National Association and Coach Profiles

►ALBANIA UEFA European Championship record P74 W11 D17 L 46 F58 A140

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 1: P10 W1 D4 L5 F6 A13 Pts7 With Dutchman at the helm, Albania made a promising start to qualifying, picking up scoreless draws with and and a 3-0 victory against Malta in autumn 2007. Successive defeats by and in March and April 2008 spelled the end of Haan's reign, however, and Croatian Josip Kuze took the helm for the final three matches – a 2-1 loss to Portugal in added time, a 1-1 draw with the Danes and a 4-1 defeat by the Swedes.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group G: P12 W2 D5 L5 F12 A18 Pts11 Croatian coach Otto Barić led Albania on arguably their best run in UEFA European Championship qualifying. Two draws with , which spoiled their opponents' hopes of progressing, two more with and one with Belarus, along with victories over Luxembourg, secured a respectable fifth-placed finish. Things might have been even better – a 91st-minute goal by forward goal inflicted a 1-0 defeat on Barić's side in in September 2007 and the following month they conceded an 87th- minute equaliser at home to Bulgaria. Two closing reverses – 4-2 against Belarus and 6-1 in – led to Barić's resignation.

UEFA European Championship best performance Mathematically, Albania achieved their best points-per-game ratio in UEFA EURO 2004 qualifying, when they took eight from a possible 24. Drawn in Group 10 with Russia, Switzerland, Ireland and Georgia, they emerged with an unbeaten home record having beaten both Russia and Georgia 3-1, and drawn against Switzerland and the Republic of Ireland.

Key facts Albania have played in all but three UEFA European Championship qualifying competitions – missing out in 1960, 1976 and 1980. Their first appearance came in the last 16 of the 1964 edition, following up a 4-0 defeat by Denmark with a 1-0 victory in Tirana.

Head coach: Josip Kuže Date of birth: 13 November 1952 Nationality: Croatian Playing career: NK Dinamo Coaching career: Sydney Croatia, BSK Slavonski Brod, FK Borac Banja Luka, NK Dinamo Zagreb, Rot-Weiss Erfurt, 1. FSV Mainz 05, Gamba Osaka, NK Zagreb, Chemnitzer FC, NK Inter Zaprešić, NK Dinamo Zagreb, Rwanda, JEF United Ichihara Chiba, Albania • Spent his entire playing career as a defender with Dinamo Zagreb, making 384 appearances and scoring 14 goals between 1971 and 1981.

• Started to coach in Australia, with Sydney Croatia, before working in and Japan as well as his homeland.

• Dismissed by Inter Zaprešić at the end of a disappointing 2003/04 season, he returned with a bang to win the 2005/06 Prva Liga title with Dinamo Zagreb, schooling future Croatian internationals Luka Modrić and Eduardo in the process.

• Sacked by Dinamo in November 2006, but not before becoming the first coach to take an overseas team to Arsenal FC's new stadium, in a UEFA Champions League qualifier. • Rwanda coach for two months from November 2007 to January 2008, he returned to international football in May 2009, replacing Dutchman Arie Haan to become the fifth successive foreigner to take charge of Albania. A 6-1 win against in his third game in charge represented a record margin of victory for Albania.

►ANDORRA UEFA European Championship record P30 W0 D0 L30 F6 A88

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 6: P10 W0 D0 L10 F3 A39 Pts0 Just as in UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying, Andorra were in the same group as and Croatia and they fared comparatively better – though they lost all four games, it was by a 14-0 aggregate this time rather than 21-0. In their second fixture against England in Barcelona, David Rodrigo's team held out for 48 minutes before falling to two Joe Cole goals. The closest they came to a point was against Belarus four days later when they were holding their opponents 1-1 until the 79th minute. That was as good as it got for a team later beaten 6-0 by both England and Ukraine.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group E: P12 W0 D0 L12 F2 A42 Pts0 Andorra opened with a 5-0 defeat by England at and worse was to follow a month later when Croatia put seven past them in Zagreb. Things improved for Rodrigo's minnows when they met England again in Barcelona in March 2007 – the locals keeping it scoreless until the 54th minute. England went on to win 3-0 but the positives gained from that match served the Andorrans well. Indeed an 82nd-minute equaliser scored by Fernando Silva away to that August would have brought them their first ever qualifying point but for Indrek Zelinski's winner in added time.

UEFA European Championship best performance Andorra's best showing came during the UEFA EURO 2000 qualifiers. Although they failed to register a point in ten games, conceding just three goals in two qualifiers against eventual tournament winners was deemed a huge feat for the team from the Pyrenean principality. That campaign also yielded their highest number of goals scored in a UEFA European Championship campaign, namely three.

Key facts Andorra made their competitive international debut in qualifying for UEFA EURO 2000 and have lost all 30 European qualifiers. However, on 13 October 2004, they registered a historic milestone when they collected their first competitive international triumph with a 1-0 home win

► UEFA European Championship record P40 W7 D8 L25 F24 A61

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 5: P10 W1 D1 L8 F6 A22 Pts4 Armenia made a miserable start to their qualifying programme – losing their first four games with 12 goals conceded and just one scored. Although Gevorg Ghazaryan's late equaliser brought a first point at home against Estonia in March 2009, Danish coach Jan Poulsen had made way for Vardan Minasyan by the time Armenia lost the return fixture in the next month – a result that virtually guaranteed them the wooden spoon. They finally gave their home supporters something to celebrate with a 2-1 win over in September 2009, courtesy of goals from Hovhannes Goharyan and the long-serving , who reached the 100-cap milestone during the course of the campaign.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group A: P12 W2 D3 L7 F4 A13 Pts9 It was an emotionally draining campaign for Armenia’s footballers who achieved some commendable results but were left mourning their Scottish coach , who died in September 2007, less than three weeks after his team's 1-1 home draw with Portugal. Porterfield had guided his charges to successive wins over (2-1) and eventual group winners Poland (1-0) that June and the Armenians would concede just three goals in six home games overall, including a draw against Serbia in their first fixture after their coach's passing. Armenia together with played two matches fewer than the section's other sides after UEFA cancelled their two encounters following a disagreement over venues.

UEFA European Championship best performance Armenia's best points-per-game ratio came in UEFA EURO 2004 qualifying when they beat Northern Ireland both at home and away and held Ukraine at home to finish fourth in their five-team group. They had their moments in UEFA EURO 2000 qualifying too when they also finished one off the bottom, achieving their biggest margin of victory in the competition with a 3-0 triumph in Andorra in October 1999, earning home draws with Iceland and Ukraine, and running eventual European champions France close in a 3-2 reverse in .

Key facts Armenia got the better of Belgium at the sixth time of asking with that 2-1 World Cup qualifying win in 2009. The countries had previously met on five occasions and Belgium had won each time, with Armenia not managing a single goal. Armenia's first international match was a goalless home draw with Moldova on 14 October 1992.

Head coach: Vardan Minasyan Date of birth: 5 January 1974 Nationality: Armenian Playing career: FC Ararat Yerevan, FC Homenetmen Yerevan, FC Pyunik (twice), FC Lokomotiv St. Petersburg Coaching career: Armenia, FC Pyunik • A forceful , he spent the bulk of his playing career with Pyunik (formerly FC Homenetmen Yerevan), winning six Armenian championships with the club in two spells (1992- 97 and 2001-03).

• Capped 17 times by Armenia between 1996 and 2003.

• Began coaching career as an assistant both with Pyunik and Armenia; stood in as joint- caretaker for the latter following coach Ian Porterfield's death in September 2007 and was in sole charge for the country's final two UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifiers.

• Assistant coach since 2005, he took sole command at Pyunik in May 2008 and led the club to eighth successive Armenian championship; stretched sequence to nine in his first full season at the helm in 2009 and also secured the domestic double by with victory in the .

• After previous experience with national team as caretaker, assistant and Under-21 coach, he was handed head role in April 2009 (in addition to his day job with Pyunik), replacing Dane Jan Børge Poulsen; led Armenia to their only 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying win – 2-1 at home to Belgium – five months later.

► UEFA European Championship record Final tournament: 2008 P83 W33 D14 L36 F147 A128

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 7: P10 W4 D2 L4 F14 A15 Pts14 Austria finished third in Group 7 having begun their campaign with one of the surprise results in European qualifying, a 3-1 victory over 2006 finalists France in Vienna. That was soon forgotten as four days later 's team lost 2-0 in Lithuania, before a 1-1 draw with the Faroe Islands and 3-1 home defeat by Serbia all but ended their hopes of progress to an eighth finals. Constantini's focus therefore shifted to molding a young, vibrant team with the aim of finishing third in the pool behind Serbia and France, which they duly did.

UEFA EURO 2008 Having qualified for the final tournament as co-hosts along with Switzerland, Austria suffered the same fate as their neighbours by failing to advance beyond the group stage. In their tournament opener, an early penalty from Croatia's Luka Modrić consigned them to a 1-0 defeat, before a spot-kick of their own, converted by veteran Ivica Vastic in added time, earned a 1-1 draw with Poland. Needing a win against Germany to advance, 's side ended Group B as they had started it, with a 1-0 defeat; scoring four minutes into the second half.

UEFA European Championship best performance Austria's best performance came in the first edition of the competition in 1960 when they reached the quarter-finals thanks to a 6-2 aggregate win against . France proved far tougher opposition in the next round, however, defeating Austria 9-4 over two legs to advance to the four-team final tournament.

Key facts At 38 years and 257 days, Vastic became the oldest player to score in a UEFA European Championship when he converted a late penalty against Poland in 2008.

Head coach: Dietmar Constantini Date of birth: 30 May 1955 Nationality: Austrian Playing career: FC Wacker Innsbruck, LASK Linz, SPG Innsbruck, Kavala FC, FC Union Wels, Favoritner AC, Wiener Sportclub Coaching career: Austria Under-21, Austria (three times), LASK Linz, FC Admira Wacker, FC Tirol Innsbruck, 1. FSV Mainz 05, FK Austria Wien (twice), FC Kärnten, FC Pasching • Spent most of playing career with hometown club Wacker Innsbruck, where he won two championships; appeared 198 times in the Austrian , scoring five goals, and also played briefly in with Kavala.

• Joined Austrian Football Federation (ÖFB) coaching staff after two years as assistant coach at SK Rapid Wien; had two brief spells as interim coach of national team (in October/November 1991 and November 1992) and learned his trade under the great .

• Coached several Austrian Bundesliga sides during mid-1990s while running a popular summer camp for young footballers in the Tyrol; returned to ÖFB payroll in 1999 as assistant to national-team coach Otto Barić.

• Returned to club football with FK Austria Wien in 2001/02; also coached the side briefly in spring 2008, having previously led FC Pasching into the UEFA Cup.

• Handed the reins of the Austrian national team in March 2009 midway through the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, as a replacement for Karel Brückner, kicking off with a 2-1 win against Romania.

►AZERBAIJAN UEFA European Championship record P40 W3 D5 L32 F19 A103

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 4: P10 W1 D2 L7 F4 A14 Pts5 With former Germany coach in charge, Azerbaijan managed to avoid finishing bottom of the section during a campaign which improved in the closing stages. They ended 2008 with just a goalless draw with to show for their efforts but increased their points' total to five in their final two matches, beating Liechtenstein 2-0 in the return in Vaduz and then drawing 1-1 draw at home to Russia – Vagif Javadoz scoring in both games. The win in Liechtenstein marked the first time since 2003 that Azerbaijan had succeeded in scoring twice in a qualifying match.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group A: P12 W1 D2 L9 F6 A28 Pts5 Azerbaijan recorded just one victory en route to finishing bottom of their eight-team group – an unexpected 1-0 success against Finland in Baku in March 2007 courtesy of Emin Imamaliev's late strike. By the time they faced the Finns in the return that November, coach Shakhin Diniev had resigned – he chose to step down in the face of a 6-1 home drubbing by Serbia. Azerbaijan played their last two matches under Gjokica Hadžievski, losing narrowly in Finland and Belgium. For Azerbaijan and Armenia, however, their campaign was shorter than the other teams' in the section because the two countries' head-to-head meetings were cancelled by UEFA following a disagreement over venues.

UEFA European Championship best performance Though they finished bottom of Group 9, Azerbaijan's UEFA EURO 2004 qualifying campaign ranks as the country's best performance given they claimed four points from their eight games. The first came with an inspired 2-2 draw away to – trailing 2-0 in Podgorica, Gurban Gurbanov scored twice as Asker Abdullayev's side battled back to equalise. Azerbaijan went one better in the return fixture after an even more thrilling fightback in which Gurbanov converted an 88th-minute penalty to make it 1-1 before substitute Farrukh Ismaylov's dramatic winner.

Key facts Andre Ladaga's goal 16 minutes into Azerbaijan's 1-1 draw with Kazakhstan in their second UEFA EURO 2008 qualifier ended a scoring drought that had lasted for 951 minutes of competitive football. Their first UEFA European Championship qualifying campaign was for EURO '96, when they collected their only point in their final game, a 0-0 home draw with Poland. France had earlier inflicted their heaviest competitive defeat – 10-0 in Auxerre on 6 September 1995. Azerbaijan have won three matches in UEFA European Championship qualifiers, the victories over Finland (2007) and Serbia and Montenegro (2003) following a 4-0 triumph against Liechtenstein in a UEFA EURO 2000 qualifier on 5 June 1999.

Head coach: Berti Vogts Date of birth: 30 December 1946 Nationality: German Playing career: VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach Coaching career: Germany, , Kuwait, Scotland, Nigeria, Azerbaijan • A feisty, tenacious right-back, he was among the most prominent footballers in his country during the 1970s; the two-time West German Player of the Year won five league titles and two UEFA Cups with his only club, VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach; an unused member of the squad that won the 1972 UEFA European Championship, he was a FIFA World Cup winner in 1974.

• Retired from playing in 1979, having made 419 Bundesliga appearances for Gladbach, scoring 32 goals; won 96 caps for West Germany, at the time a tally second only to his contemporary, . • Oversaw various West Germany age-group selections from 1979-90; assistant coach to Beckenbauer at the 1990 World Cup triumph in before becoming first coach of Germany following reunification.

• Had eight years in charge of Nationalmannschaft, winning EURO '96™ while reaching quarter-finals of 1994 and 1998 World Cups; quit in September 1998.

• After brief spell as a Bundesliga trainer, with Leverkusen in 2000/01, he has coached four national teams; took charge of Azerbaijan in April 2008, helping them finish their unsuccessful 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win in Liechtenstein and a 1-1 draw at home to Russia. Signed a new contract for two more years on 10 November 2009.

►BELARUS UEFA European Championship record P38 W8 D6 L24 F33 A66

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 6: P10 W4 D1 L5 F19 A14 Pts13 Belarus finished fourth in Group 6 behind England, Ukraine and Croatia, a return of one point from a possible 18 in their six matches against that trio ruining their chances of climbing any higher. Kazakhstan and Andorra were both beaten twice with three of those four wins achieved by four-goal margins – 5-1 and 4-0 against Kazakhstan and 5-1 at home to Andorra.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group G: P12 W4 D1 L7 F17 A23 Pts13 Belarus again had to be content with a fourth-placed finish, 12 points behind the team who finished immediately above them, Bulgaria. The campaign contained notable highs and lows for 's squad, who lost home and away to both Bulgaria and Romania and were surprisingly beaten 1-0 at home by Luxembourg but finished on a positive note with a famous 2-1 victory against section runners-up the Netherlands in .

UEFA European Championship best performance The fourth-placed finish in qualifying for the 2008 edition matched that achieved in EURO '96 qualifying, Belarus' first appearance as an independent country in the competition. On that occasion they earned eleven points from ten matches, two fewer than last time out when they played 12 times.

Key fact Belarus have twice defeated the Netherlands in UEFA European Championship qualifying, the first success coming prior to the 1996 final tournament (1-0).

Head coach: Bernd Stange Date of birth: 14 March 1948 Nationality: German Playing career: BSG Chemie Gnaschwitz, ASG Vorwärts Bautzen, HSG DHfK Leipzig Coaching career: East Germany, Hertha BSC Berlin, VfB Leipzig, FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, FC CSKA Kyiv, FC Carl Zeiss Jena, Perth Glory, Oman, Iraq, Apollon Limassol FC, Belarus • Stopped playing at 22 due to injury and moved into coaching at Carl-Zeiss Jena, working as a youth coach and then assistant coach.

• Progressed through the ranks at of the German Democratic Republic, becoming the senior East Germany coach from 1983-88.

• Coached Hertha Berlin and VfB Leipzig in the reunified Germany before moving to Ukraine and later Australia, where he was named Coach of the Year as Perth Glory finished runners-up in the 1999/00 season. • Returned to international management with Oman, then Iraq, where he was in charge from 2002-04.

• Moved back into club football at Apollon Limassol FC in Cyprus, guiding the team to the 2005/06 league title with an unbeaten record; left midway through the following campaign and was appointed Belarus coach in July 2007, replacing Yuri Puntus.

►BELGIUM UEFA European Championship record Runners-up: 1980 Semi-finals: 1972 Final tournament: 1972, 1980, 1984, 2000 P96 W42 D23 L31 F138 A112

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 5: P10 W3 D1 L6 F13 A20 Pts10 A new-look Belgium squad started out with high hopes after victories over Estonia and Armenia, along with a draw in Turkey. Those hopes took a dent with a late 2-1 home defeat by European champions in October 2008 and disintegrated after 4-2 and 2-1 losses to Bosnia-Herzegovina in the spring of 2009. René Vandereycken was promptly replaced as coach by Frank Vercauteren but a 5-0 rout by Spain and 2-1 loss in Armenia then led to his replacement by . Belgium went on finish fourth after a 2-0 victory over Turkey and a 2-0 defeat in Estonia.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group A: P14 W5 D3 L6 F14 A16 Pts18 After missing out on UEFA EURO 2004 and the 2006 FIFA World Cup, coach Aimé Anthuenis made way for Vandereycken but it proved an underwhelming campaign. An opening 0-0 draw at home with Kazakhstan was an early warning sign, although the real damage was done by four successive defeats between November 2006 and June 2007 – home-and-away losses to Portugal and defeats by Poland and Finland. The Red Devils rallied with a 3-2 home win over Serbia in August 2007 and lost just one of their last six fixtures but it was not enough to finish higher than fifth.

UEFA European Championship best performance Belgium contested the 1980 UEFA European Championship final, losing 2-1 to the Federal Republic of Germany at 's . struck the 88th-minute winner, his second goal of the game, after Vandereycken had drawn Belgium level. It was their only defeat of a competition in which they drew with England and Italy and beat Spain to reach the final. In their eight qualifying games, Belgium had drawn their first four before winning the next four against Norway, Portugal and Scotland (twice).

Key facts Since appearing in the 1980 UEFA European Championship final, Belgium have competed in only two final tournaments – the 1984 finals in France and UEFA EURO 2000, where they qualified automatically as co-hosts with the Netherlands. In total, they have appeared in 11 editions of the competition.

