Euro 2012 Group A
Group A – Poland, Greece, Czech Rep and Russia
Euro 2012 kicks off in Poland and Ukraine on June 8 and the 16 nations have now been drawn into four separate groups of four teams. Each team will play the three others in the group once with the top two nations qualifying for the next stage of the Euro 2012 tournament.
Group A the easiest?
On paper, this group is probably the easiest in Euro 2012. However, we all know the games are played on the pitch and nowhere else. Poland is hosting the European championships along with Ukraine and will have a chance to advance here since they’ve been matched up with Russia, the Czech Republic, and Greece. None of the teams are really considered to be world powers when it comes to football at the moment, but when they’re in form they could upset anybody. Greece proved this back in 2004 when they beat the host nation Portugal twice, once in the final, to win the Championship.
Group A kicks off the tournament with a game at Warsaw’s National Stadium on June 8th when Poland hosts Greece. Poland didn’t have to qualify for the event since they’re a host nation. Greece finished first in Group F during the qualifying round with seven wins and three draws in their 10 matches for 24 points.
The highest Greece has been ranked by FIFA has been number eight in the world, but they’ve played in just two World Cup tournaments and played badly in both of them. They lost all three of their matches in 1994 and lost two and won once in 2010. When it comes to Europe they’ve played better and have qualified for the Euros on four occasions. Of course, winning the event in 2004 was their best finish, but they were beaten in all three of their contests in Euro 2008.
Poland gets the advantage of being the home team and it might be needed. The country has produced some great teams in the past, but has hit a lean spell recently. They’ve played in the World Cup seven times and placed third in 1974 as well as in 1982. They’ve played in just one Euro event, which was in 2008 when they finished with two losses and a draw. Poland’s fared well in the Olympics with a gold medal in 1972 along with silvers in both 1976 and 1992. Read more about the stadiums in Poland.
Russia takes on the Czech Republic the same day, June 8th at Wroclaw’s Municipal Stadium. Russia made it to Euro 2012 by topping Group B in the qualifiers with 23 points. They won seven games, drew two and lost one. The Czech Republic finished runners up Group I and had 13 points. They won four games, drew three and lost once and then beat Montenegro 3-0 on aggregate in the playoffs.
Since separating from Czechoslovakia, the nation has played in the World Cup once in 2006 and won a match while losing two. They’ve played in the European Championships four times and in 1996 were runners up. They also finished third in 2004.
Russia has played in the World Cup nine times with their best finish being fourth place 1966. They’ve also played in the European Cup nine times and won it in 1960 as a part of the former Soviet Union. The present-day nation launched its national team in 1992.
Group A Schedule
8 June 2012 – Poland vs Greece at National Stadium, Warsaw
8 June 2012 – Russia vs Czech Republic at Municipal Stadium, Wrocław
12 June 2012 – Greece vs Czech Republic at Municipal Stadium, Wrocław
12 June 2012 – Poland vs Russia at National Stadium, Warsaw
16 June 2012 – Czech Republic vs Poland at Municipal Stadium, Wrocław
16 June 2012 – Greece vs Russia at National Stadium, Warsaw
Betting Odds and Predictions for Group A
Sportsbook William Hill has the odds of Russia winning Group A currently at 13/10 with Poland at 3/1, Greece at 10/3 and Czech Republic at 4/1.
The two most talented teams seem to be Russia and the Czech Republic, but Poland is at home and Greece is hard to score against. It’s a close group, but look for Russia and Poland to advance from it.
