Teams

The most impressive of which will undoubtedly be Ajax's forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic who will prove dangerous if the wings are used to full effect as is the Swedes game plan. Ibrahimovic has helped his club side to consecutive Dutch championships and looks set for iconic status on the domestic and international stage much in the same way as Sweden's striking legend Henrik Larsson. Speaking of Larsson, the Celtic Glasgow star announced his return to the national team one last time after promising to never suit up internationally again, His services will most definitely be appreciated. A team that gave up only three goals in qualifying for Portugal, Sweden would be a good outside bet at Euro 2004.

Bursting at the seams with talent, the Dutch team have more than their share of prima donnas. Infighting and bickering have been constant problems. Add to this the fact that the squad could lack cohesion due to being widely distributed throughout Europe and the Dutch finger could once again be hovering over the self-destruct button. But if a cast of the very best players from the biggest leagues get it together to feed Manchester United's Ruud van Nistelrooy and the 19-year-old Wesley Sneijder up front, Holland could put all that behind them.

With big money moves luring the stars of the future abroad, the Bulgarian league has become a joke. Disjointed and directionless performances have sent the national team in a downward spiral in FIFA’s world rankings. However, every team gets a chance to turn the corner and the Bulgarians won their qualification group, beating Croatia and Belgium on the way. This championship may be just another point on the learning curve but who can say whether the heady days of Hristo are set to return in the coming years.

Still, as you would expect from a German side, this current team can be very hard to beat especially when the coach employs his favored 3-5-2 formation, saturating the midfield with such creativity stifling generals as Dietmar Hamann, Carsten Ramelow and Torsten Frings. This does come at a price and while they may not give away too many goals, the Germans lack real pace and creativity to create chances for themselves. Völler will likely continue experimenting with his unsteady striking team, where Fredi Bobic and youngster Kevin Kuranyi have gotten the call recently. But if midfield star Michael Ballack is in good form, opposing defenses will have a lot on their hands. A sixth final appearance would not be a huge surprise if the Germans can bludgeon their way through as they did in Japan/Korea but it could equally go the other way in the Group of Death and leave the Germans to watch the rest of the tournament from home.

The defensive pairing of Alessandro Nesta and Fabio Cannavaro, who were frustrating defenses in Euro 2000, form a strong backbone in front of goalie Gianluigi Buffon, for whom Juventus Turin paid 41 million euro. There are dangers, however, that the Italians could come apart in much the same way as they did at the last World Cup unless some new element is introduced. That element could be Juventus surprise package Marco di Vaio who plays a less Italian game than his striking contemporaries. His inclusion could unsettle defenders coached to expect the usual from Italy's forwards.

Zenit St. Petersburg's Alexander Kerzhakov, 21, and Dmitri Sytchev, 20, of Lokomotiv Moscow could dazzle the European stage on the offensive side of the ball. But the team is drawn mostly from the Russian league and lacks players who can deduce and adjust to Western European style of play. This year's tournament will most likely be a learning process for the next generation of Russian stars, but no more.

After winning at home, the Latvians came back from two down in Istanbul to send the talented Turks home. Striker Maris Verpakovsis, who has given Latvian hockey heroes a run for their money in the most popular Latvian athlete category, carried the goal-scoring burden in the Euro 2004 run-up and was recently snapped up by Dynamo Kiev. But the small country's dizzy qualification run will wake up to sobering reality in Portugal, where it is not expected to get out of a group of European giants featuring Germany, Holland and the Czech Republic.

Those players who have found a new home in bigger more profitable leagues have gained great experience at the highest level and will want to take their chance to rid the nation of the nightmares of 2000, when the 1992 champions crashed out without a win to their name.With a squad boasting players from the English Premiership, Italy's Serie A and the Spanish Primera Liga, Denmark came through a tough group in qualifying but in Portugal, however, things will much harder for the Danish Dynamite. On their day, a good result is not beyond the Danes but realistic supporters will be looking to be back at work around the time of the quarterfinals.