Head coach: Dick Advocaat Date of birth: 27 September 1947 Nationality: Dutch Playing career: ADO Den Haag (twice), Roda JC, VVV Venlo, Chicago Sting, Sparta , K. Berchem Sport, FC Utrecht Coaching career: DSVP, HFC Haarlem, FC Dordrecht, Netherlands (twice), PSV , Rangers FC, VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach, United Arab Emirates, Korea Republic, FC Zenit St. Petersburg, AZ Alkmaar, Belgium • A combative midfielder, his playing career lasted 18 years and included three seasons in the North American Soccer League with Chicago Sting.

• Twice served as assistant coach to with the Dutch national team, where he earned the nickname 'Little General', before taking charge himself and leading the Oranje to the 1994 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals in the United States.

• Won the Dutch Cup and with PSV (1995-98) before moving to Scotland and picking up the domestic treble in the first of four successful seasons with Rangers.

• Returned for a second spell with the Netherlands and led team to semi-finals of UEFA EURO 2004™; two years later he was in charge of Korea Republic at the World Cup finals.

• Enjoyed a highly successful return to club with Zenit, winning the Premier- Liga in 2007 and the UEFA Cup – where he defeated former club Rangers – and UEFA Super Cup in 2008; left in August 2009 and became Belgium coach two months later before agreeing to coach AZ Alkmaar for the rest of the season.

►BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA UEFA European Championship record P30 W11 D4 L15 F37 A47

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 5: P10 W6 D1 L3 F25 A13 Pts19 Play-offs: Lost 2-0 on aggregate to Portugal Bosnia-Herzegovina enjoyed real success in their qualifying group, finishing runners-up behind European champions Spain and ahead of UEFA EURO 2008 semi-finalists Turkey. Among the highlights were a 4-2 victory in Belgium and a 7-0 rout of Estonia, their record international victory to date. On an individual level, Edin Džeko's nine goals were an impressive haul in the country's fourth participation in FIFA World Cup qualifying. However, there was no fairytale ending for coach Miroslav Blažević and his men, who lost 1-0 in both legs of their play-off with 2006 World Cup semi-finalists Portugal.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group C: P12 W4 D1 L7 F16 A22 Pts13 Bosnia-Herzegovina's third appearance in UEFA European Championship qualifying saw them finish fourth in a group won by defending champions Greece. The team started out with their biggest away victory, 5-2 in Malta, but followed up with a three-match winless sequence which concluded with a 4-0 home defeat by Greece and the replacement of coach Blaž Slišković with Fuad Muzurović. The team suddenly found their stride with wins in Norway and then at home to Turkey through Adnan Ćustović’s last-minute goal. After making it three in a row against Malta, however, the Bosnians' fortunes nosedived and they closed their campaign with five consecutive defeats.

UEFA European Championship best performance Of their three qualifying competitions to date, Bosnia-Herzegovina's best showing was for UEFA EURO 2004, when their hopes of a tournament berth remained alive until the last day. With four wins and a draw from their first seven games, they needed a home victory in the final match against a Denmark side they had already defeated in to book a place in Portugal. In the event, a 1-1 draw in meant the Danes took top spot in Group 2 with 15 points, followed by Norway and Romania on 14 and Bosnia-Herzegovina with 13.

Key facts Bosnia-Herzegovina's two biggest victories in UEFA European Championship qualifiers have both been away. Elvir Baljić scored all four as they came from a goal down to beat Estonia 4-1 in Tallinn on 9 October 1999, before the aforementioned 5-2 win against Malta on 2 October 2006 in Ta'Qali. Safet Sušić, who will coach Bosnia-Herzegovina in their UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying campaign, played for the former Yugoslavia at the 1984 UEFA European Championship finals in France.

Head coach: Safet Sušić Date of birth: 13 April 1955 Nationality: Bosnian Playing career: FK Krivaja Zavidovići, FK Sarajevo, Paris Saint-Germain FC, Red FC 93 Coaching career: AS Cannes, İstanbulspor AŞ, Al-Hilal, Konyaspor, MKE Ankaragücü, Rizespor, , Bosnia-Herzegovina • An outstanding attacking midfielder with an eye for the killer pass and an excellent goalscoring record, Sušić spent nine years with FK Sarajevo; voted Yugoslavia's Footballer of the Year in 1979, he was the league's joint-top scorer with 17 goals in 1979/80 as Sarajevo finished runners-up to FK Crvena Zvezda.

• Moved to PSG in 1982 and spent the next nine seasons in the French capital, becoming one of the country's finest ever footballing imports and helping his side win the Coupe de France in his first season and the league title in 1985/86.

• A long-time stalwart of the Yugoslavia national team, Sušić made his first appearance in 1977 and his last in 1990. Scored 21 goals in 54 appearances and played in the 1982 and 1990 FIFA World Cups as well as the 1984 UEFA European Championship.

• Launched coaching career in France with Cannes before taking on jobs in and Riyadh, eventually settling in Turkey, where he coached four clubs between 2004 and 2008.

• Named as Bosnia-Herzegovina's Golden Player as part of UEFA's jubilee celebrations in 2004, he succeeded Croatian veteran Miroslav Blažević as the new coach of his national team on 28 December 2009.

►BULGARIA UEFA European Championship record Quarter-finals: 1968 Final tournament: 1996, 2004 P 101 W46 D23 L32 F149 A108

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 8: P10 W3 D5 L2 F17 A13 Pts14 Bulgaria finished third behind Italy and the Republic of Ireland, missing out on a third successive World Cup finals for the first time since 1958. Draws in their opening three qualifiers prompted 's departure as coach and when his replacement led the team to a second 1-1 draw against Ireland in his second game in charge, their fate was effectively sealed. Captain became Bulgaria’s all-time top scorer in 2009, surpassing 's 47 goals, although the campaign was effectively summed up by a 4-1 loss to Cyprus in their penultimate fixture.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group G: P12 W7 D4 L1 F18 A7 Pts25 Bulgaria finished third despite losing just once, Romania and the Netherlands securing the top two berths. Their campaign began with at the helm, Bulgaria taking nine points from their opening five games under one of their 1994 World Cup heroes. Stoichkov stepped down after a goalless home draw with Albania, however, prompting the then PFC Levski coach Stoilov to stand in for back-to-back wins against Belarus. The experienced then took charge for the rest of the campaign but a 2-0 loss in the Netherlands in September 2007 effectively ended their chances of progress.

UEFA European Championship best performance Bulgaria’s semi-final defeat by Italy at the 1994 World Cup was not the first time a famous run ended at the hands of the Azzurri. In 1968 they suffered a narrow quarter-final loss to the , missing out on the four-team final tournament. Stefan Boshkov's Bulgaria actually beat the eventual European champions in the first leg in Sofia, leading 3-1 through goals by Nikola Kotkov (penalty), Petar Zhekov and Dinko Dermendzhiev before Piero Prati scored late on for Italy. Prati also struck Italy's first goal of the return leg in Naples, subsequently securing a 4-3 aggregate win.

Key facts Bulgaria have lost just two UEFA European Championship qualifiers in the last decade: 1-0 against Croatia in Zagreb on 11 October 2003, when they had already confirmed their place at UEFA EURO 2004, and 2-0 against the Netherlands in September 2007.

Head coach: Stanimir Stoilov Date of birth: 13 February 1967 Nationality: Bulgarian Playing career: FC Haskovo, PFC Levski Sofia (three times), Fenerbahçe SK, PFC CSKA Sofia, SC Campomaiorense, PFC Slavia Sofia Coaching career: PFC Levski Sofia, PFC Litex Lovech, Bulgaria (twice) • A stellar name at Levski, he had three spells at the club, starting and ending his senior career there and amassing four domestic league titles plus five Bulgarian Cups.

• Started out as a midfielder but later moved up front and then, towards the end of his career, into defence; scored three goals in 14 international appearances for Bulgaria, two of them on his debut in September 1992 in a friendly against Turkey, where he had just arrived to play for Fenerbahçe.

• Captain and assistant trainer at Levski in his later years, he was appointed as the team's head coach in 2004; in four seasons at the helm he won two league titles, two national cups and became the first man to lead a Bulgarian club into the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.

• Stood in as caretaker national team coach in June 2007 following Hristo Stoichkov's resignation and led the side to back-to-back UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying wins over Belarus.

• Sacked by Levski in May 2008, he joined Litex and took them to victory in the , having in the meantime been appointed to serve jointly as Bulgaria coach; he quit Litex in August 2009 to concentrate solely on the national side but missed out on 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification.

►CROATIA UEFA European Championship record Quarter-finals: 1996, 2008 Final tournament: 1996, 2004, 2008 P51 W31 D11 L9 F91 A40

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 6: P10 W6 D2 L2 F19 A13 Pts20 Croatia missed out on the FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa after a close finish to their qualifying group left them in third place just a single point behind runners-up Ukraine. Having denied England a place at UEFA EURO 2008, they found the roles reversed as they suffered two heavy losses to 's side – 4-1 in Zagreb in September 2008 and 5-1 in London 12 months later. Two draws with Ukraine did not help their cause either and their hopes all but evaporated four days ahead of their final qualifier last October when Ukraine leapfrogged them with a victory over England.

UEFA EURO 2008 Final tournament: Quarter-finals Qualifying Group E: P12 W9 D2 L1 F28 A8 Pts29 Croatia produced an impressive run in qualifying to reach UEFA EURO 2008 ahead of runners- up Russia and an England side they defeated both at home and away. Slaven Bilić's men then went on to similarly dominate Group B in the finals, winning all three matches against co-hosts Austria, much-fancied Germany and Poland. However, they bowed out in the quarter-finals on penalties against Turkey, going down 3-1 after the contest had finished 0-0 in regular time and 1-1 after extra time. Croatia were just one minute from the semi-finals after Ivan Klasnić scored in the 119th minute only for Semih Şentürk to score a dramatic equaliser in the last seconds.

UEFA European Championship best performance Croatia's run to the last eight in 2008 matched their previous best performance when they reached the quarter-finals on their debut appearance at a major tournament at EURO '96 in England. They opened with wins against Turkey and Denmark to secure a place in the knockout stages before losing their final group game to Portugal. The adventure then ended with a 2-1 quarter-final defeat by eventual tournament winners Germany.

Key facts Current coach Bilić, who also plays in a Croatian rock band, was a member of the Croatia sides who reached the quarter-finals of EURO '96 and then took third place at the 1998 World Cup in France. Their attack is a cosmopolitan combination of Ivica Olić and Brazilian-born striker Eduardo da Silva.

Head coach: Slaven Bilić Date of birth: 11 September 1968 Nationality: Croatian Playing career: HNK Hajduk Split (twice), NK Primorac (loan), HNK Šibenik (loan), Karlsruher SC, West Ham United FC, Everton Coaching career: HNK Hajduk Split, Croatia Under-21, Croatia • A towering, uncompromising central defender, he began his career with hometown club Hajduk Split, winning the Croatian domestic double in 1992 before moving abroad to join German club Karlsruhe.

• Having joined West Ham for a club-record fee in January 1996, he represented Croatia at EURO '96™ and helped the team to the quarter-finals; two years later, as an Everton player, he won a FIFA World Cup bronze medal as Croatia finished third at France '98.

• After ending his playing career at Hajduk, he briefly took charge of the team before launching his coaching career in earnest with the Croatian U21 side.

• Stepped up from the U21s to become the senior national side's coach in July 2006 and masterminded the team's successful qualification for UEFA EURO 2008™, where, as the youngest coach in the tournament, his team's progress was halted only at the quarter-final stage with a penalty shoot-out defeat by Turkey.

• Despite Croatia's position as seeds in their 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying group, he could only lead them to third place and elimination; announced he would stay on for the UEFA EURO 2012™ qualifiers.

►CYPRUS UEFA European Championship record P86 W12 D12 L62 F60 A231

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 8: P10 W2 D3 L5 F14 A16 Pts9 Cyprus were unable to live up to expectations created by an impressive UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying campaign. The highlight for Angelos Anastasiadis's side was a 4-1 victory against Bulgaria in Larnaca in their penultimate match, but by then the damage had been done. A return of two wins from ten games – Cyprus also beat Georgia 2-1 – left them trailing Italy, the Republic of Ireland and Bulgaria in fourth place. Cyprus did, however, twice give world champions Italy a scare, 's side needing injury-time goals to prevail in both games. Cyprus even led Italy 2-0 in Parma in their final match before 's stunning late hat-trick turned the game on its head.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group D: P12 W4 D2 L6 F17 A24 Pts14 Cyprus enjoyed their best qualifying campaign despite getting off to a dire start with a 6-1 loss in Slovakia. They bounced back to beat the Republic of Ireland 5-2 and followed that with an impressive 1-1 draw with eventual finalists Germany and a 3-1 win against . But Cyprus's away form proved costly with their only success being a 1-0 victory against and 1-1 draw in Ireland – equalising in added time. Cyprus finished fifth behind the Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Slovakia and Wales, but the 14 points they collected was still their highest ever tally.

UEFA European Championship best performance Despite some recent success from the island's club sides in the UEFA Champions League, the national team have never qualified for a major tournament. The closest Cyprus have come was when they finished one point behind second-placed Israel in a UEFA EURO 2000 qualifying campaign which featured a 3-2 win against Spain. Two of their most famous victories have come in UEFA European Championship qualifiers, that victory against Spain and the 5-2 triumph against Ireland in the last edition.

Key facts Cyprus' away form has always been their weakness. They again failed to win on their travels during 2010 World Cup qualifying despite some encouraging performances – drawing with Montenegro and Georgia and losing by a single goal in both Ireland and Italy.

Head coach: Angelos Anastasiadis Date of birth: 3 October 1953 Nationality: Greek Playing career: PAOK FC, Panathinaikos FC, Korinthos FC, Diagora FC Coaching career: Diagora FC, Panargeiako FC, Kavala FC, AC Edessaikos, PAOK FC (twice), Iraklis FC (twice), Panathinaikos FC, Cyprus • A midfield stalwart at PAOK from 1973-81, he won 12 caps for Greece during his time in Thessalonika before moving to the capital and joining Panathinaikos.

• Paid his dues as a coach in Greece's lower leagues before landing the top job at PAOK in 1997.

• Had two spells with Iraklis sandwiching an eventful 2000/01 season at Panathinaikos, during which he led the Greens into the second group phase of the UEFA Champions League, eliminating Juventus and Hamburger SV en route.

• Returned for a second spell at PAOK in 2002 and led team to Greek Cup success in his first season, beating local rivals Aris FC 1-0 in the final.

• Appointed as Cyprus coach in December 2004; oversaw team through whole of UEFA EURO 2008™ and 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying, including big home wins against the Republic of Ireland (5-2), Wales (3-1) and Bulgaria (4-1) plus two narrow, last-gasp defeats by Italy. Handed a two-year extension to lead Cyprus into UEFA EURO 2012™ qualifying.

►CZECH REPUBLIC UEFA European Championship record Runners-up: 1996 Semi-finals: 2004 Final tournament: 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 P57 W40 D8 L9 F121 A43 Pts128

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 3: W4 D4 L2 F17 A6 Pts16 The Czech Republic finished third after winning only four games, two of them against San Marino. Off the pitch, coach Petr Rada, who had succeeded the long-serving Karel Brückner after UEFA EURO 2008, lost his job after a 2-1 home defeat by neighbours Slovakia on 1 April last year. Caretaker František Straka took brief charge, overseeing a friendly win over Malta, but by the autumn resumption of qualifying, national association president Ivan Hašek had taken the reins. The Czechs did not lose another game – finishing with two wins and two draws – but it was already too late for a team struggling without former stalwarts Pavel Nedvěd and .

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group D: P12 W9 D2 L1 F27 A5 Pts29 The Czechs reached their fourth successive UEFA European Championship finals after losing just one qualifying game – against a Germany side they later pipped to top spot with an emphatic 3-0 victory in . They started the finals by beating co-hosts Switzerland 1-0 but then went down 3-1 to Portugal. Victory over Turkey in their last group game would have still seen the Czech side through to the quarter-finals, but they surrendered a 2-0 lead in the final 15 minutes and succumbed to a shock 3-2 defeat. Koller promptly announced his retirement, as did coach Brückner, who had been in charge since 2001.

UEFA European Championship best performance The made its debut in senior international competition at EURO '96 and accounted for the Czech Republic as they went down 2-1 in the final at Wembley. scored the winner five minutes into extra time after the Czechs had lost a lead given them by . In their first major tournament as an independent nation, the Czechs had shrugged off an opening loss to Germany by beating Italy and drawing with Russia to claim second place in their group. They then defeated Portugal – through Karel Poborský's cheekily lobbed finish – before overcoming France on penalties in the semi-finals.

Key facts As part of Czechoslovakia, Czech players helped win the 1976 UEFA European Championship against the Federal Republic of Germany. The final ended in a 2-2 stalemate in before Václav Ježek's side prevailed 5-3 on penalties with Antonín famously chipping in the final spot-kick. Former international midfielder Michal Bílek will hold the reins as coach going into the UEFA EURO 2012 campaign.

Head coach: Michal Bílek Date of birth: 13 April 1965 Nationality: Czech Playing career: AC Sparta Praha (four times), RH Cheb, Balompié, FK Viktoria Žižkov, FK Teplice Coaching career: FK Teplice, CS Cartaginés, Czech Repiblic Under-19, FK Chmel Blšany, FK Viktoria Plzeň, AC Sparta Praha, MFK Ružomberok, Czech Republic • A gritty midfielder who was an expert at free-kicks and penalties, Bílek had four spells at Sparta Praha, the most memorable between 1986 and 1990 during which he won three league titles and two Czechoslovakian Cups.

• Travelled to the 1990 FIFA World Cup as the reigning Czechoslovakian Player of the Year; played all five matches at right-back to help Czechoslovakia to quarter-finals, scoring from the penalty spot in each of the opening two matches against the United States and Austria. • Extended his international career beyond break-up of Czechoslovakia, winning 35 caps and scoring eleven goals.

• Had sketchy start to coaching career, including spell in Costa Rica, but eventually established himself at top level back at home and was appointed coach of Sparta in September 2006; won domestic double in his first season but dismissed in May 2008.

• Led Slovakian club Ružomberok in 2008/09 before taking on assistant role to former team- mate Ivan Hašek with Czech national side; promoted to top job in October 2009 as Hašek returned to his position as association president.

►DENMARK UEFA European Championship record Winners: 1992 Semi-finals: 1964, 1984 Quarter-finals: 2004 Final tournament: 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 P121 W50 D27 L44 F185 A162

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 1: P10 W6 D3 L1 F16 A5 Pts21 Denmark will play at a FIFA World Cup for a fourth time after an impressive qualifying campaign that included away wins against their two closest rivals, Portugal and Sweden. A 1-0 home success against Sweden last October sent the Danes to South Africa, though their most memorable contest came a year earlier in Portugal, when the visitors trailed 1-0 with seven minutes left. First equalised, then restored Portugal's lead from the penalty spot three minutes later – only for to level again in the 88th minute and to hit an unlikely winner in added time.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group F: P12 W6 D2 L4 F21 A11 Pts20 Denmark missed out on the European finals for the first time since 1980 after finishing fourth behind Northern Ireland, runners-up Sweden and section winners Spain. A first negative omen came in their second match, a 0-0 home draw with Northern Ireland. After the first of two defeats against Spain, in March 2007, things went badly wrong in their next match against Sweden when a spectator assaulted the referee on the pitch at the , leading to sanctions and the awarding of a 3-0 defeat. 's men now faced an uphill battle and their fate was sealed with a 2-1 loss in Northern Ireland in their penultimate qualifier.

