League clubs monitoring him. He can also play on the left and has scored seven times for his country.

Likely line up:

                        Shovkovskiy

  Butko     Kucher       Rakitskiy       Selin

                          Tymoshchuk

     Koniolyanka      Rotan           Yarmolenko

               Shevchenko        Milevskiy

Odds: Win the tournament: 50/1
            Win Group D: 9/2
            Top Goalscorer Andriy Yarmolenko: 80/1

Matt Says: Lack of a threat up front will see them miss out on the knockouts.

England

In past tournaments, England's preparation has been scrutinised. But this time it tops the lot. The fact that star striker Wayne Rooney will miss the first two games is the least of their worries. A racism scandal involving now ex-captain John Terry led to manager Fabio Capello resigning, with his replacement Roy Hodgson being installed just a few weeks ago. Hodgson got off to a good start, beating Norway and Belgium 1-0 in warm up internationals, but his squad selection has raised many eyebrows. The inclusion of six Liverpool players was surprising, but the omission of Micah Richards, Michael Carrick and in particular Rio Ferdinand has puzzled many. Expectations are lower than ever, which could prove to be a good thing, but the public will still expect some sort of performance.

Hart: England's number one for years to come.

Key Player: Joe Hart. Many thought Hart should've played at the 2010 World Cup, but since then he has established himself by far and away as England's number one. This will be Hart's first major tournament, so possibly his toughest test, but after winning the Premier League title with Man City, his confidence will be booming.

Likely line up:

                              Hart

 Johnson        Terry        Lescott        Cole

                        Parker    Milner

     Walcott            Gerrard           Young

                             Welbeck

Odds: Win the tournament: 12/1
           Win Group D: 15/8
           Top Goalscorer: Wayne Rooney: 33/1

Matt Says: Should qualify out of the group. Any further will be an unexpected bonus.

France

The French are a far cry from where they were at the 2010 World Cup. Gone are the days of player revolts and going on strike under Raymond Domenech, this time the camp is united with new manager Laurent Blanc at the helm. He has introduced fresh blood to the side, with Yann M'Villa, Yohan Cabaye and Adil Rami all looking like they could start in the opening game against England. The attacking quartet of Frank Ribery, Samir Nasri, Florent Malouda and Karim Benzema looks exciting, but the defence is a slight worry. Phillip Mexes looks set to start but he has lost his pace, while there are question marks over Patrice Evra's form for club and country.

Benzema: French Player of the Year

Key Player: Karim Benzema. He was left out of the squad that went to the World Cup, but under Blanc he has been a regular starter. His form at Real Madrid has picked up, scoring 32 goals in all competitions last season, while he scored three times in qualifying and against England in an friendly at Wembley. Could end up being the tournament's top goalscorer.

Likely line up:

                            Lloris

 Sagna          Mexes      Rami      Evra

                   Cabaye    M'Villa

  Ribery                Nasri             Malouda

                          Benzema

Odds: Win the tournament: 9/1
            Win Group D: 6/4
            Karim Benzema Top Goalscorer: 12/1

Matt Says: Dark horses to reach the final, but semi finals are more likely.

Sweden

Regularly qualify for major tournaments but rarely trouble the big teams when they get there, that may begin to change. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is without doubt Sweden's best player, but where to play him is a challenge. Manager Erik Hamren moved Ibra in the hole behind the striker in a friendly against Croatia which proved a masterstroke as they won 3-1. Prior to that, some Swedes were calling for Ibrahimovic to be dropped as his performances for the national team were below that of his club side AC Milan, claiming Sweden were a one man side when he played. But new talent is emerging, including Manchester City striker John Guidetti, who scored 20 goals in 23 appearances in a loan spell at PSV Eindhoven this season.

Ibrahimovic: Will he perform at Euro 2012?

Key Player: Zlatan Ibrahimovic. There is no doubt that Ibrahimovic is a talented striker, but whether he can do it on the biggest of stages is another question. He has only scored three times against English opposition in 15 appearances, and often goes lost in the big games. His mindset will be key. If he is in the mood then Sweden could go a long way. What better opportunity to silence his critics at Euro 2012?

Likely line up:

                               Isaksson

 Lustig         Granqvist       Mellberg     Olsson

                       Svensson    Kallstrom

    Toivonen          Ibrahimovic        Larsson

                               Elmander

Odds: Win the tournament: 66/1
            Win Group D: 6/1
            Zlatan Ibrahimovic Top Goalscorer: 33/1

Matt Says: Unless Ibra is on song, the Swedes won't get far.