The respectable efforts of the 1994 World Cup in the United States aside, the Swiss rarely trouble the big names on the world stage. Switzerland's aging striker, Stephane Chapuisat, 35, still has the skills to cause trouble in opponents' penalty boxes and will want to make a lasting impression after announcing Euro 2004 will be his last national team appearance. Short of a series of huge upsets though, the Swiss will stay true to form and end their Portuguese sojourn after three matches.

Beaten as finalists in 1996, some players still remain from the team that lost to Germany by a golden goal. Veterans Karel Poborsky, Vladimir Smicer and captain Pavel Nedved bring experience to the team in the midfield while Dortmund's man-mountain Jan Koller and Liverpool's Milan Baros provide the attacking threat. Much though will depend on Juventus Turin star Nedved staying fit and the frustratingly inconsistent but hugely talented Tomas Rosicky producing his best form. But the Czechs will fear no one at Euro 2004.

Greece qualified at the top of their group, even beating Spain 1:0 in Zaragoza. Whether the surprising Greeks, who have not played in a European championship since 1980, can continue their run in Portugal is tough to gauge. Rehhegal's emphasis on the defensive, with backs Nikos Dabisas and AS Roma's Dellas anchoring the four-man fullback field, might not let a lot of goals through, but Greece's offense is not goal-heavy either. It will be up to Atletico Madrid's Demis Nikolaidis and Werder Bremen's bench-warmer Angelo Charisteas to provide enough points to push them past a tough group.

If the answer turns out to be yes to both in Portugal, England may come close to fulfilling their potential. The team has a newly installed resilience and spirit, embodied by David Beckham's maturing leadership, and have proved against tough opposition that going behind is no reason to concede the game. If the first choice players are available, England should be taken seriously at Euro 2004 as long as the shaky defense avoid too many scares and the press back at home stay off the team's back.

Critics have pointed to discipline problems as the reasons behind Portugal's embarrassing early round exit from the 2002 World Cup and their semi-final defeat at the hands of France in Euro 2000. The pressure could not be higher on the team and new coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, Brazil's former national team coach. While the old guard look for a swansong on home soil, a new breed of exciting attackers is fuelling expectation of another glittering crop of talent. Most is centered on Christiano Ronaldo, the teenage midfielder who has been turning heads in the English Premiership since coming to Manchester United last Summer. Sergio Conceicao, Tiago Mendes and Hugo Viana could also light up the field, but Portugal's creaking defense may be its undoing. One thing is for certain - a nation expects.

After seeing teams taken apart by Henry, Wiltord, Cisse, and Trezeguet to name just a few, opponents are wise to the danger posed by their speedy forwards when given time to weave their magic. France will have to be prepared to resort to Plan B if their rivals stifle the room these players need to punish generous gifts of space. That could mean passing the responsibility of piercing defenses to the midfield. But with players like Viera, Zidane and Pires dictating the play, few teams will have a more devastating reserve tactic.

Fernando Morientes, of AS Monaco, Valencia's Barraja and Real Madrid's Raul and Guti head a talented offense that will give coach Inaki Saez plenty of options up front. Goalkeeper Iker Casillas is an excellent shot stopper in the back, developing into a top international thanks to his work for Real Madrid. But the Spaniards could have a fatigue issue. Most members of the Seleccion play in the Spanish league, where owners are not inclined to spare top players just so that they are well-rested for the Euro 2004. Observers also criticize the Spanish game as too predictable and lacking the long ball. Still, Spain will likely fight out of a tough group along with their Portuguese neighbors. With a little fantasy, they might even go all the way.

While achieving qualification, Croatia failed to impress and have underwhelmed in warm-up matches since. Monaco striker Dado Prso is staking a claim as the country's striking icon in the place of the retired Alen Boksic while Juventus defender Igor Tudor has taken over command of the defense. Still, Croatia will probably take a few more seasons before featuring in the latter stages of a major tournament.