UEFA European Championship best performance Denmark famously won the 1992 UEFA European Championship in Sweden after entering the competition as last-minute replacements for Yugoslavia, having failed to qualify. Richard Møller-Nielsen's outsiders scraped through the group stage with three points from three games, two points behind Sweden but one ahead of France and England. In their semi-final against the Netherlands, two goals meant they twice led the defending champions before 's 86th-minute equaliser forced extra time. Undaunted, the Danes held their nerve to prevail 5-4 on penalties and then went on to defeat Germany 2-0 in the final, with and the scorers.

Key facts Denmark have appeared in all 13 UEFA European Championship qualifying competitions, playing their first game in September 1959, a 2-2 draw with Czechoslovakia in Copenhagen. The Danes were subsequently beaten 5-1 in the return leg. Their last appearance in a final tournament was at UEFA EURO 2004, where Olsen's side reached the quarter-finals before bowing out in a 3-0 defeat by the Czech Republic.

Head coach: Morten Olsen Date of birth: 14 August 1949 Nationality: Danish Playing career: B 1901, Cercle Brugge KSV, RWD Molenbeek, RSC Anderlecht, 1. FC Köln Coaching career: Brøndby IF, 1. FC Köln, AFC Ajax, Denmark • A commanding central defender, he played most of his club football in Belgium, winning three national titles and the UEFA Cup with Anderlecht during a six-year spell from 1980-86.

• Twice crowned Danish Player of the Year, he was captain of the legendary 'Dynamite' team of the mid-1980s that reached two successive UEFA European Championships and the 1986 FIFA World Cup; became the first Danish footballer to reach 100 caps in an international career spanning 19 years.

• Went straight into coaching after hanging up his boots and proved an immediate success, leading Brøndby to two Danish titles and to the semi-finals of the 1990/91 UEFA Cup – the furthest any Danish team had progressed in .

• Moved on to coach former club Köln and then, following a two-year break, Ajax, where, assisted on the field by his ex-Denmark team-mate , he won a Dutch league and cup double.

• Appointed Denmark head coach in 2000 and led team to finals of 2002 World Cup and UEFA EURO 2004™; retained position despite failure to qualify for next two major tournaments but enjoyed success again as Denmark topped their 2010 World Cup qualifying group, celebrating qualification with 1-0 win against Sweden in his 100th match in charge. Subsequently named Coach of the Year in Denmark.

►ENGLAND UEFA European Championship record Semi-finals: 1968, 1996 Quarter-finals: 1972, 2004 Final tournament: 1968, 1972, 1980, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 P105 W58 D28 L19 F204 A78

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 6: P10 W9 D0 L1 F34 A6 Pts27 England advanced to their fourth successive FIFA World Cup finals by comfortably seeing off Ukraine and Croatia in Group 6. Fabio Capello's charges won their first eight games and dropped their only points, a 1-0 loss in Ukraine, in their penultimate fixture having already qualified thanks to a 5-1 win against Croatia – the team who had denied them a spot at UEFA EURO 2008 two years earlier. Only Spain and the Netherlands, who finished with perfect records, enjoyed a better winning percentage than England, Europe's top scorers with 34 goals of which contributed nine.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group E: P12 W7 D2 L3 F24 A7 Pts23 England missed out on the finals for the first time since 1984 after finishing third in Group E, six points behind winners Croatia and one behind Russia. The warning signs were there when England drew 0-0 at home against FYR Macedonia in their third game then lost 2-0 in Croatia. A subsequent stalemate in Israel increased the pressure on Steve McClaren's side and a 2-1 defeat in Russia in their penultimate fixture left qualification hinging on their final game against Croatia at Wembley. The visitors won 3-2, Russia claimed second place and England were out.

UEFA European Championship best performance England have never claimed the European crown, with a pair of semi-final defeats the closest they have come. Their first appearance in the last four came in 1968 when, as world champions, they lost 1-0 to Yugoslavia in Florence. More recently, as tournament hosts, England advanced to the semis of EURO '96 before losing out 6-5 on penalties to eventual winners Germany after a 1-1 draw at Wembley.

Key facts England's three defeats in their failed UEFA EURO 2008 campaign is the most they have suffered in a UEFA European Championship qualifying round. The loss to Croatia on 21 November 2007 was their first at home in UEFA European Championship qualifying since a 1-0 reverse against Denmark on 21 September 1983. Since then, they have played 20 home qualifiers, recording 14 victories, five draws and that single defeat by the Croatians. They did, however, lose a final tournament play-off match at home to Scotland on 17 November 1999 and succumbed to Germany on penalties in the EURO '96 semi-finals.

Head coach: Fabio Capello Date of birth: 18 June 1946 Nationality: Italian Playing career: Spal 1907, AS Roma, Juventus, AC Coaching career: AC Milan (twice), Real Madrid CF (twice), AS Roma, Juventus, England • Forged a successful career as a player, winning four titles – three with Juventus and one with Milan – and scoring eight goals from midfield in 32 appearances for Italy, including the winner in the Azzurri's first win against England at Wembley in November 1973.

• Despite lacking coaching experience Capello replaced at Milan in 1991, launching a hugely successful five-year spell in which he led the star-studded team to four Italian championships (the first of them without losing a game) and the 1994 UEFA Champions League, defeating 's FC Barcelona 4-0 in the final.

• Left Milan for Real Madrid and won Spanish title in one and only season before unsuccessful return to Milan.

• Re-established himself as one of world's foremost coaches at both Roma, where he won the 2000/01 Scudetto, and Juventus, where he ended each of his two seasons as Serie A champion only for both titles to be stripped from the club as a result of the sporting fraud scandal.

• Another one-year Spanish-title-winning campaign at Madrid (a decade after his first) prompted the Football Association to offer him a job; he took over in January 2008 and proved his class by steering team to 2010 FIFA World Cup finals with eight successive victories, the last of them a resounding 5-1 home win against Croatia.

►ESTONIA UEFA European Championship record P40 W7 D5 L28 F27 A75

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 5: P10 W2 D2 L6 F9 A24 Pts8 Estonia endured a fairly torrid start to qualifying, suffering defeats by Belgium, Bosnia- Herzegovina – a 7-0 humbling in Zenica – and European champions Spain. Yet they then recovered to take five points from their next three games, which included a home draw with Turkey and a 1-0 win over Armenia. Despite some spirited Estonian resistance, an eventual 4- 2 defeat in Turkey last September sparked a second three-game losing streak that only ended on the final day of qualifying when Tarmo Ruutli's fifth-placed side defeated Belgium 2-0 in Tallinn.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group E: P12 W2 D1 L9 F5 A21 Pts7 Painful though that start to FIFA World Cup qualifying proved to be, it was a lot better than the way the Estonians opened their campaign for UEFA EURO 2008 – they suffered seven straight defeats without scoring a single goal. Their luck finally turned when Indrek Zelinski struck an injury-time winner to beat Andorra 2-1 in August 2008. Further points followed with a 1-1 draw with FYR Macedonia and a second win over Andorra as Estonia finished sixth in their seven-team group.

UEFA European Championship best performance Estonia claimed third place in their group in UEFA EURO 2000 qualifying after collecting eleven points from ten matches. Two wins against the Faroe Islands and a 2-1 victory in Lithuania were the highlights of a campaign which also featured a goalless home draw with runners-up Scotland and a 1-1 away draw against a Bosnia-Herzegovina side whom Teitur Thórdarson's side eventually pipped to third place on goal difference.

Key facts Though they have yet to qualify for a major tournament, Estonia can certainly give higher- profile opponents a difficult time – besides that 2-0 victory against Belgium, they also achieved a 0-0 friendly draw with Portugal and a narrow 1-0 friendly defeat by during 2009. Estonia have taken part in the last four qualifying competitions for a UEFA European Championship and have improved since losing all ten games of their campaign for EURO '96.

Head coach: Tarmo Rüütli Date of birth: 11 August 1954 Nationality: Estonian Playing career: FC Norma Tallinn, Pärnu Kalev, Pärnu Kalakombinaat, JK Tervis Pärnu Coaching career: JK Tulevik Viljandi (twice), FC Flora (twice), Estonia (twice), FC Levadia Tallinn • An indefatigable midfielder, his playing career lasted well into a third decade, the majority of it spent in the Estonian SSR league and in early 1990s.

• Launched his coaching career by taking his hometown club Tulevik Viljandi to fifth place in the 1998 Meistriliiga and runner-up spot in both league and the following year.

• Replaced Teitur Thórdarson as coach of both FC Flora and Estonian national team in 2000 but ceded both positions to Dutchman after just a year in charge despite a positive sequence of results with the latter.

• Returned to Tulevik Viljandi before taking over at Levadia Tallinn in May 2003; won three Meistriliiga titles and three Estonian Cups to earn another crack at the national team job, replacing Dane Viggo Jensen in December 2007.

• Led Estonia through 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, ending on positive note with 2-0 victory over Belgium; coached Flora again in 2009, winning the Estonian Cup, but given a position working with the club's youth players after a disappointing fourth-placed league finish.

►FAROE ISLANDS UEFA European Championship record P48 W3 D5 L40 F28 A139

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 7: P10 W1 D1 L8 F5 A20 Pts4 Narrow defeats in their first two qualifiers against Serbia and Romania raised hopes of the Faroes earning their first point in a competitive match since a 2-2 draw with Cyprus back in 2004. That hope become reality in October 2008 when teenage substitute Bogi Løkin earned a 1-1 home draw with Austria. The Faroese, who saw Irish coach Brian Kerr replace the retiring Jógvan Martin at the helm midway through the campaign, went one better in September 2009 when Súni Olsen and Arnbjørn Hansen scored to earn a 2-1 victory over Lithuania – their first qualifying victory since beating Luxembourg eight years earlier.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group B: P12 W0 D0 L12 F4 A43 Pts0 The Faroe Islands endured their worst ever European campaign, failing to earn a single point. Many new players had joined the team and the defence was particularly fragile from the off – they suffered 6-0 defeats in their first two games against Georgia and Scotland. Their best performance came in June 2007 with a narrow 2-1 home defeat by Italy, when Rógvi Jacobsen hit the first of two goals against the world champions. But they soon reverted to type – conceding six goals against France and five against Ukraine in the space of five days in October 2007.

UEFA European Championship best performance With two victories against San Marino, the Faroe Islands' best return came during qualifying for EURO '96 when they recorded six points from ten matches with ten goals scored and 35 conceded. The Faroes defeated San Marino 3-0 in Toftir in May 1995, their biggest competitive home win to date, and five months later, they achieved a 3-1 success in Serravalle courtesy of a Tódi Jónsson hat-trick.

Key facts The Faroe Islands have won two matches in the qualifying stages of three separate competitions: EURO '96 (two victories against San Marino), the 1998 World Cup (two victories against Malta) and the 2002 World Cup (two wins against Luxembourg).

Head coach: Brian Kerr Date of birth: 3 March 1953 Nationality: Irish Playing career: none Coaching career: St. Patrick’s Athletic FC, Republic of Ireland, Faroe Islands • Decided at an early age he would make a better football coach than a player and, after taking on various minor appointments in his native Dublin, was handed the reins of St. Pat's in 1986.

• Spent a decade restoring the fortunes of the club, winning the League of Ireland in 1990 and 1996.

• Left St. Pat's to become coach of Ireland's youth selections, achieving remarkable success, leading Irish teams to eight final tournaments in five years and to a unique victory double at the UEFA Under-16 and U18 European Championships in 1998. Assumed dual role as technical director of Football Association of Ireland.

• Appointed manager of the Republic of Ireland senior side, replacing Mick McCarthy in January 2003; unable to steer team to the finals of either UEFA EURO 2004™ or the 2006 FIFA World Cup and was dismissed in October 2005.

• After a year back at St. Pat's as technical director, Kerr accepted an offer to return to international management with the Faroe Islands in April 2009; five defeats in six 2010 World Cup qualifiers counterbalanced by 2-1 win against Lithuania – the country's first competitive victory for eight years.

►FINLAND UEFA European Championship record P84 W21 D20 L43 F84 A136

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 4: P10 W5 D3 L2 F14 A14 Pts18 Neighbours Russia proved Finland's undoing during qualifying, inflicting two 3-0 defeats on Stuart Baxter's side, who eventually finished third in the section. They twice held eventual group winners Germany, taking the lead three times in their first meeting in Helsinki that ended 3-3. A mere point from the September 2009 visit to Liechtenstein was a major disappointment, though their qualifying chances were by then already very slim. Still they signed off on a positive note, securing a second win over Wales and then drawing in Germany where only a last-gasp goal denied them victory after Jonathan Johansson's fifth strike of the campaign.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group A: P 14 W6 D6 L2 F13 A7 Pts 24 Finland started the campaign with an impressive 3-1 away win over eventual group winners Poland and were in the running to qualify until the last game. 's men faced Portugal away needing a victory but could only manage a goalless draw that ensured the opponents advanced instead. Finland played very solidly in defence under Hodgson – recording clean sheets in Belgium Serbia and Portugal – and came closer to qualifying for a major tournament than ever before. Unfortunately, a defeat in Azerbaijan and draw in Armenia ultimately cost them dear.

UEFA European Championship best performance Finland have never reached a final tournament. Their best points' tally came during qualifying for UEFA EURO 2008 when they collected 24 from 14 matches to finish fourth in their eight- team group, level on points with third-placed Serbia and just three short of second-placed Portugal. Finland lost only two games and conceded just seven goals. However, they were restricted to 13 goals themselves and paid for that lack of bite up front.

Key facts The big question for Finland before the UEFA EURO 2012 qualifiers will be whether their most experienced players will still be available. Goalkeeper Jussi Jääskeläinen has already announced his retirement from international football, though leaving the door open for a change of heart. Sami Hyypiä and are yet to make up their minds about the qualifying campaign. Baxter has new talents coming through, but the backbone of the team has still been the more experienced players.

Head coach: Stuart Baxter Date of birth: 16 August 1953 Nationality: Scottish Playing career: Preston North End FC, Morecambe FC, Dundee United FC, Stockport County FC, Helsingborgs IF, South FC, San Diego Sockers, Örebro SK Coaching career: Örebro SK, IF Skarp, Vitória FC, Halmstads BK, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Vissel Kobe (twice), AIK Solna, FC Lyn , England Under-19, South Africa, Helsingborgs IF, Finland • Born to a Scottish father and an English mother, Baxter's playing career took him to various ports of call in Great Britain and beyond before he settled in Sweden.

• Started coaching with Örebro but made his name in Sweden with Halmstad, where he experienced promotion to and relegation from the during his three-year spell.

• Spent five years embellishing his coaching CV in Japan before returning to Sweden and leading AIK both to the Swedish title − in 1998 − and the group stages of the UEFA Champions League.

• Had first taste of international management with the England Under-19s, from 2002-04, before taking over as South Africa coach; left after failing to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

• A return to Scandinavia, and a UEFA Cup run with Helsingborg, prompted his appointment as Finland coach, succeeding fellow Briton Roy Hodgson in February 2008; took team to third place in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying group with five wins and three draws − including two against Germany − from ten games.

►FRANCE UEFA European Championship record Winners: 1984, 2000 Semi-finals: 1960, 1996 Quarter-finals: 2004 Final tournament: 1960, 1984, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 P120 W67 D30 L23 F237 A115

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Qualifying Group 10: P10 W6 D3 L1 F18 A9 Pts21 Play-offs: Beat Republic of Ireland 2-1 on aggregate After losing their opening game 3-1 against Austria and taking just four points from their first three matches, 's side recovered to finish second behind Serbia. It set up a play-off tie against the Republic of Ireland, where secured Les Bleus a 1-0 advantage in Dublin. Though forced extra time in the Paris return, 's 103rd-minute strike sealed an aggregate victory and a place in South Africa.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group B: P12 W8 D2 L2 F25 A5 Pts26 Two months after losing to Italy in the FIFA World Cup final, France gained a measure of revenge with a 3-1 win in their second qualifier for UEFA EURO 2008. The Azzurri, though, would have the last laugh. First they finished above France to clinch top spot in the section, and the heavyweights were again paired together in the finals. In Switzerland, France drew 0- 0 with Romania then lost 4-1 to the Netherlands ahead of their meeting with Italy. With a place in the last eight at stake, was dismissed on 24 minutes and Italy advanced thanks to a 2-0 victory.

UEFA European Championship best performance France have twice lifted the Henri Delaunay trophy, with their first triumph coming on home soil in 1984. The -inspired hosts beat both Belgium and Yugoslavia 5-0 in the first round before seeing off Portugal 3-2 in a thrilling semi-final and Spain 2-0 in the Paris final. Their second success came at UEFA EURO 2000 where 's side finished runners- up to the Netherlands in Group D, before extra-time victories over Spain and Portugal took them to the final. The Rotterdam showpiece against Italy also went to extra time after 's last-gasp strike cancelled out 's 55th-minute opener, setting the scene for 's deciding golden goal.

Key facts France are the only country apart from Germany (three) and Spain (two) to have won the competition more than once. Their 4-1 loss to the Netherlands in Berne at UEFA EURO 2008 was their heaviest in a UEFA European Championship final tournament. The subsequent 2-0 reverse against Italy was the first time France had lost twice in a row in a final tournament since the 1978 World Cup. Les Bleus subsequently suffered a third consecutive competitive defeat for the first time by losing 3-1 to Austria in 2010 World Cup qualifying.

Head coach: Raymond Domenech Date of birth: 24 January 1952 Nationality: French Playing career: , RC Strasbourg, Paris Saint-Germain FC, FC Girondins de Bordeaux, FC Mulhouse Coaching career: FC Mulhouse, Olympique Lyonnais, France Under-21, France • A tough-tackling full-back, he played over 400 matches in the French top flight, winning the French Cup with hometown club Lyon and the championship with Strasbourg and Bordeaux; also capped eight times.

• Moved into coaching with Mulhouse before taking charge of Lyon, where he remained for five years, taking them to promotion in his first season, establishing them in the top flight and leading them into Europe.

• Stood down in 1993 to become coach of France's U21 team – a position he would hold for eleven years, the highlight being a runners-up finish at the 2002 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

• Held off stiff competition to become senior France coach in 2004, replacing ; overcame early difficulties to steer Les Bleus to the 2006 FIFA World Cup final, where they lost on penalties to Italy in Berlin.

• Took France to UEFA EURO 2008™, where they were eliminated in the first round, but was retained for 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying, which again proved troublesome if ultimately successful after a play-off victory against the Republic of Ireland.

