Great Dane Football Blog will go through the EURO 2012 groups and the squads. Today we take a look at the last group, Group D. Here, host nation Ukraine, Sweden, France and England will meet.











Group D
Ukraine
Sweden
France
England

The four teams will be listed after the position Great Dane Football Blog believes the teams will have after the group matches.

1.    Sweden

FIFA World Ranking: 17
It is not a team full of stars Erik Hamrén has announced for the EURO 2012. However, it should be able to compete with England and France in the group. Most of the players are playing in European top clubs, with only three players from the domestic league. In the defends, Olof Mellberg will take the lead, while Sebastian Larsson and Pontus Wernbloom will be an important part of the midfield. In front, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a safe card.

Sweden qualified to the EURO, as number two in Group I, after Holland. Sweden and Holland were favorites for the qualification group, with no real challenge than each other. Group D is not easy for Sweden, but compared to the other teams I see Sweden as a favorite. England has a tradition of not performing during the finals, and France is just to unsteady at times.
 

The profile

Without a doubt, Zlatan Imbrahimovic. The Milan forward is the biggest star in the squad and Swedens success will depend on him. He has the ability to be decisive when it is needed, but can also be anonymous throughout a whole match.

Keep an eye on

Twente’s winger Emir Bajrami will play his first European Championship this summer. He has had a good season for his Dutch team, and we can expect some spectacular goals from the Kosovo Albania Swede. He certainly is worth keeping an eye on!

2.    England

FIFA World Ranking: 7

Roy Hodgsons squad for EURO 2012 has raised some eyebrows in England. The squad does not lack of star potential, but the selection of goal keeper Jack Butland as third keeper, as well as Martin Kelly rather than Rio Ferdinand is quite strange. Even so, the squad contains profiles as John Terry, Ashley Young and Wayne Rooney. However, Rooney is banned for the two first matches.

England won their qualification group in front of Montenegro, but with Switzerland, Wales and Bulgaria as the other opponents everything else would be a failure. England has a history of not performing at the finals, and this could be just another one in the book. Hodgson has to show his critics that he is the man for the job, but the squad is not the best in the history of English national football.

The profile
 
Even though, he is out of the first two matches, Wayne Rooney is the biggest profile on the English team. The striker has been a regular part of the national team and is a real goal scorer. His influence on the team is not to be under estimated, and that is also why he has been named as a potential vice-captain.

Keep an eye on
 
Liverpool's Andy Carroll is one of Roy Hodgson’s favorites in the squad, and we can expect a lot of matches for him, during the competition. It is going to be interesting to see if he can live up to the expectations from his manager, or if he will fall through. 

3.    Ukraine

FIFA World Ranking: 50

Ukraine manager Oleg Blokhin has announced a squad with most of the players from the domestic league. Ukraine’s biggest problem is the goal keeper, where the normal three players all are unavailable. Instead, it will be Shaktar Donetsk keeper Andriy Pyatov who will guard the goal. The biggest names in  the squad are Bayern Munich's Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, Dynamo Moscow’s Andriy Voronin and the veteran striker Andriy Shevchenko.

Ukraine is secured a place in the EURO 2012 as a host team and has not played any qualification matches. However, the team has won three of their last five friendlies before the competition.

The profile

Anatoliy Tymoshchuk is one of the most Ukraine best footballers ever and has a major impact on the strong midfield. He has played an important role for Munich this season, where he also started as a defender in this year’s Champions League final against Chelsea. His leader role will be very important for Ukraine in this competition.

Keep an eye on

The twenty-two year old winger Andriy Yarmolenko is worth keeping an eye on. The Ukrainian has played regular for the national team as well as for his club Dynamo Kiev. Furthermore, the offensive player has been linked heavily to AC Milan, after recommendations from team mate Shevchenko.




4.    France 

FIFA World Ranking: 16

France manager Laurent Blanc has announced a team bristling with stars with most of the players playing in the best leagues in Europe. Names as Evra, Mexes and Koscielny in the defend as well as Cabaye, Malouda and Nasri on the midfield and Benzema and Ribéry in front, creates high expectations.  Even the bench is full of potential for France, and they are one of the strongest teams in the championship. However, the latest couple of years have shown that the team has problems finding each other, and this might be the same problem this year.

France won their qualification group, but not in a very confident way. Only one point separated them from Bosnia on the second place. A loss to Belarus and some not impressing matches, is lowering my expectations to the team, and they can really only surprise me.

The profile

Franck Ribéry is one of the best wingers in the world, and he will be crucial for France in this EURO competition. However, the French is battling with his temper and might be showed a red card. If he can keep his head cold, he will be one of this competitions biggest profiles.

Keep an eye on

Olivier Giroud had a major impact on Montepellier’s league title with 25 goals in this season. This is his first UEFA competition after he had his debut for France against Belgium in November 2011. The player is a strong striker with a great heading ability. If he can keep his form, he will be one of the future stars for France.