By Khilen Mehta

Netherlands- It´s exactly twenty years since the Dutch last conquered Europe and after their recent form in qualifying, they look confident and full of desire. Besides qualification for Austria and Switzerland, another major positive from the Dutch campaign was the opportunity given to the stars of their 2006 and 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship winning squads to impress at senior level. However these tests will be a big test for the managerial decision of the manager, who has been recently undermined by many key players, including Clarence Seedorf who withdraw from the squad claiming that the conditions were not right for him to perform at his best. Having reached the semi-finals in 2004, they will be hoping to go one better this time.

Managaer- Marco Van Basten, “With more experience, we will have a chance to clinch a major title.”

Key Player- Ruud Van Nistelrooy will be relied upon to score the goals

Prediction- Runners up in group, but beaten quarter finalists

Romania- By far the weakest team in the group, the Romanians stand little chance of qualifying for the quarter finals. Romania confirmed their progress to their first finals tournament since UEFA EURO 2000 with two games to go, with a 2-0 win in Luxembourg completing a run of ten unbeaten games in Group G. Although Romania qualified for the 1984 and 1996 UEFA European Championship finals, they failed to win a match. Their first victory in the finals actually took place in their ninth match, defeating England 3-2 in the UEFA EURO 2000 finals, a result that provided them with a place in the knockout stages of the competition. Unbeaten against the Netherlands in the qualifying stages, Romania will take heart from these performances against the other nations.

Manager- Victor Piţurcă, “we don’t depend upon one player or another”.

Key Player-Adrian Mutu will be the focal point of everything good for Romania

Prediction- Will fall at the first stage, despite putting up stubborn opposition