►FYR MACEDONIA UEFA European Championship record P38 W8 D11 L19 F45 A58

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 9: P8 W2 D1 L5 F5 A11 Pts7 FYR Macedonia started out with hopes of reaching the play-offs but eventually had to settle for fourth in the five-team section behind the Netherlands, Norway and Scotland. Early hopes were boosted by an opening victory over Scotland – 1-0 in Skopje – but they faded fast in the wake of three subsequent defeats. After the third of those losses, 4-0 in the Netherlands, coach Srečko Katanec made way for Mirsad Jonuz and he steadied the ship with four points in two home games against Norway (0-0) and Iceland (2-0). Yet the campaign ended in underwhelming fashion, FYR Macedonia signing off with away defeats by Scotland and Norway.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group E: P12 W4 D2 L6 F12 A12 Pts14 FYR Macedonia made a promising start under new coach Katanec, with three clean sheets in four matches that included victories in Estonia and Andorra and, most encouragingly, a goalless draw in England. Given the next five matches produced just one point, that would be as good as it got until the final month of qualifying, November 2007, and the 2-0 home victory over group winners Croatia. Goran Maznov and Ilco Naumoski scored the goals that inflicted the only defeat on a Croatian side already assured of qualification as FYR Macedonia ended fifth in the section.

UEFA European Championship best performance FYR Macedonia recorded four wins in qualifying for the last EURO, doubling their total number of victories in the competition – as well as gaining an excellent point away against England. The only campaign where they came close to matching that performance was for UEFA EURO 2000 where they gained creditable home draws with Croatia and the Republic of Ireland.

Key fact FYR Macedonia recorded an 11-1 victory away to Liechtenstein on 9 November 1996 in 1998 World Cup qualifying – their record win in competitive and friendly internationals.

Head coach: Mirsad Jonuz Date of birth: 9 April 1962 Nationality: Macedonian Playing career: FK Teteks, FK Bregalnica Stip, FK Borec, FK Rad Beograd (twice), FK Vardar, FK Sutjeska, Levadiakos FC, FK Rabotnicki Coaching career: FK Rabotnicki (twice), FK Pobeda, FYR Macedonia • A goalkeeper for Teteks, Bregalnica and Borec, Jonuz played in the top division in Yugoslavia with Rad, Vardar and Sutjeska, moving on to play in the Greek for Levadiakos FC.

• Hung up his boots in 1996 after a final spell with Rabotnicki to begin the first of two coaching spells with the Skopje-based club; won the first of two local Coach of the Year awards in 2000.

• Took his first major trophy as coach of Pobeda, the 2002 Macedonian Cup, and also won a record 14 Prva Liga games in succession while in charge of the Prilep club; Coach of the Year for a second time in 2002.

• Returned for a second spell at Rabotnicki in 2002, taking on dual role in tandem with leading the national Under-21 team; in charge for three successive UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying tournaments.

• Hired to replace Slovenian Srecko Katanec as FYR Macedonia coach in May 2009; took four points from his first two games – home FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Norway (0-0) and Iceland (2-0).

►GEORGIA UEFA European Championship record P40 W11 D4 L25 F42 A67

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 8: P10 W0 D3 L7 F7 A19 Pts3 Georgia failed to win a match for the first time in a qualifying campaign, with Argentinian coach Hector Raul Cúper unable to lift his men from last place in the group. Having started out with a 2-1 defeat by the Republic of Ireland on neutral ground in Mainz, Georgia went on to collect just three points in as many home draws against Cyprus, Bulgaria and Montenegro in their remaining matches. Bulgaria brought out the best and worst in Cúper's men – a 0-0 draw in being followed by a 6-2 defeat in Sofia.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group B: P12 W3 D1 L8 F16 A19 Pts10 Three victories and a draw under German coach Klaus Toppmöller ensured that Georgia avoided a last-place finish in their section, the Faroe Islands taking the wooden spoon instead. Georgia opened their campaign with a record 6-0 victory away to the Faroese – Shota Arveladze hitting a hat-trick – although their most impressive victory came in their penultimate fixture, a 2-0 home success against then group leaders Scotland, who eventually missed out on the play-offs by two points. Georgia also beat the Faroe Islands in Tbilisi and recorded a 1-1 draw there against Ukraine.

UEFA European Championship best performance Georgia's best showing came in their first appearance in the competition, the qualifying phase for EURO '96, when they recorded five wins and five defeats from their ten outings. Defeats by Moldova in their opening and closing fixtures removed any realistic chance of advancing beyond the group stage, with Germany and Bulgaria occupying the top places in the standings. Yet they attained some creditable results, beating Wales and Albania both home and away – indeed they crushed the Welsh 5-0 in Tbilisi – and ending their home programme with a 2-1 success against a Bulgaria side who had reached the last four in the world 12 months earlier.

Key facts After previously opting for foreign coaches, the Georgian Football Federation chose homegrown talent last November, appointing Temuri Ketsbaia. A former Georgian international, Ketsbaia's record as a coach includes helping Anorthosis Famagusta FC become the first Cypriot team to reach the group stage of the UEFA Champions League in 2008 and guiding Olympiacos FC through the same qualifiers during a brief stint earlier this season. Georgia have suffered three-goal defeats on five separate occasions, their heaviest losses in the competition. The last was a 3-0 reverse against France on 2 September 2006 in Tbilisi.

Head coach: Temuri Ketsbaia Date of birth: 18 March 1968 Nationality: Georgian Playing career: FC Dinamo Sukhumi, FC Dinamo Tbilisi, Anorthosis Famagusta FC (twice), AEK FC, Newcastle United FC, Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, Dundee FC Coaching career: Anorthosis Famagusta FC, Olympiacos FC, Georgia • A lively, energetic attacking midfielder, Ketsbaia was groomed at top Georgian club Dinamo Tbilisi, where he was a member of the team that won the first three Georgian league titles post independence.

• Left for Cyprus in 1992, joining Anorthosis, and from there, three years later, to Greece, where he helped AEK to back-to-back Greek Cup wins.

• Joined Newcastle in 1997 and played in two successive FA Cup finals as well as helping the team into the UEFA Champions League for the first time; later played for Wolves and Dundee before returning to Anorthosis in 2002 as player-coach.

• Hugely successful stint at Anorthosis peaked in 2008 when the team won the Cypriot title without losing a game and then became the first club from the island to compete in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League − after eliminating Greek giants Olympiacos FC.

• Left Anorthosis to become Olympiacos coach in summer 2009 but lasted only a few weeks at the club and, two months later, was appointed to replace Héctor Cúper as coach of Georgia, for whom he scored 16 goals in 49 internationals.

►GERMANY UEFA European Championship record Winners: 1972*, 1980*, 1996 Runners-up: 1976*, 1992, 2008 Semi-finals: 1988* Final tournament: 1972*, 1976*, 1980*, 1984*, 1988*, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 (* as Federal Republic of Germany) P116 W71 D29 L16 F234 A84

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 4: P10 W8 D2 L0 F26 A5 Pts26 Germany ousted main rivals Russia to qualify, with Finland, Wales, Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein never really posing a threat. Joachim Löw's side took control of the section thanks to a 2-1 success against Russia in , and Michael Ballack supplying a convincing first-half lead. They sealed qualification thanks to a 1-0 win in Moscow, Germany going ahead through and holding on following Jerome Boateng's 69th- minute red card. Finland were the only team to defy the group winners along the way, drawing 3-3 and 1-1.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group D: P12 W8 D3 L1 F35 A7 Pts27 Runners-up Germany finished ten points ahead of closest challengers the Republic of Ireland in qualifying, with the Czech Republic topping the pool thanks to a 3-0 victory in Munich. At the finals, a 2-0 win over Poland was followed by a 2-1 loss to Croatia, which left Löw's men needing to beat co-hosts Austria in their final Group B outing. Ballack's free-kick goal delivered the triumph they required and an improved and tactically rejigged Germany downed Portugal 3-2 in the quarter-finals, before repeating that result thanks to 's 90th-minute winner in a thrilling semi-final against Turkey. Spain proved too strong in the final, though, winning 1-0.

UEFA European Championship best performance Germany have won the competition once since reunification, in 1996, but three times overall following earlier triumphs as the Federal Republic of Germany in 1972 and 1980. Substitute Oliver Bierhoff delivered glory in the EURO '96 final at Wembley, ending the Czech Republic's dreams with a golden-goal winner five minutes into extra time, having also cancelled out Patrik Berger's 59th-minute penalty 17 minutes from the end of normal time.

Key facts Despite their excellent record in the competition, Germany have also been through one notable lean spell, failing to win a single match in a final tournament between the Wembley triumph in 1996 and their victory over Poland in Klagenfurt in 2008. Between those years, they recorded three draws and three defeats, scoring three goals and conceding eight.

Head coach: Joachim Löw Date of birth: 3 February 1960 Nationality: German Playing career: SC Freiburg (three times), VfB Stuttgart, , Karlsruher SC, FC Schaffhausen, FC Winterthur, FC Frauenfeld Coaching career: FC Winterthur (youth), FC Frauenfeld, VfB Stuttgart, Fenerbahçe SK, Karlsruher SC, Adanaspor AŞ, FC Tirol Innsbruck, FK Austria Wien, Germany (assistant), Germany • A native of the Black Forest in south-west Germany, he spent most of his playing days with local club Freiburg, where he had three spells, before winding down his career in Switzerland.

• Operated as a player-coach in Switzerland before becoming an assistant, and later head coach, back in Germany with Stuttgart, succeeding ; led the Swabian side to a German Cup win in his first season and to the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final against Chelsea FC in his second.

• Left Stuttgart for Fenerbahçe but struggled to match his early success until he joined Tirol Innsbruck, guiding the team to the 2001/02 Austrian Bundesliga title.

• After nine months with Austria Wien he was summoned by old friend Jürgen Klinsmann to become his assistant with Germany; the pair led the Nationalmannschaft to a third-place finish on home soil at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

• Replaced Klinsmann as head coach, taking the team to a runners-up spot at UEFA EURO 2008™ and, subsequently, to the 2010 World Cup finals courtesy of a qualifying-clinching 1-0 win against Russia in Moscow.

►GREECE UEFA European Championship record Winners: 2004 Final tournament: 1980, 2004, 2008 P102 W48 D19 L35 F147 A117

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 2: P10 W6 D2 L2 F20 A10 Pts20 Play-offs: Beat Ukraine 1-0 on aggregate Greece reached their second FIFA World Cup finals after finishing second in Group 2 and then defeating Ukraine 1-0 on aggregate in the play-offs. They started qualifying in impressive fashion with three victories without conceding a goal, but picked up just five points from their next five matches. 's men lost both encounters against eventual group winners Switzerland, going down 2-1 at home and 2-0 in Basel, and drew 1-1 away to both Israel and Moldova. However, they beat and Luxembourg in their last two matches to reach the play-offs, where they prevailed thanks to 's winner in .

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group C: P12 W10 D1 L1 F25 A10 Pts31 Greece finished the qualifying campaign with 31 points, more than any other team. A flying start – they beat Moldova, Norway and Bosnia-Herzegovina without conceding a goal – ended abruptly with a 4-1 home defeat by Turkey. They bounced back impressively, though, winning seven out of their next eight qualifiers and drawing 2-2 in Oslo against Norway. However, Rehhagel's charges, defending their European crown, failed to match that form in the tournament itself, losing all three games in Salzburg – 2-0 to Sweden, 1-0 to Russia and 2-1 to eventual champions Spain, with scoring their only goal of the finals.

UEFA European Championship best performance Greece were the surprise winners of UEFA EURO 2004, having qualified for only the second time. They finished the group stage in Portugal as runners-up behind the host nation, despite having beaten them 2-1 in the opening game. Putting their faith in solid defending, they won all three knockout matches by the same 1-0 scoreline and the same way – with headed goals. Rehhagel's side overcame France in the quarter-finals with a Charisteas strike before beating the Czech Republic courtesy of 's silver goal after 106 minutes and then upsetting Portugal again in the final through another Charisteas effort.

Key facts Since taking over in August 2001, Rehhagel has led Greece to an impressive record of 16 victories, one draw and only three defeats in 20 UEFA European Championship qualifying matches. Greece's biggest victory was an 8-1 rout of Finland in October 1978 during qualifying for the 1980 finals in October 1978. Their biggest defeat came 20 years earlier, in October 1958, when they lost 7-1 to France in Paris. Greece striker Fanis Gekas finished 2010 World Cup qualifying as the European zone's top scorer with ten goals.

Head coach: Otto Rehhagel Date of birth: 9 August 1938 Nationality: German Playing career: SC Rot-Weiss Essen, Hertha BSC Berlin, 1. FC Kaiserslautern Coaching career: 1. FC Saarbrücken, Kickers Offenbach, Werder Bremen (twice), BV , DSC Armenia (Arminia) Bielefeld, Fortuna Düsseldorf, FC Bayern München, 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Greece • An iron-hard defender, he played in the early years of the Bundesliga for Hertha and Kaiserslautern, racking up over 200 appearances in Germany's new national league.

• Made little impact initially as a coach until he returned for a second spell in charge of Werder Bremen, where he would remain for 14 years, earning himself the nickname of 'King Otto' as he led the team to two Bundesliga titles, two German Cup wins and countless European campaigns, including a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup success in 1992.

• Recruited by Bayern in 1995, he steered the team to the UEFA Cup final but was sacked before they won the two-legged showpiece against FC Girondins de Bordeaux; made an impressive comeback with ex-club Kaiserslautern, steering them to promotion and an unprecedented Bundesliga triumph a year later.

• Took charge of Greece in August 2001 and led them to a historic, against-all-odds victory at UEFA EURO 2004™ with a shock 1-0 win against hosts Portugal in the final.

• Unable to steer the European champions to the 2006 FIFA World Cup in his homeland, he nevertheless led the team impressively to UEFA EURO 2008™ – where they lost all three games – and to the 2010 World Cup finals, a 1-0 play-off win in Ukraine securing qualification in his 100th match in charge.

►HUNGARY UEFA European Championship record Semi-finals: 1964, 1972 Final tournaments: 1964, 1972 P103 W41 D21 L41 F166 A143

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 1: P10 W5 D1 L4 F10 A8 Pts16 Despite finishing fourth, Hungary had one of their more encouraging campaigns in recent years, finishing just five points from top spot and three shy of a play-off place. One point from their first two games was followed by four straight wins over Albania and Malta, raising Hungarian hopes before the final four fixtures. Wins in three of their last four games would have sealed it, but they went down to a strike by Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimović in the third minute of added time before losing twice to Portugal. A 1-0 victory in Denmark was just for consolation.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group C: P12 W4 D0 L8 F11 A22 Pts12 A disappointing bid included defeats in Moldova and Malta, although the tables were turned at home in both cases. Hungary's final position of sixth in a seven-team section partly reflected a change of coach midway through the campaign, with Péter Várhidi replacing Péter Bozsik. The high points were two wins against Bosnia-Herzegovina and two battling performances against group winners and defending European champions Greece.

UEFA European Championship best performance Third place represents Hungary's finest showing, achieved back in 1964 when they also became Olympic champions for the second time. A preliminary round victory against Wales preceded a 5-4 aggregate win against the German Democratic Republic, while two goals from Lajos Tichy in their quarter-final with France secured a 3-1 away triumph. A 2-1 home success then set up a last-four meeting with tournament hosts Spain, and although a late equaliser in the one-off tie from striker prompted extra time, Spain eventually prevailed. That sent Lajos Baróti's side into a third place play-off against Denmark, which they won 3-1 after another extra-time epic.

Key facts Hungary's last appearance in the final stages of a UEFA European Championship came back in 1972, when they reached the semi-finals before bowing out to the USSR. For 2012, coach will be looking to lead Hungary to the latter stages of a tournament he won as a player with his native Netherlands in 1988. In Hungary's UEFA EURO 2008 campaign, eight different players scored their total of eleven goals.

Head coach: Erwin Koeman Date of birth: 20 September 1961 Nationality: Dutch Playing career: FC Groningen (three times), PSV Eindhoven (twice), KV Mechelen Coaching career: PSV Eindhoven (youth/assistant), RKC Waalwijk, , Hungary • Son of Dutch international , the left-footed midfielder or full-back started out with local club Groningen and was also twice on the books of PSV Eindhoven, but enjoyed best years of his playing career across the border at Mechelen, where he won the , UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Belgian League.

• Also collected two Eredivisie titles during his second spell at PSV (1990-94) and was a member, alongside younger brother Ronald, of the Netherlands' 1988 UEFA European Championship-winning team; collected 31 international caps between 1983 and 1994.

• Ended his playing career back at Groningen before taking up coaching with PSV, first with responsibility for the youth team, then as assistant to and finally (2002-04). • Appointed head coach of Waalwijk in 2004 but left a year later for Feyenoord, replacing ; remained with Rotterdam club for two seasons before resigning.

• Took over as Hungary's national team coach in May 2008; made bright start to 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign but three successive defeats in autumn 2009 ended team's qualifying hopes before they closed campaign with 1-0 win away to group winners Denmark.

►ICELAND UEFA European Championship record P78 W17 D14 L47 F57 A131

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 5: P8 W1 D2 L5 F7 A13 Pts5 Hopes rose for the new team being put together by coach Ólafur Jóhannesson when Iceland opened with a 2-2 draw in Norway. However, they were brought down to earth by subsequent defeats against Scotland and the Netherlands. Though a 1-0 win over FYR Macedonia – earned by Veigar Gunnarsson's goal – raised team morale again, further losses to the Scots and the Dutch left Iceland rooted to the bottom of the section in a campaign which finished as it had begun, with a draw against Norway.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group F: P12 W2 D2 L8 G10 A27 Pts8 Iceland struggled for consistency from the off – in the first month of the campaign they won 3- 0 in Northern Ireland yet lost 4-0 in Latvia – and eventually finished second from bottom. Eyjólfur Sverrisson's team produced arguably their best displays against eventual European champions Spain – losing 1-0 in Mallorca to an 80th-minute Andrés Iniesta strike, then conceding an 86th-minute equaliser to Iniesta in a 1-1 home draw. The latter result was followed by a last-gasp victory over third-placed Northern Ireland but the feel-good factor disappeared as they signed off with three straight defeats including a 3-0 capitulation against a Liechtenstein side who also earned a point in Reykjavik.

UEFA European Championship best performance Iceland’s finest hour came during UEFA EURO 2000 qualifying, when they remained in the hunt until the final stages. Excellent home form was the key, with defeats of Russia, Armenia and Andorra following an opening 1-1 draw with then world champions and eventual tournament winners France. However, Iceland's qualifying bid faded in their last two matches, a 1-0 home defeat by Ukraine and a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to France in Paris where goals from Eyjólfur Sverrisson (later to become national coach) and Brynjar Björn Gunnarsson brought them back to 2-2 only for David Trezeguet to net a 71st-minute winner for the hosts.

Key facts Iceland lost their first match in the UEFA European Championship, going down 4-2 away to the Republic of Ireland on 12 August 1962. Having not taken part in the 1960, 1968 and 1972 editions, their first victory arrived on 5 June 1975 in a 2-1 defeat of East Germany through goals from Johannes Edvaldsson and Asgeir Sigurvinsson. They suffered their record defeat in the competition against the same opponents 12 years later during qualifying for the 1988 finals when the German Democratic Republic ran out 6-0 winners in Reykjavik with Andreas Thom scoring a hat-trick.

Head coach: Ólafur Jóhannesson Date of birth: 30 June 1957 Nationality: Icelandic Playing career: Haukar Coaching career: Skallagrímur (three times), FH Hafnarjördur (three times), Thróttur Reykjavík, Haukar, Selfoss, ÍR Reykjavík, Iceland • Turned from playing to coaching at age of 24; led a fairly obscure part-time existence while simultaneously working as a carpenter for 20 years until taking charge of FH for third time in 2003.

• Led FH to their highest-ever placing in Icelandic League – second – in his debut campaign before steering club to a debut title on their 75th anniversary in 2004.

• Maintained success by leading FH to further championships – in runaway fashion – in 2005 and 2006, and although the sequence ended when the team finished second in 2007, one point behind Valur Reykjavík they found consolation in a maiden Icelandic Cup triumph.

• Left FH to take charge of the Icelandic national team in October 2007, replacing Eyjólfur Sverrisson after he had overseen a disappointing end to UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying campaign with successive defeats against Latvia and Liechtenstein.

• Guided Iceland to promising 2-2 draw away to Norway in opening 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier but unable to consolidate as team won only once in eight games – at home to FYR Macedonia – and finished bottom of five-team group.

►ISRAEL UEFA European Championship record P40 W16 D9 L15 F67 A53

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 2: P10 W4 D4 L2 F20 A10 Pts16 Israel must continue their long wait for a first World Cup finals appearance since 1970 after finishing fourth in their section behind Switzerland, Greece and Latvia. Under Dror Kashtan, they started brightly by retrieving a two-goal deficit in an exciting home draw with Switzerland and were unbeaten in their first five matches. However, they then suffered back-to-back defeats by Greece (1-2) and Latvia (0-1) – the latter on home soil at the Ramat Gan Stadium – and ended the campaign having only recorded wins against the bottom two, Luxembourg and Moldova.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group E: P12 W7 D2 L3 F20 A12 Pts23 Israel missed out on the finals for the fourth time after finishing fourth in Group E on 23 points, six behind winners Croatia, one behind Russia and level with England. They lost only once – 4-3 at home to Croatia – in their opening eight games, a sequence that included five victories and a 0-0 draw with England. Yet hopes vanished with successive away losses against England and Croatia in autumn 2007. They ended on a high with victories over Russia, Omer Golan hitting a 92nd-minute winner, and FYR Macedonia that ensured their highest ever points haul in qualifying.

UEFA European Championship best performance Israel have never qualified for the UEFA European Championship finals, but came close when they reached the play-offs for a place at UEFA EURO 2000. After finishing second behind Spain in their group – beating third-placed Austria 5-0 en route – they faced Denmark in a two- legged play-off but lost heavily. Denmark had the tie won at the halfway stage after condemning Israel to their record defeat in the competition, 5-0 in Tel-Aviv. The return leg in Copenhagen finished 3-0, completing an 8-0 aggregate reverse.

Key facts When Israel lost 4-3 to Croatia at the Ramat Gan on 15 November 2006, it was their first competitive qualifying defeat in 14 matches since a 3-0 reverse in France on 11 October 2003. In the intervening period Israel had played 13 qualifiers, recording six victories and seven draws. It was also their first loss on home soil since that 5-0 play-off humbling by Denmark as they had gone through 2006 World Cup qualifying unbeaten and played their UEFA EURO 2004 home qualifiers at neutral venues.

Head coach The new head coach is yet to be confirmed by the Israeli Football Association.

►ITALY UEFA European Championship record Winners: 1968 Runners-up: 2000 Semi-finals: 1980, 1988 Quarter-finals: 1972, 2008 Final tournament: 1968, 1972, 1980, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 P115 W60 D37 L18 F178 A81

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 8: P10 W7 D3 L0 F18 A7 Pts24 Defending champions Italy advanced to their 13th successive World Cup finals as Group 8 winners after seeing off the determined challenge of 's Republic of Ireland. Marcello Lippi, who guided the Azzurri to glory in Germany in 2006, returned as coach in place of after UEFA EURO 2008 and his side advanced unbeaten, winning seven games and booking their place in South Africa with a match to spare thanks to Alberto Gilardino's 90th-minute strike that secured a 2-2 draw in Dublin – their second draw against Trapattoni's side.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group B: P12 W9 D2 L1 F22 A9 Pts29 After beating France to win the 2006 World Cup, Donadoni's side met Les Bleus again in qualifying for UEFA EURO 2008 and again came out on top, winning Group B despite failing to beat France – losing 3-1 away, drawing 0-0 at home – with their only other dropped points a 1-1 draw against Lithuania. Italy and France met again at the finals and the Azzurri once more held the upper hand, winning 2-0 to qualify for the quarter-finals having earlier lost 3-0 to the Netherlands and drawn 1-1 with Romania. Their run ended with defeat on penalties by eventual champions Spain after a goalless quarter-final.

UEFA European Championship best performance Italy won the 1968 edition, defeating Yugoslavia 2-0 in a final replay after the two sides had shared a 1-1 draw at Rome's Stadio Olimpico. The Italians forced a replay when Angelo Domenghini's 80th-minute goal cancelled out Dragan Dzajić's opener after 39 minutes. The tournament hosts made no mistake in the replay two days later, first-half efforts from (12) and (31) sealing a 2-0 success.

Key facts Italy have appeared in the last four UEFA European Championship final tournaments. They hosted the first eight-team final round in 1980 but had to settle for fourth place after losing a third-place play-off on penalties to Czechoslovakia.

Head coach: Marcello Lippi Date of birth: 12 April 1948 Nationality: Italian Playing career: Savona 1907 FBC, UC Sampdoria, AC Pistoiese Coaching career: US Pontedera 1912, AC Siena, AC Pistoiese, Carrarese Calcio, AC Cesena, AS Lucchese, Atalanta BC, SSC Napoli, Juventus (twice), FC Internazionale Milano, Italy (twice) • Born in Tuscany, his playing career was spent chiefly in north-west Italy with Sampdoria, for whom he played as a 'libero' from 1970 to 1980, both in Serie A and . • Served a lengthy apprenticeship with a number of minor teams before coaching a Serie A side for the first time in 1989 with Cesena; led Lucchese, Atalanta and Napoli for one season each before joining Juventus in 1994.

• Won Serie A in first season with Juve and UEFA Champions League in his second; Scudetto winner and UEFA Champions League runner-up in 1996/97 – beaten again in final of Europe's top club competition the following year.

• Left for Inter in 1999 but unsuccessful there and returned two years later to Juve, where his magic touch was maintained as the Turin club won two further Serie A titles and reached another UEFA Champions League final, which they lost on penalties to AC Milan.

• Became Italy coach in July 2004 and stood down two years later after steering Azzurri to FIFA World Cup glory in Germany; reappointed, in place of Roberto Donadoni, after Italy's elimination at UEFA EURO 2008™ and led team undefeated through qualification for chance to defend world title in South Africa.

►KAZAKHSTAN UEFA European Championship record P14 W2 D4 L8 F11 A21

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 6: P10 W2 D0 L8 F11 A29 Pts 6 Arno Pijpers' team defeated Andorra 3-0 in the opening match of their campaign but the Dutchman was soon out of a job following losses to Croatia (0-3) and Ukraine (1-3). He was replaced by German , promoted from the Under-21 post, yet that did little to lift fortunes as Kazakhstan lost all but one of their remaining seven matches, the exception being a 3-1 win in Andorra. England and Belarus both struck nine goals in their two matches against Kazakhstan, while Croatia and Ukraine managed five apiece, condemning Storck's squad to a fifth position in the six-team section, six points ahead of Andorra.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group A: P14 W2 D4 L8 F11 A21 Pts10 Kazakhstan kicked off their first foray into UEFA European Championship qualifying with unexpected draws against Belgium and Azerbaijan. Although they lost their next three matches, they had real cause for celebration in March 2007 when they defeated Serbia 2-1 in Almaty. A run of six matches without victory then followed – although there was a creditable 2-2 draw against Belgium – before Kazakhstan registered a second victory in eight-team Group A, winning 1-0 in Armenia in their penultimate fixture.

UEFA European Championship best performance The 2008 qualifying campaign was Kazakhstan’s first participation in the competition since moving from the Asian Football Confederation in 2002.

Key fact Having joined UEFA in 2002, Kazakhstan had to wait until 24 March 2007 for their first competitive win when they defeated Serbia 2-1 in Almaty thanks to goals from Kairat Ashirbekov and Nurbol Zhumaskaliyev.

Head coach: Bernd Storck Date of birth: 25 January 1963 Nationality: German Playing career: VfL Bochum 1848, BV Borussia Dortmund Coaching career: VfB Stuttgart (assistant), Hertha BSC Berlin (assistant), VfL Wolfsburg (assistant), FK Partizan (assistant), BV Borussia Dortmund (assistant), FC Almaty, Kazakhstan Under-21s, Kazakhstan • Made his Bundesliga debut for Bochum at the age of 19 and spent two seasons at the club before joining local rivals Dortmund in 1983.

• A regular in the Dortmund defence for the next six terms, he helped the club to victory in the German Cup in his final campaign, 1988/89; ended his playing career with eight goals in 171 Bundesliga appearances.

• Joined forces with leading German coach Jürgen Röber and acted as his assistant at Stuttgart, Hertha, Wolfsburg, Partizan and Dortmund.

• Moved abroad midway through 2008 to take charge of Kazakh top-flight club Almaty; was also appointed simultaneously as the Kazakhstan U21 coach.

• Named the Kazakhstan senior team's interim coach following dismissal of Dutchman Arno Pijpers in autumn 2008; his first game in charge was a 5-1 defeat by England at Wembley in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier but he was subsequently installed as team's permanent head coach.

►LATVIA UEFA European Championship record Final tournament: 2004 P45 W 17 D7 L21 F53 A62

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 2: P10 W5 D2 L3 F18 A15 Pts17 Latvia missed out on the play-offs by just three points, so the campaign was seen by many as something of a success, particularly as it involved a squad in transition. Six points from their games with Luxembourg and Moldova, along with another four from Israel, provided the momentum but home-and-away defeats by eventual runners-up Greece proved to be their undoing. Last October's 5-2 defeat in Athens, which followed an earlier 2-0 home reverse, ensured a third-placed finish for ' men.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group F: P12 W4 D0 L8 F15 A17 Pts12 This was a disappointing campaign for a team who had made it through to the final tournament of UEFA EURO 2004. Coach paid the price for a 1-0 defeat in Liechtenstein in March 2007 by losing his job to Starkovs, who returned after a spell with Russian club FC Spartak Moskva. Latvia found the net in only two of their opening eight matches and yet somehow managed to put four goals past Iceland twice. Though performances improved gradually, results remained mixed and the team finished fifth.

UEFA European Championship best performance Latvia's best showing came when they qualified for UEFA EURO 2004 via the play-offs under Starkovs. Having finished runners-up in Group 4, just a point behind Sweden after five wins and a draw from their eight games, Latvia went on to defeat Turkey 3-2 on aggregate. They did it the hard way too – coming back from 2-0 down in Istanbul with 25 minutes left to draw 2-2. Having landed in an extremely tough group in Portugal with Germany, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, they finished bottom with just one point obtained in a 0-0 draw with Rudi Völler's Germany.

Key facts Latvia captain Vitālijs Astafjevs became the most capped player in Europe on 14 November 2009 after he represented his country for the 158th and final time in Honduras.

Head coach: Aleksandrs Starkovs Date of birth: 26 July 1955 Nationality: Latvian Playing career: RPI Madona, FK Daugava Rīga (twice), FC Dinamo Moskva Coaching career: FK Daugava Rīga (assistant), Latvia Under-21s, Skonto FC (twice), Latvia (twice), FC Spartak Moskva, Skonto FC (sporting director) • A prolific goalscorer, he found the net over 100 times in the former Soviet league for Daugava Rīga and was voted Latvia's Golden Player of the past 50 years to celebrate UEFA's jubilee in 2003.

• Began his coaching career as an assistant at Daugava before taking charge at Skonto, where he remained for over a decade, claiming the Latvian Virslīga title in every one of his 12 seasons (1993-2004), prolonging the club's record-winning sequence to 14.

• Held role of Latvia assistant from 1995-2001 while still at Skonto helm before replacing Gary Johnson as head coach.

• Guided Latvia to unexpected qualification for UEFA EURO 2004™, confirming his stature as a national icon; joined Spartak Moskva after the finals and led them to runners-up spot in 2005 Russian Premier-Liga.

• Returned to Skonto in an administrative role before the call came to return for a second spell in charge of Latvia in April 2007; led the team to third place in their 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying group. Rejoined Skonto as head coach at the end of 2009 campaign.

►LIECHTENSTEIN UEFA European Championship record P40 W3 D4 L33 F14 A133

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 4: P10 W0 D2 L8 F2 A23 Pts2 Liechtenstein finished bottom of a section dominated by Germany and Russia. While their biggest defeats came against Germany (4-0 and 6-0), they fared much better with Russia in April 2009, when they restricted their opponents to a hard-fought 1-0 win. Their two points were posted thanks to draws at home against Finland, earning a 1-1 stalemate, and away to Azerbaijan, while their only other goal came in a 2-1 defeat in Finland, putting Liechtenstein ahead.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group F: P12 W2 D1 L9 F9 A32 Pts7 Liechtenstein's bid to reach UEFA EURO 2008 proved positive overall, despite the team finishing bottom of their section. Amassing seven points in total, they came close to emulating their historic best of eight points in a qualifying campaign, recorded on the road to the 2006 World Cup. Liechtenstein saw off Latvia 1-0 at home after Frick hit the winner and then swept aside Iceland 3-0 courtesy of another Frick strike and two goals from . They also drew 1-1 away against Iceland, who finished a solitary point ahead in the section.

UEFA European Championship best performance Their last campaign was also their best in UEFA European Championship qualifying, marking a considerable step up from their previous record tally of four points on the road to UEFA EURO 2000, a campaign which featured Liechtenstein's first ever qualifying victory. The side broke their duck by downing Azerbaijan 2-1 but had to wait until the subsequent triumphs over Latvia and Iceland to increase their win total.

Key facts Liechtenstein's first ever participation in a major international tournament came with their qualifying bid for EURO '96, and their first competitive goal came in their maiden competitive outing – scoring the 82nd-minute consolation in a 4-1 defeat by Northern Ireland in . They earned their first ever point in that same campaign, drawing 0-0 at home against the Republic of Ireland.

Head coach: Hans-Peter Zaugg Date of birth: 2 December 1952 Nationality: Swiss Playing career: FC Rot-Weiss Bümpliz, Neuchâtel Xamax FC, FC Coaching career: FC Zollikofen, FC Aarberg, FC Rapid Ostermundigen, SC Bümpliz 78, Switzerland (youth), Switzerland (assistant), Switzerland (caretaker), Grasshopper-Club, Jomo Cosmos, FC Luzern, BSC Young Boys, Neuchâtel Xamax FC (sports director), Liechtenstein • A modest playing career, highlighted by a five-year spell with Neuchâtel Xamax, was spent mostly as a holding midfielder although he later moved back into defence.

• Coached initially at amateur, regional and youth levels before finding a niche for himself as the assistant to a succession of Swiss national team coaches − Roy Hodgson, Artur Jorge, Rolf Fringer and − between 1990 and 2000.

• Took sole command of the national team for four matches in a caretaker role between October 1999 and June 2000; benefited from the experience by taking charge of Grasshoppers and leading them to a record-extending 26th Swiss league title in his debut season as a senior club coach.

• Moved on to coach Luzern and Young Boys before taking sports director job at former club Xamax.

• Replaced as Liechtenstein coach in December 2006 and, after taking two points in attempting to make 2010 FIFA World Cup, extended his contract until the end of UEFA EURO 2012™ qualifying.

►LITHUANIA UEFA European Championship record P40 W16 D5 L19 F39 A52

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 7: P10 W4 D0 L6 F10 A11 Pts12 Under the guidance of Portuguese coach José Couceiro, Lithuania made an impressive start in Group 7 with a 3-0 win in Romania and a 2-0 home victory against Austria. Although they then lost to eventual section winners Serbia, Lithuania ended 2008 as group leaders after defeating the Faroe Islands. That was as good as it got, though, as five successive losses followed – including a 2-1 reverse in the Faroe Islands – and Lithuania ended their campaign in fourth place, although they did have the consolation of a 2-1 home victory against Serbia in their final fixture.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group B: P12 W5 D1 L6 F11 A13 Pts16 Lithuania opened Group B with in eye-catching fashion after a Tomas Danilevičius goal secured a 1-1 draw in Naples against newly-crowned world champions Italy, but they were brought back down to earth by Scotland, losing 2-1 in , and subsequent spirited displays against World Cup finalists France and Italy were admirable but ultimately yielded no points or goals. A notable 2-0 home win against Ukraine was another high point for Algimantas Lubinskas's squad, who eventually finished in fifth place following victory in Georgia in their final fixture.

UEFA European Championship best performance Lithuania's third-place finish in their six-team EURO '96 qualifying group ranks as their best performance in the competition in terms of placing, although they matched the five wins they achieved in that campaign in their bid to reach Austria-Switzerland.

Key fact Danilevičius is Lithuania's all-time leading scorer with 19 goals.

Head coach The new head coach is yet to be confirmed by the Lithuanian Football Association.

►LUXEMBOURG UEFA European Championship record P89 W5 D8 L76 F35 A255

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 2: P10 W1 D2 L7 F4 A25 Pts5 Luxembourg could look back on a campaign in which they not only recorded a rare victory, but also avoided finishing last. Bottom side Moldova provided two of Luxembourg's points in as many goalless draws, the other three coming in a remarkable 2-1 success at section winners Switzerland; Alphonse Leweck scoring the 87th-minute winner after Jeff Strasser's opener had been cancelled out by the hosts. The other two goals came courtesy of René Peters in a 3-1 home defeat to Israel and an own goal in a 2-1 defeat in Greece.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group G: P12 W1 D0 L11 F2 A23 Pts3 Luxembourg claimed their first competitive victory in over a decade when Leweck rose to head home in the fifth minute of added time to earn a 1-0 victory in Belarus on 13 October 2007. Their previous win had been a 1-0 success in Malta on 22 February 1995 during EURO '96 qualifying. Chris Sagramola scored Luxembourg's only other goal of the campaign in a 2-1 home defeat by Belarus, and though they failed to pick up another point, ' side twice limited the Netherlands to 1-0 wins.

UEFA European Championship best performance Luxembourg's first involvement in the competition has proved their most successful, coming in the latter part of 1963 when they first recorded a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands in , then beating the Dutch 2-1 at Rotterdam's . Camille Dimmer proved the hero with goals after 20 and 67 minutes, either side of Piet Kruiver's 31st-minute equaliser. Luxembourg's reward was a two-legged quarter-final against Denmark which they lost 1-0 in a replay after drawing 5-5 on aggregate.

Key facts Luxembourg have been involved in all eleven qualification group stages since the 1968 UEFA European Championship. Of these, EURO '96 proved most memorable as they recorded three wins – a shock 1-0 victory over future finalists Czech Republic at the Josy Barthel Stadium and successes in both games against Malta. The final points haul of ten also included a draw with Belarus.

Head coach: Guy Hellers Date of birth: 10 October 1964 Nationality: Luxembourgeois Playing career: US Bascharage, CS Hollerich, FC Metz, R. Standard de Liège Coaching career: Luxembourg • Arguably Luxembourg's most distinguished footballer, he made his name at Standard Liège, where he played in midfield for 16 years, from 1983-1999, amassing 477 appearances in all competitions – a club record - and scoring 37 goals.

• Joined the club as reigning Belgian champions but never won a league title with them; only major honour was 1993 Belgian Cup, which Standard won after 2-0 win in all-francophone final against R. SC.

• A long-time captain of Standard, he was also voted Luxembourg's Sportsman of the Year in 1990 and 1995. • First capped by his country in October 1982, he went on to represent Luxembourg 55 times over a 15-year period, scoring two goals, his second bringing a famous 1-0 win over eventual runners-up the Czech Republic in a EURO '96 qualifying match.

• Began coaching at youth level for the Luxembourg Football Federation before replacing as the senior team's head coach in December 2004; led side to shock competitive away wins against Belarus (1-0) – the team's first competitive victory for 12 years - and Switzerland (2-1).

►MALTA UEFA European Championship Qualifying record P82 W3 D11 L68 F42 A251

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 1: P10 W0 D1 L9 F0 A26 Pts1 Malta finished bottom of their section after picking up a solitary point – in a 0-0 home draw against Albania. Eight matches into the campaign, in July 2009, Czech coach Dušan Fitzel was replaced by former Malta international John Buttigieg, becoming the first Maltese to take charge of the senior team since Pippo Psaila held the post between 1991 and 1993. However, Malta remained rooted to the foot of Group 1, and were the only team to go through European qualifying without registering a goal.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group C: P12 W1 D2 L9 F10 A31 Pts5 Despite finishing bottom of the section, Fitzel's team put in a series of fine performances, collecting a record tally of points and goals scored in a UEFA European Championship qualifying campaign. There were draws at home to Turkey (2-2) and in Moldova (1-1), building on a 2-1 win against Hungary on 11 October 2006.

UEFA European Championship best performance Malta's last European Championship qualifying campaign was also their best, with goals in each half from Andre Schembri earning that 2-1 victory over Hungary, their first in the competition since 1982. Another triumph nearly followed in September 2007 when Schembri gave his side a 2-1 lead against Turkey in the 76th minute – only for Servet Çetin to quickly head in the equaliser.

Key facts Malta have won three matches in UEFA European Championship qualifying, all in home fixtures. They beat Greece 2-0 in 1975, Iceland 2-1 in 1982 (the game was played at the neutral venue of Messina, Italy) before that Hungary triumph in 2006 – Malta's first competitive success since 1993.

Head coach: John Buttigieg Date of birth: 5 October 1963 Nationality: Maltese Playing career: Sliema Wanderers FC, Brentford FC, Swindon Town FC (loan), Floriana FC, Valletta FC Coaching career: Buzu Football School, Birkirkara FC, Malta • A prominent international defender for 16 years, winning 95 caps for Malta, he started out with his hometown club Sliema Wanderers and remained there from 1981-89.

• Departed for English club Brentford midway through Sliema's title-winning 1988/89 season – his only trophy-winning campaign for the club.

• Returned to Malta in 1991 after two and a half years in England, joining Floriana, where he remained until 1999, winning the domestic double in 1992/93 and retaining the FA Trophy the following season. • Ended playing career with Valletta, winning a historic clean sweep of every domestic trophy in 2000/01; chose to close international career in the Malta FA centenary friendly against England at Ta' Qali in June 2000 – a narrow 2-1 defeat - rather than continue to 100 caps.

• Coached Birkirkara to three third-place finishes in the – and victory in 2008 FA Trophy - before replacing Czech Dušan Fitzel as national team coach, assisted by the country's record goalscorer , in July 2009; began reign with 2-0 friendly win at home to Georgia.

►MOLDOVA UEFA European Championship record P38 W8 D7 L23 F35 A82

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 2: P10 W0 D3 L7 F6 A18 Pts3 Moldova endured a difficult qualifying campaign, failing to win any of their ten matches and finishing bottom of their six-team section with just three points. Two of those came against Luxembourg – both goalless draws – with the other obtained in more notable fashion thanks to a 1-1 home draw against Greece. Coach Igor Dobrovolski resigned after Moldova concluded their campaign with a 3-2 loss in Latvia.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group C: P12 W3 D3 L6 F12 A19 Pts12 Moldova finished fifth in a strong section, recovering from a poor start which brought three defeats and a draw from their opening four matches. A 5-0 loss in Turkey in the last of those fixtures led to coach Anatol Teslev's dismissal and the appointment of Dobrovolski, a move which resulted in an upturn in the team’s fortunes in 2007. Narrow defeats by Hungary, Greece and Norway preceded three victories in the final four matches while there was also a creditable draw against Turkey. The defeat of Bosnia-Herzegovina in Sarajevo was Moldova's first competitive win on the road since 1994.

UEFA European Championship best performance In the EURO '96 qualifying round, Moldova finished fourth in a six-team group having taken nine points from ten fixtures, one better than Wales and Albania. The group also comprised Germany, Bulgaria and Georgia.

Key facts Moldova traditionally perform better in qualifying for the UEFA European Championship than the World Cup. They have won only two games in four World Cup campaigns, compared with eight victories in 38 EURO matches.

Head coach: Gavril Balint Date of birth: 3 January 1963 Nationality: Romanian Playing career: CF Gloria 1922 Bistriţa, FC Steaua Bucureşti, Real CF Coaching career: Romanian national team (assistant), FC Bihor Oradea, FC Sportul Studenţesc Bucureşti, Galatasaray AŞ (assistant), FC Sheriff, FC Politehnica Timişoara (assistant), FC Timişoara

• A striker, Balint arrived at Steaua aged 17 and spent over ten years at the club. He won five national titles, three Romanian Cups and the 1986 European Champion Clubs' Cup, where he was one of only two players to convert his penalty in the final shoot-out against FC Barcelona. • Struck 14 goals in 34 games for Romania, then had first taste of coaching as an assistant for four years to Anghel Iordănescu in the national setup, a role he would perform on two more occasions. • After a short spell as assistant at Galatasaray, Balint returned for another stint with the national team, working alongside . Both stepped down, though, after failure to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup ended a run of four successive major tournaments as player or coach.

• Worked as head coach at Bihor and Sportul Studenţesc in between stints with Romania. Joined Sheriff for 2002/03 campaign, winning title and Commonwealth Cup before returning to Sportul Studenţesc and gaining promotion. Rejoined Hagi at Politehnica Timişoara before taking a break from the game, returning at Timişoara in 2009.

• Appointed by Moldova in January 2010, the 27th Romanian to become a head coach of a foreign national team.

►MONTENEGRO UEFA European Championship record Montenegro will make their competition debut following independence in 2006.

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 8: Pl0 W1 D6 L3 F9 A14 Pts9 Having gained independence in 2006, this was the country's first participation in an official tournament and the performance was a creditable one, with only three defeats in ten games – two of them against holders Italy and the other away to Bulgaria. Montenegro's wait for a first competitive victory ended on 10 October 2009 with a 2-1 success against Georgia before the now departed Zoran Filipović's side signed off with a goalless draw away to the Republic of Ireland, the group runners-up. Along with the Irish, Montenegro had the highest number of draws in European zone qualifying – six – and finished fifth in the group, trailing fourth-placed Cyprus only on goal difference.

Key facts Montenegro's attacking flair definitely has an Italian feel to it, with the charge led by Serie A strikers Mirko Vučinić of AS Roma and ACF Fiorentina's Stevan Jovetić. The pair follow in the footsteps of Dejan Savićević, probably Montenegro's best-known footballer, whose sparkling performance in the 1994 UEFA Champions League final helped secure the trophy for AC Milan against FC Barcelona. Predrag Mijatović, also Montenegrin, scored the only goal of the 1998 UEFA Champions League final for Real Madrid CF against Juventus.

Head coach: Zlatko Kranjčar Date of birth: 15 November 1956 Nationality: Croatian Playing career: NK Dinamo Zagreb, FK Austria Wien, SKN St Pölten Coaching career: SV Wienerfeld, SK Austria Klagenfurt, NHK Segesta (twice), NK Croatia Zagreb (now NK Dinamo Zagreb, twice), FC Linz, NK Slaven Koprivnica, NK Samobor, El- Masry, NK Mura, NK Marsonia, NK Zagreb (twice), HNK Rijeka, Croatia, NK Croatia Sesvete (twice), Al-Shaab, DAC 1904 Dunajská Streda, Persepolis FC

• A famously animated coach, Zlatko Kranjčar made his name as a forward during a ten-year spell in the first team at Dinamo Zagreb, during which he made over 500 competitive appearances as well as representing Yugoslavia at international level.

• Having left Zagreb in 1983 to join his one-time Dinamo coach Otto Barić at Austrian Wien, Kranjčar hung up his boots in 1990, but not before he had been capped twice by the newly independent Croatia.

• Started his coaching career in Austria, but was drawn back to his homeland, where he was to win titles in two separate spells with his old club, while they were playing as Croatia Zagreb; following spells in Egypt and Slovenia, he pulled off a notable coup by leading NK Zagreb to the 2001/02 Croatian title. • Replaced his old boss Barić as Croatia coach in 2004, leading a team including son Niko Kranjčar to the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, but criticism following a relatively disappointing showing ensured that his contract was not renewed after the tournament in Germany.

• Coached in the United Arab Emirates, Slovakia and most recently Iran, with Persepolis; replaced another former Yugoslavia striker, Zoran Filipović, as Montenegro national team coach in February 2010.

►THE NETHERLANDS UEFA European Championship record Winners: 1988 Semi-finals: 1976, 1992, 2000, 2004 Quarter-finals: 1996, 2008 Final tournaments: 1976, 1980, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 P121 W75 D22 L24 F251 A95

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 9: P8 W8 D0 L0 F17 A2 Pts24 The Netherlands stormed their way to South Africa, not dropping a single point in their eight qualifying fixtures. They set the tone with an opening 2-1 victory in FYR Macedonia, where 's consolation goal for the hosts was one of only two they would concede in the whole campaign. 's men finished 14 points clear of nearest rivals Norway and Scotland, both of whom they beat home and away. Along with Spain, they became just the third and fourth teams to win all their FIFA World Cup qualifiers – only 1970 winners Brazil and the West Germany side who reached the 1982 final had managed the feat previously.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying group G: P12 W8 D2 L2 F15 A5 Pts26 Runners-up in qualifying Group G behind Romania, the Dutch made a spectacular start to the tournament, inflicting heavy defeats on both of the 2006 World Cup finalists. World champions Italy were beaten 3-0 and France 4-1 before coach fielded mainly a reserve team for a 2-0 win over Romania in their final group match. Though now heavily tipped to win the tournament, the Netherlands were outfoxed by one of their own countrymen in the quarter-finals as Guus Hiddink's Russia broke the hearts of an estimated 100,000 Oranje fans in Basel, his team winning 3-1 in extra time.

UEFA European Championship best performance The Netherlands won the 1988 competition in their only appearance in the final to date as goals from Ruud Gullit and Van Basten – the latter a famous acrobatic volley from an acute angle – secured a 2-0 victory over the Soviet Union at Munich's Olympiastadion. Van Basten had earlier hit a hat-trick against England in the first round and then struck a late semi-final winner to defeat hosts West Germany 2-1 in a re-run of the 1974 World Cup final.

Key facts The Netherlands have never lost on home soil in UEFA European Championship qualifying. To date, they have recorded 35 victories and nine draws, a record that includes a quarter-final victory against Belgium in the 1976 competition and a play-off defeat of Scotland to advance to UEFA EURO 2004. As co-hosts of UEFA EURO 2000, they lost on penalties to Italy at the semi-final stage.

Head coach: Bert van Marwijk Date of birth: 19 May 1952 Nationality: Dutch Playing career: , AZ Alkmaar, MVV Maastricht, , FC Assent Coaching career: FC Herderen, RKVCL Limmel, SV Meerssen, Fortuna Sittard, Feyenoord (twice), BV Borussia Dortmund, Netherlands • Capped once by the Netherlands in 1975, Van Marwijk was a dynamic left-winger who racked up 393 appearances in the Dutch Eredivisie with four different clubs; his only trophy success was the 1978 Dutch Cup with AZ.

• Served a long coaching apprenticeship with several minor clubs before replacing at top-flight Fortuna Sittard in 1998; steered Limburg club to Dutch Cup final in first full season before joining Feyenoord in 2000.

• Masterminded Feyenoord's UEFA Cup triumph in 2001/02, sealed with a 3-2 victory against Borussia Dortmund on home turf at De Kuip in the one-off final.

• Joined Dortmund in 2004 but unable to take team into Europe in first two seasons (after two seventh-placed finishes in the Bundesliga) and dismissed midway through his third; returned to Feyenoord and led Rotterdam club to 2008 Dutch Cup win in their centenary year.

• Appointed coach of Dutch national team in succession to Marco van Basten in July 2008; led Oranje through perfect 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, winning all eight matches to become the first European team to seal place in South Africa.

►NORTHERN IRELAND UEFA European Championship record P90 W32 D19 L39 F95 A117

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 3: P10 W4 D3 L3 F13 A9 Pts15 A lacklustre start and finish meant that World Cup qualifying ended in disappointment – despite a record-breaking run of four consecutive competitive victories. Two of those were against San Marino, followed by home wins over Poland and Slovenia in the spring of 2009, and those results undid some of the damage done by losing two of their first three games, in Slovakia and Slovenia. However, Nigel Worthington's men failed to prevail again after that promising run and creditable draws in Poland and the Czech Republic proved insufficient as a home loss to group winners Slovakia in between effectively ended their hopes.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group F: P12 W6 D2 L4 F17 A14 Pts20 A change of manager coincided with a dip in fortunes for Northern Ireland halfway through qualifying. Lawrie Sanchez's departure to join Fulham FC in May 2007 led to Worthington taking over and he could not keep his country on course. Sanchez's side had recovered from a 3-0 opening home defeat by Iceland to win four of the next five games, including a famous 3-2 victory over Spain achieved courtesy of a David Healy hat-trick, a draw in Denmark, and a win over Sweden. Under Worthington, the team picked up only seven points from their final six games, although four of those were away.

UEFA European Championship best performance Northern Ireland's best showing to date was their bid to reach the 1984 UEFA European Championship, having already featured at the 1982 World Cup in Spain. The team finished second to the Federal Republic of Germany, level on points but with an inferior goal difference – and despite having beaten their main rivals home and away. A 2-0 defeat away to Austria in their opening fixture, a draw in Albania and a 1-0 defeat in Turkey in their penultimate match consigned them to the runners-up spot.

Key facts Northern Ireland have recorded two 5-0 victories in the UEFA European Championship, at home against Cyprus (21 April 1971) and in the Faroe Islands (11 September 1991). They have also suffered a quartet of four-goal reverses in the competition, the most recent coming on 8 September 1999 away against Germany, with all of the goals coming in the first 45 minutes through Oliver Bierhoff and a hat-trick.

Head coach: Nigel Worthington Date of birth: 4 November 1961 Nationality: Northern Irish Playing career: Ballymena United FC, Notts County FC, Sheffield Wednesday FC, Leeds United AFC, Stoke City FC, Blackpool FC Coaching career: Blackpool FC, Norwich City FC, Leicester City FC (interim), Northern Ireland • A tough-tackling left-back, he played for five English league clubs, spending the bulk of his career with Sheffield Wednesday, from 1984-94, where he won the League Cup in 1991 and reached both domestic cup finals two years later.

• Played in 66 internationals for Northern Ireland, two of them at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico; won his final cap over a decade later, in February 1997.

• Became player-manager of Blackpool in 1997/98 before hanging up his boots at the end of that season; moved on to Norwich, initially as assistant manager to countryman Bryan Hamilton, before taking charge in December 2000.

• Led the Canaries into the Premier League as Division One champions in 2003/04 but unable to keep them there the following season and eventually lost his job in September 2006.

• Briefly in charge of Leicester before replacing Fulham FC-bound Lawrie Sanchez as Northern Ireland's new manager midway through impressive UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying campaign in June 2007; won record four successive games in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers to temporarily top group.

►NORWAY UEFA European Championship record Final tournament: 2000 P97 W33 D19 L45 F124 A139

2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Group 9: P8 W2 D4 L2 F9 A7 Pts 10 Norway finished runners-up in their five-team group but did not make the play-offs as their record was the weakest among the nine second-placed sides – they were fully 14 points behind the Netherlands, the section winners. They collected only two points from their first three matches, leading to the resignation of Åge Hareide and his replacement as coach by . The returning Olsen started with a draw at FYR Macedonia and defeat by the Dutch and though he subsequently helped to engineer victories against first the Scots – Norway's main rivals for second spot – and then the , it was too little, too late.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group C: P12 W7 D2 L3 F27 A11 Pts23 What Norway fans will remember most from this campaign are the mistakes made by goalkeeper in a 2-2 draw against Turkey in Frankfurt. Norway were coasting at 2-0, but Myhre fumbled two Hamit Altıntop free-kicks into his own net – the latter in the final minute – to gift Turkey the point that eventually took them to the finals. Norway had started well with a 4-1 win in Hungary and were always in contention for a finals berth but they lost control of their destiny in their penultimate fixture – surrendering the lead once more in a 2-1 home loss to Turkey – and had to settle for third place.

UEFA European Championship best performance Norway have played at one UEFA European Championship tournament, appearing in the group stage in 2000. They took 25 points from ten matches to head a qualifying section also containing Slovenia, Greece, Latvia, Albania and Georgia and advance to the finals in Belgium and the Netherlands. 's side created an immediate impression at UEFA EURO 2000, inflicting a 1-0 defeat on Spain in their first match in Rotterdam. However, they lost 1-0 in their second fixture against Yugoslavia 1-0 and a scoreless draw with Slovenia ended their involvement in the competition.

Key facts Norway's national squad features a significant contingent from the English Premier League, led by captain Brede Hangeland of Fulham FC, experienced striker from Aston Villa FC and Blackburn Rovers FC winger Morten Gamst Pedersen. Defender moved to AS Roma in 2008 after winning the UEFA Champions League in 2005 during a seven-year spell at Liverpool FC.

Head coach: Egil Olsen Date of birth: 22 April 1942 Nationality: Norwegian Playing career: Østsiden IL, Vålerenga IF, FK, SK Frigg, Hasle-Løren IL Coaching career: SK Frigg (three times), Hasle-Løren IL, Østsiden IL, Fossum IF, Lyn Oslo FC, Aalesunds FK, Norway (twice), Vålerenga IF, Wimbledon FC, Fredrikstad FK, Iraq • Born in Fredrikstad, Olsen began playing with local side Østsiden before breaking into higher- level football with Oslo club Vålerenga; a useful winger, nicknamed 'Drillo' for his talent as a dribbler, he was capped 16 times by Norway from 1964-71.

• Began coaching while still active as a player at Frigg and Hasle-Løren; spent six years in charge of the Norwegian Under-21 team before establishing his reputation at club level with Lyn and Aalesund.

• Appointed caretaker of Norway senior team in October 1990; made stunning start including 6-1 win v Cameroon in first match and 2-1 victory against Italy in a 1992 UEFA European Championship qualifier to cement position on permanent basis.

• Transformed Norway's fortunes with direct style of play, taking country to successive FIFA World Cups in 1994 and 1998 and to second place in FIFA world rankings; stood down after France '98, where Norway beat Brazil, with record of 44 wins, 27 draws and just 16 defeats.

• After unsuccessful spell in England with Wimbledon, returned to international management with Iraq and was reappointed as Norway coach in January 2009; failed to lead Norway to the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, but will remain in charge until summer 2012, when Ståle Solbakken will take over.

►PORTUGAL UEFA European Championship record Runners-up: 2004 Semi-finals: 1984, 2000 Quarter-finals: 1996, 2008 Final tournament: 1984, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 P112 W60 D26 L26 F190 A104

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 1: P10 W5 D4 L1 F17 A5 P19 Play-offs: Beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 on aggregate After just one victory from their first five outings, a run which included a 3-2 home defeat by eventual section winners Denmark, 's side hit their stride when it mattered most. They won four of the next five, clinching second spot and a place in the play-offs ahead of third-placed Sweden with home successes against Hungary and Malta last October. In the play-offs against Bosnia-Herzegovina, gave Portugal a slender advantage in the home leg before 's 56th-minute strike in Zenica sealed a 2-0 aggregate victory and, with it, a place in South Africa.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group A: P14 W7 D6 L1 F24 A10 Pts27 Portugal lost only once in qualifying but that 2-1 defeat by Poland meant they had to settle for second place behind 's side in Group A. It was still enough to earn a UEFA EURO 2008 berth for a team propelled by the eight-goal – the preliminary competition’s second-highest scorer. 's side made a confident start to the finals with comfortable wins over Turkey (2-0) and the Czech Republic (3-1) before losing 2-0 to co-hosts Switzerland with first place in their group already assured. Yet that was as good as it got for Portugal who bowed out in the quarter-finals, losing 3-2 to Germany in Basel.

UEFA European Championship best performance The closest Portugal have come to holding the Henri Delaunay trophy came on home soil in 2004 when they went down 1-0 to Greece in the final. Curiously Portugal's UEFA EURO 2004 campaign began and ended with defeats by the Greeks, whose 2-1 opening win against the hosts in Group A threatened to cut short their involvement in competition. Yet Scolari's men responded with victories over Russia (2-0) and Spain (1-0) to reach the last eight as group winners, before then overcoming England (on penalties after a 2-2 draw) and the Netherlands (2-1) to reach the final. Unfortunately for the host nation, Greece then crashed the party once more.

Key facts is Portugal's all-time highest scorer, finishing his international career with 47 goals from 88 matches, six more than Eusébio. Portugal first qualified for the UEFA European Championship finals in 1984 and have participated in the last four tournaments.

Head coach: Carlos Queiroz Date of birth: 1 March 1953 Nationality: Portuguese Playing career: none Coaching career: Portugal (twice), Sporting Clube de Portugal, NY/NJ MetroStars, Nagoya Grampus Eight, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Real Madrid CF • Born in Mozambique, Queiroz moved to Portugal to study sport, earning a reputation for developing young footballers at SL Olivais and CF Os Belenenses, serving as assistant coach at GD Estoril-Praia in 1983/84 before being appointed as the national Under-20 coach.

• Steered Portugal to back-to-back FIFA World Youth Cup wins in 1989 and 1991, bringing through the so-called '' players such as , Luís Figo and .

• Took over as senior national team coach in 1991 but unable to lead Portugal to the 1992 UEFA European Championship or 1994 FIFA World Cup; found alternative employment at Sporting, where he won the Portuguese Cup in 1995 – the club's first major trophy for 13 years.

• Left for a succession of high-profile foreign assignments, including a two-year spell in charge of the South African national team, after which he was appointed as Sir 's assistant at Manchester United FC in 2002.

• Two spells at Old Trafford were interrupted by a season in charge of Real Madrid (2003/04); offered a return to international management with Portugal as the successor to Luiz Felipe Scolari in July 2008, and survived a difficult start to lead the team to the 2010 World Cup finals via the play-offs.

►REPUBLIC OF IRELAND UEFA European Championship record Final tournament: 1988 P100 W38 D29 L33 F143 A122

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 8: P10 W4 D6 L0 F12 A8 Pts18 Play-off: Lost 2-1 on aggregate to France Giovanni Trapattoni’s side missed out on a place at the World Cup finals in agonising fashion with a play-off defeat against France. Ireland went through their qualifying group unbeaten, finishing in second place behind world champions Italy and four clear of third-placed Bulgaria. In the play-offs, they suffered their first competitive home loss under Trapattoni as Nicolas Anelka's goal at Croke Park gave Les Bleus a 1-0 first-leg win. Robbie Keane’s goal in Paris sent the tie into extra time only for William Gallas to win it for France.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group D: P12 W4 D5 L3 F17 A14 Pts17 After taking just one point from their first three games, Ireland stood little chance of qualifying for UEFA EURO 2008 and it turned out to be a largely forgettable campaign. The 5-2 defeat in Cyprus in October 2006 was the low point and Steve Staunton's side were also fortunate to scrape a 2-1 win at minnows San Marino through a last-gasp goal. Ireland eventually finished third, 12 points behind group winners Czech Republic and ten adrift of runners-up Germany with Under-21 manager in charge for the final game, a 2-2 draw in Wales, following Staunton's departure.

UEFA European Championship best performance Ireland's appearance at EURO '88 was their first at any major tournament. A surprise Scotland win in Bulgaria in the last round of qualifying sent Jack Charlton's side to West Germany at the ' expense and their opening game against England proved one of the greatest days in the country’s sporting history, ’s header securing a 1-0 victory. A 1-1 draw with the USSR left Ireland in with a chance of making the semi-finals if they could beat the Netherlands, but 's goal eight minutes from time gave the Dutch a 1-0 win and they went on to lift the trophy.

Key facts Having finished in the top two places in their qualifying group in four successive campaigns up to 2000, Ireland have slipped recently, finishing third in qualifying for UEFA EURO 2004 and UEFA EURO 2008. They have a formidable home record, losing just once in their last 15 home group UEFA European Championship qualifiers (against Switzerland in October 2002), but have just three away wins from 14 games. If Kevin Kilbane is picked for their opening UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier, he will maintain his remarkable record having started every competitive international since November 1999.

Head coach: Giovanni Trapattoni Date of birth: 17 March 1939 Nationality: Italian Playing career: AC Milan, AS Varese Coaching career: AC Milan, Juventus (twice), FC Internazionale Milano, FC Bayern München (twice), , ACF Fiorentina, Italy, SL Benfica, VfB Stuttgart, FC Salzburg, Republic of Ireland • Capped 17 times by Italy, Trapattoni spent the majority of his club career as a defender and ball-winning midfielder with Milan, winning seven major trophies including two European Champion Clubs' Cups.

• Started coaching with Milan but established himself as one of Italy's greatest ever 'allenatori' during ten-year spell with arch-rivals Juventus, which yielded victories in all three major European club competitions – an unprecedented achievement – and six Serie A titles.

• Decamped to Inter in 1986 and led Nerazzurri to long-awaited Scudetto triumph in 1988/89 as well as the UEFA Cup, a trophy he won again during a second spell at Juve from 1991-94.

• Moved abroad and won national titles with Bayern, Benfica and Salzburg, becoming the first coach since Ernst Happel to win league championships in four different countries; no success, however, with the Italian national team after unexpected early exits at 2002 FIFA World Cup and UEFA EURO 2004™. • Returned to international management with Republic of Ireland in 2008; led the team undefeated through 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying group – including two draws against Italy – before suffering play-off defeat by France.

►ROMANIA UEFA European Championship record Quarter-finals: 2000 Final tournament: 1984, 1996, 2000, 2008 P105 W52 D27 L26 F191 A104

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 7: P10 W3 D3 L4 F12 A18 Pts12 Romania endured their worst FIFA World Cup campaign for 25 years, recording only one home victory, 3-1 against the Faroe Islands in their last match, and finishing in fifth place. The problems were apparent from the start with a 3-0 home defeat by Lithuania and narrow 1-0 win in the Faroes. After surrendering a two-goal advantage in a 2-2 home draw with France, Romania's ensuing reverses against Serbia and Austria led to coach Victor Piţurcă's departure in April 2009. Things improved under Răzvan Lucescu with two wins and two draws though a 5-0 loss in Serbia in their penultimate fixture highlighted that the team’s problems had not gone away.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group G: P12 W9 D2 L1 F26 A7 29 Romania enjoyed a highly impressive run in qualifying under Piţurcă, topping their group after taking four points off the Netherlands, the runners-up, and suffering their only defeat against Bulgaria with qualification already secured. Their dubious reward was a place in the '' alongside France and Italy – the two finalists at the 2006 World Cup – and also the Netherlands, yet they made a promising start by holding France 0-0 and world champions Italy 1-1 in a match where missed a penalty. Despite high hopes, Romania's performance dipped in their deciding fixture against the Dutch and a 2-0 defeat left them in third.

UEFA European Championship best performance Romania qualified in style for UEFA EURO 2000, topping their group with 24 points from ten matches, having won seven and drawn three. At the tournament itself, a low-key start with draws against Germany and Portugal meant their hopes hinged on their last group game against England yet they held their nerve and recorded a famous 3-2 victory courtesy of Ioan Ganea's winner from the penalty spot in the 89th minute. They were less fortunate in the quarter-finals, going down 2-0 to future finalists Italy after goals from and .

Key Facts Home form was Romania's undoing during their qualifying campaign for this year's World Cup – they recorded only only one of their three victories on home turf and lost twice. Romania have qualified for three of the last four UEFA European Championship finals, missing out on a play-off place for UEFA EURO 2004 due to an inferior head-to-record with group runners-up Norway.

Head coach: Răzvan Lucescu Date of birth: 17 February 1969 Nationality: Romanian Playing career: FC Sportul Studenţesc Bucureşti (three times), AC Crema, FC Naţional Bucureşti (twice), FC Braşov, FC Rapid Bucureşti (twice), FCM Bacău Coaching career: FC Braşov (twice), FC Rapid Bucureşti, Romania • The son of top Romanian coach , he enjoyed a reasonably successful playing career as a goalkeeper in Romania's top division, playing 249 matches for five different clubs but never representing his country.

• Made only one appearance in his final season as a player in 2002/03 (when he was also Rapid's vice-president) as Rapid won Romanian title; his previous best placing was runners-up spot with Naţional in 1996/97

• Followed father into coaching as soon as he had hung up his gloves, starting out with former club Braşov before returning to Rapid and leading club to league runners-up spot and quarter- finals of UEFA Cup in outstanding 2005/06 campaign.

• Won a second successive Romanian Cup with Rapid in 2006/07 before quitting to return to Braşov and immediately guiding the team from Transylvania to promotion to .

• Another impressive season with Braşov earned him the job of succeeding Victor Piţurcă as Romania coach in the spring of 2009 – after his father had turned it down – and he began with a restorative 1-0 win away to Lithuania in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

►RUSSIA UEFA European Championship record P53 W30 D10 L13 F107 A56 Semi-finals: 2008 Final tournament: 1996, 2004, 2008

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 4: P10 W7 D1 L2 F19 A6 Pts22 Play-offs: Lost 2-2 to Slovenia on away goals Russia had a consistent campaign and could have no complaints about their second-place finish behind Germany, having lost 2-1 to the section winners in Dortmund and 1-0 in Moscow. The only other game in which they dropped points came in a 1-1 draw in Baku with Azerbaijan, when Guus Hiddink fielded a shuffled side as he prepared for the play-off against Slovenia. The first leg started promisingly enough, with scoring twice in a 2-1 victory in Moscow. However, the campaign ended in disappointment as Slovenia won 1-0 in Maribor and qualified on the away-goals rule.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group E: P12 W7 D3 L2 F18 A7 Pts24 Russia qualified as runners-up, though only after a helping hand from section winners Croatia. Before the last round of matches, Hiddink's side were third and needed already-qualified Croatia to beat England at Wembley while Russia beat Andorra. Both permutations happened, enabling Russia to go on to UEFA EURO 2008. Despite an opening 4-1 loss to Spain, they recovered to beat Greece 1-0 and, with the previously suspended Andrei Arshavin sublime, Sweden 2-0. They defeated the much-fancied Netherlands 3-1 after extra-time in the last eight before the run ended with another loss to Spain, going down 3-0 to the eventual champions.

UEFA European Championship best performance Russia's best performance since competing as an independent state came at UEFA EURO 2008, although their best qualification record came in the run-up to EURO '96. From ten matches, Russia collected 26 points to win a group featuring Finland, Greece, Scotland, the Faroe Islands and San Marino. Their involvement at EURO '96 was less memorable, losing to Italy (2- 1) and Germany (3-0) before earning a solitary point with a 3-3 draw against the Czech Republic.

Key facts Prior to EURO '96, Russia participated as part of the Commonwealth of Independent States during the 1992 UEFA European Championship in Sweden, having previously played as a member of the Soviet Union from the competition's inception in 1958. The Soviet Union appeared in the first four final rounds of the UEFA European Championship, winning the inaugural competition in 1960. They were runners-up in 1964, 1972 and 1988.

Head coach: Guus Hiddink Date of birth: 8 November 1946 Nationality: Dutch Playing career: SC Varsseveld, (three times), PSV Eindhoven, Washington Diplomats, San Jose Earthquakes, NEC Nijmegen Coaching career: De Graafschap, PSV Eindhoven (assistant), PSV Eindhoven (twice), Fenerbahçe SK, Valencia CF, Netherlands, Real Madrid CF, Real Betis Balompié, Korea Republic, Australia, Russia, Chelsea FC • Hiddink ended his playing days and began his coaching career at De Graafschap in 1982, but rose to prominence in 1987/88 when, in his first full season in charge, he guided PSV Eindhoven to the treble of Eredivisie, Dutch Cup and European Champion Clubs' Cup.

• Remained in Eindhoven for two more years before moving abroad to coach Fenerbahçe and then Valencia, where he remained until taking the Dutch national team job in 1995. Hiddink kept his job despite a disappointing EURO '96™ and oversaw the Oranje's run to semi-finals of the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

• Joined new European champions Real Madrid after that tournament but departed soon afterwards; resurfaced at Real Betis a year later, yet it was his next appointment, as Korea Republic coach, which reaffirmed his reputation as he unexpectedly led the 2002 World Cup co-hosts to the semi-finals.

• Returned for a second spell at PSV, where he would win three more Eredivisie titles over the next four years, taking his total over two spells at the club to a record six, as well as pushing AC Milan all the way in a 2005 UEFA Champions League semi-final.

• Returned to World Cup duty in 2006, steering Australia through to the last 16, and subsequently became the first foreign coach of Russia, whom he led in spectacular style to the UEFA EURO 2008™ semi-finals – but not to the 2010 World Cup finals after a shock play-off defeat by Slovenia. Enjoyed a successful interim spell as caretaker coach of Chelsea in spring 2009, climaxing with victory in the FA Cup.

►San Marino UEFA European Championship record P46 W0 D0 L46 F6 A200

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 4: P10 W0 D0 L10 F1 A47 Pts0 In qualifying for South Africa 2010, San Marino scored just one goal and conceded 47, finishing without a single point once more. Giampaolo Mazza's side began promisingly against Poland, Andy Selva missing a third-minute penalty, but ultimately slipped to a 2-0 defeat. Selva, San Marino's captain, did score in the 3-1 loss to Slovakia in their next match but that proved to be their only goal in the section, with heavy defeats against Poland (10-0), Slovakia and the Czech Republic (both 7-0) following.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group D: P12 W0 D0 L12 F2 A57 Pts0 San Marino failed to pick up a single point and conceded 57 goals, a rate of 4.75 per game. Their lowest point came in their opening fixture on 6 September 2006 when they lost 13-0 at home against Germany, a competition record. On the positive side, they came close to picking up their first ever qualifying point in their home meeting with the Republic of Ireland, Stephen Ireland scoring an added-time winner for the visitors. There were also narrow losses to Cyprus (1-0) and Wales (2-1) for a team for whom Manuel Marani and captain Selva scored their only two goals of the campaign.

Key facts San Marino have yet to take the lead in a UEFA European Championship match. Qualifying for the World Cup has proved comparatively more fruitful with San Marino securing two points in 46 matches thanks to a goalless draw at home to Turkey on 10 March 1993 and a 1-1 draw in Latvia on 25 April 2001. San Marino took the lead for the first and, to date, only time in a competitive international against England on 16 November 1993 in a World Cup qualifier. Davide Gualtieri scored in the opening minute but England went on to win 7-1.

Head coach: Giampaolo Mazza Date of birth: 26 February 1956 Nationality: Sammarinese Playing career: , Riccione FC, AC Cattolica, ASD Forlimpopoli, Calcinelli, Serenissima, S.S. Murata, SP Tre Fiori, S.S. Cosmos Coaching career: San Marino Calcio, Riccione FC, Asar Riccione, Argentana, AC Cattolica, Misano, Verucchio, AS Real Cesenatico, San Marino, Riccione Calcio

• A San Marino national, he was born in the Italian port city of Genoa.

• Started out with San Marino Calcio – a team in the regional Italian league – and moved frequently from club to club in Italy before seeing out his playing career in San Marino with local league clubs Murata, Tre Fiori and Cosmos.

• A midfielder, he won four caps for San Marino prior to the country's admittance to FIFA and UEFA, playing in the 1987 Mediterranean Games in Syria.

• Launched his coaching career in 1989 with San Marino Calcio and worked with several little- known Italian clubs before taking over national team duties for San Marino in 1998, replacing former Juventus midfielder .

• In addition to being the longest-serving coach of a European national team, he also concurrently coaches Riccione Calcio in Italy's fifth tier and works as a school physical education teacher.

►SCOTLAND UEFA European Championship record Final tournament: 1990, 1992 P98 W47 D22 L29 F139 A102

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 9: P8 W3 D1 L4 F6 A11 Pts10 Scotland failed to end their 12-year exile from the World Cup finals after finishing third. Manager got off to a bad start with a 1-0 defeat at FYR Macedonia and although his side bounced back with a 2-1 away victory over Iceland, failure to beat Norway at (0-0) coupled with a 4-0 loss in the corresponding fixture in Oslo fatally undermined the campaign. Despite creditable performances in their final two games against FYR Macedonia (2-0) and the Netherlands (0-1), Scotland failed to clinch a play-off spot, signalling the end of Burley's reign.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group B: P12 W8 D0 L4 F21 A12 Pts24 Scotland narrowly missed out on their first finals appearance since 1996 after a thrilling campaign in which they twice beat 2006 World Cup runners-up France. was in charge when the Scots recorded an improbable 1-0 victory over Les Bleus at Hampden in October 2006. Alex McLeish picked up the baton when Smith returned to Rangers FC and momentum was maintained with James McFadden's 30-metre strike sealing a second victory at the on 12 September 2007, only for Scotland to falter in a dramatic final-day 2-1 defeat by world champions Italy.

UEFA European Championship best performance Scotland appeared in back-to-back final tournaments in the 1990s, performing particularly creditably at EURO '96 in England. Having qualified as one of the best second-placed teams, they came close to reaching the last eight, losing out the Netherlands only on their inferior goals tally in the group stage. The two countries shared a scoreless draw in their opening game before Scotland lost 2-0 to England and then defeated Switzerland thanks to Ally McCoist's 36th-minute goal. Yet the Dutch took second place given their three goals scored to Scotland's one after the pair had finished level on both points and goal difference.

Key facts Scotland failed to qualify for the UEFA European Championship final tournament in their first six attempts before qualifying in style at EURO '92 – winning their group for the only time to date. They took eleven points from eight matches to finish a point clear of both Switzerland and Romania, with Bulgaria a further point behind in fourth. 's Scotland team would finish third in their section in Sweden, losing to the Netherlands (1-0) and Germany (2- 0) before defeating the CIS 3-0 with goals from Paul McStay, Brian McClair and Gary McAllister.

Head coach: Date of birth: 22 October 1964 Nationality: Scottish Playing career: Cowdenbeath FC, Heart of Midlothian FC Coaching career: Cowdenbeath FC, Heart of Midlothian FC, Leicester City FC, Raith Rovers FC, Dundee United FC, Scotland • A classy central defender, Levein started out with Cowdenbeath before moving in 1983 to Hearts, where he gained legendary status. He remained at the club for the rest of his playing career and accumulated over 500 appearances in all competitions, including 384 in the Scottish top flight.

• Capped by Scotland for the first time in March 1990, one of his 16 caps came in that year's FIFA World Cup, a 2-1 win against Sweden in Genoa.

• After two serious knee injuries forced him to retire in 1995 Levein returned to third division Cowdenbeath to launch a managerial career, setting the club on course for promotion before leaving for top-flight Hearts in December 2000.

• Proved a popular and successful coach at Hearts but was lured south to manage Leicester in the English second tier in October 2004; sacked in January 2006, Levein returned to Scotland and had a brief stint at Raith Rovers, moving on to Dundee United in October 2006.

• Impressive results at Tannadice were rewarded when he was prised away to become new manager of Scotland in December 2009, succeeding George Burley on a two-and-a-half-year contract.

►SERBIA UEFA European Championship record Runners-up: 1960, 1968 Semi-finals: 1976 Quarter-finals: 2000 Final tournament: 1960, 1968, 1976, 1984, 2000 P100 W52 D23 L25 F187 A123

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 7: P10 W7 D1 L2 F22 A8 Pts22 Serbia will compete as an independent nation at the World Cup for the first time after winning Group 7. Despite being drawn in a difficult-looking section alongside France and UEFA EURO 2008 participants Austria and Romania, Radomir Antić's men were the dominant force throughout, dropping points only against France (1-2, 1-1) and then, with progress assured, a 2-1 defeat in Lithuania. They had sealed their place in South Africa four days earlier with a comprehensive 5-0 victory over Romania.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group A: P14 W6 D6 L2 F22 A11 Pts24 Serbia's qualifying campaign started well, with three wins and a draw from their first four matches, but after a 2-1 loss in Kazakhstan things began to unravel. They dropped points in eight of their 14 games, drawing twice with both Poland and Portugal, group winners and runners-up respectively. 's side eventually trailed in three points behind the Portuguese in third spot. Serbia's campaign finished three days after the rest of Europe as their final match with Kazakhstan, a 1-0 win, had been postponed due to bad weather.

UEFA European Championship best performance As part of the former Yugoslavia, Serbian footballers featured in two of the first three UEFA European Championship finals (1960, 1968) but lost both. They came close to victory in 1968 against Italy, taking the lead through Dragan Dzajić after 39 minutes before Angelo Domenghini equalised ten minutes from time at Rome's Stadio Olimpico. Italy prevailed in the replay 48 hours later at the same venue through first-half goals from Luigi Riva and Pietro Anastasi.

Key facts Serbia are 16 games unbeaten at home in UEFA European Championship qualifying since a 2-1 defeat by Denmark on 1 May 1991 – in the intervening period they have competed as Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro and, since 2006, as Serbia alone. Their main strength in recent successful qualifying campaigns has been at the back, with Serbia and Montenegro conceding just one goal in qualifying for the 2006 World Cup and Serbia 0.8 per game en route to South Africa.

Head coach: Radomir Antić Date of birth: 22 November 1948 Nationality: Serbian Playing career: FK Sloboda Užice, FK Partizan, Fenerbahçe SK, , Luton Town FC Coaching career: FK Partizan (assistant), Real Zaragoza, Real Madrid CF, Real Oviedo (twice), Club Atlético de Madrid (three times), FC Barcelona, RC Celta de Vigo, Serbia • A popular defender with Partizan from 1968-76, he won one cap for Yugoslavia; moved abroad to spend two seasons each with Fenerbahçe and Real Zaragoza before ending his career in England with Luton, for whom he scored a famous late winning goal at Manchester City FC in May 1983 that kept Luton in the English top flight and sent their opponents down.

• Served coaching apprenticeship at Partizan before taking his first senior post back at Zaragoza; joined Real Madrid in March 1991 but sacked in January 1992 despite taking team to Spanish summit.

• Revived fortunes of Oviedo before beginning an even more successful stint with Atlético Madrid that peaked early with the club's Spanish league and cup double in 1995/96, his first season at the helm.

• Had further spells at Atlético and Oviedo before staging a rescue mission at Barcelona in second half of 2002/03 season and also launching careers of Andrés Iniesta and Víctor Valdés; ceded place to Frank Rijkaard after just six months at .

• Misadventure at Celta Vigo led to a period of inactivity that ended with his appointment as Serbia boss – his first coaching job outside Spain – in August 2008; accomplished mission of taking country to 2010 FIFA World Cup with flying colours after topping qualifying group ahead of 2006 runners-up France. ►SLOVAKIA UEFA European Championship record P40 W17 D6 L17 F70 A59

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 3: P10 W7 D1 L2 F22 A10 Pts22 Slovakia made history by qualifying for their first major tournament since independence, and did so in style by topping Group 3 after beating Poland 1-0 away in their final match courtesy of a Seweryn Gancarczyk goal. There plenty of drama also in their earlier meeting with the Poles in October 2008, when Vladimír Weiss's side trailed 1-0 with six minutes left before two goals from Stanislav Šesták turned the game around. They followed that up with an impressive 2-1 victory against neighbouring Czech Republic in Prague. Two defeats by Slovenia were offset by two victories against Northern Ireland, setting up a memorable finale in snow- covered Chorzow.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group D: P12 W5 D1 L6 F33 A23 Pts16 Despite some excellent performances, Slovakia ultimately paid for a lack of consistency in a campaign of highs and lows. In the opening two months alone they followed up a 6-1 rout of Cyprus with a 3-0 home defeat by the Czech Republic, then saw the optimism engendered by winning 5-1 in Wales dented by a 4-1 loss at home to Germany. Coach Dušan Galis made way for Ján Kocian during the campaign, but Slovak fortunes did not improve. Wales secured a 5-2 revenge victory in Trnava and the team ultimately finished fourth behind Republic of Ireland, runners-up Germany and section winners Czech Republic.

UEFA European Championship best performance Slovakia have played in the qualifying competition four times as an independent state, but have yet to reach the final tournament – they finished third in their group on their first three attempts and then fourth last time out. Their best points' tally was achieved in UEFA EURO 2000 qualifying, when they collected 17 after winning half of their ten outings.

Key facts As part of the former Czechoslovakia, a significant number of Slovakian players tasted victory at the 1976 UEFA European Championship against West Germany. The final ended 2-2 in Belgrade before Czechoslovakia won 5-3 on penalties, with Antonín Panenka famously chipping in the deciding spot-kick.

Head coach: Vladimír Weiss Date of birth: 22 September 1964 Nationality: Slovakian Playing career: VTJ Agro Hurbanovo, AŠK Inter , AC Sparta Praha, FK Drnovice, DAC Dunajská Streda, 1. FC Košice, FC Artmedia Petržalka Coaching career: FC Artmedia Petržalka (twice), FC Saturn Moskovskaya Oblast, Slovakia

• Bratislava-born, he spent six and a half years developing his talent as a defensive midfielder with local club Inter; became a Czechoslovakian international in 1988 and won three of his 19 caps at the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

• Had brief spell at Sparta Praha, winning final Czechoslovakian federal championship in 1993; returned home and won a further dozen international caps for Slovakia, scoring the independent country's first-ever goal, against United Arab Emirates in February 1994.

• Ended playing days with Artmedia, after which he served as an assistant coach until 2000 when he took the top job.

• Led Artmedia to victory in the 2003/04 Slovakian Cup and 2004/05 Slovakian League before enhancing his profile internationally by knocking out Celtic FC and FK Partizan to reach group stage of UEFA Champions League, where team registered famous 3-2 win at FC Porto. Left for Russian club Saturn in early 2006 but returned to Artmedia 18 months later and masterminded domestic double.

• Appointed national team coach in June 2008 in place of Ján Kocian and steered Slovakia to first appearance at a FIFA World Cup finals as qualifying group winners, highlighted by historic 2-1 win away to the Czech Republic; extended contract until after South Africa, with the initial deal having expired on 30 November 2009.

►SLOVENIA UEFA European Championship record Final tournament: 2000 P50 W16 D14 L20 F61 A69

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 3: P10 W6 D2 L2 F18 A4 Pts20 Play-offs: Beat Russia on away goals after 2-2 aggregate draw Coach Matjaž Kek produced a stable, motivated squad and was rewarded with Slovenia's second World Cup finals appearance. Samir Handanovič, Milivoje Novakovič, Zlatko Dedič and Robert Koren were the key players in a campaign which ended with a run of four consecutive victories – with 13 goals scored and none conceded – that ensured Slovenia finished second behind Slovakia. Though UEFA EURO 2008 semi-finalists Russia were tipped to win their play- off, Nejc Pečnik's late goal in a 2-1 defeat in Moscow gave Slovenia hope and Dedič's only goal of the second leg (and a seventh clean sheet) saw them through.

UEFA EURO 2008 qualifiers Qualifying Group G: P12 W3 D2 L7 F9 A16 Pts11 The campaign never really built any momentum, despite changes on and off the pitch. , the former FC Bayern München, HNK Hajduk Split and Yugoslav international midfielder, was replaced as coach by Kek after the opening three matches – defeats by Bulgaria and Belarus, along with a win against Luxembourg. Slovenia's form remained patchy, though, with the highlight arguably a 1-0 home victory against Belarus. Their sixth-placed finish, level on points with fifth-placed Albania in a group dominated by the Netherlands and Romania, offered little indication of what would follow in South Africa 2010 qualifying.

UEFA European Championship best performance Slovenia earned a place at UEFA EURO 2000 thanks to a 3-2 aggregate play-off success against Ukraine after they had finished runners-up in their group behind Norway. After a 2-1 comeback victory over Ukraine in the first leg, 's 78th-minute equaliser earned them a 1-1 draw in Kyiv on 17 November 1999 to secure their passage. At the tournament, Slovenia bowed out early after Group C draws with Yugoslavia and Norway, sandwiching a 2-1 defeat by Spain. Srečko Katanec's men were left to rue their opening draw with Yugoslavia when they led 3-0 with 23 minutes left only for Yugoslavia to score three goals in seven minutes.

Key facts Slovenia's first international match after the break-up of the former Yugoslavia was a 1-1 friendly draw in 1992 with Estonia, also playing their first game since independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Slovenia's first competitive match came at the start of qualifying for EURO '96, a 1-1 home draw with recent FIFA World Cup finalists Italy on 7 September 1994.

Head coach: Matjaž Kek Date of birth: 9 September 1961 Nationality: Slovenian Playing career: NK Maribor (twice), SV Spittal/Drau, Grazer AK Coaching career: NK Maribor, Slovenia (youth), Slovenia • Born in Maribor, he began a long affiliation with the local club as a player, playing from 1979-84 in the Yugoslavian Federal League before leaving for Austria. • Spent a decade in Austria's lower leagues, with Spittal/Drau and GAK – and earning one cap for Slovenia in 1992 while with the latter – before returning home and winning a hat-trick of Slovenian titles with Maribor (1997-99) as well as two national cups.

• Turned to coaching immediately after hanging up his boots and was on the staff for four further championship wins for Maribor before taking charge permanently for the 2003/04 season.

• Appointed coach of Slovenia's national Under-15 and U16 teams in 2006 before the call came to replace senior head coach Branko Oblak midway through UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying campaign in January 2007.

• Endured difficult start to reign with youthful team but came good eventually to steer Slovenia to the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals after a runners-up placing in their qualifying group was followed by a famous away-goals victory over Russia in the play-offs.

►SPAIN UEFA European Championship record Winners: 1964, 2008 Runners-up: 1984 Quarter-finals: 1996, 2000 Final tournament: 1964, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 P129 W77 D25 L27 F272 A114

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 5: P10 W10 D0 L0 F28 A5 Pts30 Spain reached the World Cup finals in style with ten straight victories. took charge after his predecessor Luis Aragonés had delivered victory at UEFA EURO 2008 and the former Real Madrid CF coach eased into the role, recording successive triumphs over Bosnia- Herzegovina and Armenia at the start of the campaign. Belgium went close to holding the European champions in but , Spain's top scorer in qualifying with seven goals, struck late on to secure victory. Albert Riera produced an even later winner in Turkey, registering in added time to maintain their 100% record.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group F: P12 W9 D1 L2 F23 A8 Pts28 Spain recovered from back-to-back defeats against Northern Ireland and Sweden in their opening three qualifying games for UEFA EURO 2008 to top the group by two points. Once at the finals, Aragonés's side never looked like anything but trophy winners, delivering victories over Russia, Sweden and Greece in the opening phase before producing a penalty shoot-out triumph over Italy in the quarter-finals. A second comprehensive win against Russia in the semi-finals paved the way for a meeting with Germany in the showpiece in Vienna, where 's 33rd-minute strike won the day for La Roja.

UEFA European Championship best performance Spain first achieved glory at the European Nations' Cup in 1964 when – as final hosts – they defeated the USSR at the Santiago Bernabéu with the likes of Luis Suárez, Jesús María Pereda and Marcelino Martínez key figures in the triumph. There was a long wait before Spain could savour another international success after that, yet the manner of their victory at UEFA EURO 2008 left supporters of the Iberian nation ecstatic. With talented performers such as Hernández, Andrés Iniesta, Torres and Villa playing at their peak, Spain produced attractive, flowing football that lit up the tournament.

Key facts Despite suffering two defeats in qualifying for UEFA EURO 2008, Spain won all of their home games en route to Austria and Switzerland. Their last defeat in a UEFA European Championship qualifying round on home turf came on 7 June 2003 against Greece, who went on to lift the trophy in Portugal. Jean-Pierre Papin and Luis Fernandez were on target when Spain suffered a 2-1 home reverse to France on 12 October 1991, the country's previous qualifying setback.

Head coach: Vicente del Bosque Date of birth: 23 December 1950 Nationality: Spanish Playing career: Real Madrid Castilla, Córdoba CF, CD Castellón, Real Madrid CF Coaching career: Real Madrid Castilla, Real Madrid CF, Beşiktaş JK, Spain • Came up through the youth ranks at Real Madrid and became an important member of the team, as a defensive midfielder, during the 1970s, winning five league titles in six seasons (from 1974-80) and four Spanish Cups.

• Capped 18 times, Del Bosque ended Spain career at the 1980 UEFA European Championship in Italy – his only major tournament as a player; also appeared for Madrid in the 1981 European Champion Clubs' Cup final against Liverpool FC.

• Joined Real Madrid's coaching staff shortly after he stopped playing in 1984 and spent many years in youth development, stepping up in 1994 and 1996 as the first team's interim coach.

• Given the job full time in November 1999, he proceeded to oversee the most sustained period of success at the club since the 1960s, winning seven trophies including two UEFA Champions League triumphs and two Spanish titles.

• Left in 2003 and resurfaced briefly in Turkey with Beşiktaş, but did not return to the big time until he succeeded Luis Aragonés as Spain coach in July 2008; set a new world record by winning his first 13 matches in charge and steered the European champions to the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals with a perfect qualifying record.

►SWEDEN UEFA European Championship record Semi-finals: 1992 Quarter-finals: 2004 Final tournament: 1992, 2000, 2004, 2008 P96 W45 D24 L27 F143 A95

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 1: P10 W5 D3 L2 F13 A5 Pts18 Sweden missed out on their first World Cup since 1998 after finishing third behind Denmark and Portugal in Group 1. Lars Lagerbäck's side were dealt a decisive blow by their neighbours Denmark, whose 1-0 away win on 6 June 2009 (Sweden's National Day) left hopes hanging in the balance. Zlatan Ibrahimović's winner with the last play of the game against Hungary three months later kept them in contention but another 1-0 loss to Denmark allowed Portugal to claim second spot. Having previously guided Sweden to every major tournament since UEFA EURO 2000, Lagerbäck resigned at the end of the campaign.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group F: P12 W8 D2 L2 F23 A9 Pts26 Sweden secured their place in Austria and Switzerland by finishing second behind Spain, and were drawn to face Luis Aragonés's side again in the finals. Each team had beaten the other at home in qualifying, but eventual champions Spain held the upper hand in Innsbruck, winning 2-1 through an injury-time David Villa goal. Sweden had made a winning start by beating Greece 2-0 and knew a draw in their final match would earn a quarter-final spot. Instead they went down 2-0 to Russia, falling at the first hurdle of a major championship for the first time since 2000.

UEFA European Championship best performance As tournament hosts, Sweden advanced to the semi-finals of the 1992 UEFA European Championship, the last tournament to feature eight teams in the final round. Having opened with a 1-1 draw with France, Sweden topped their group following victories over Denmark (1- 0) and England (2-1). But the Swedes found Germany too strong in the last four, making their exit following a 3-2 defeat.

Key facts By qualifying for UEFA EURO 2008, Sweden achieved a run of five consecutive international tournaments for the first time. Lagerbäck was involved in all five, first alongside Tommy Söderberg and after UEFA EURO 2004 as head coach outright. After missing out on the 2010 World Cup, he made way for Erik Hamrén.

Head coach: Erik Hamrén Date of birth: June 27 1957 Nationality: Swedish Playing career: Ljusdals IF, Stockviks FF Coaching career: Njurunda IK, IFK Sundsvall, Bro IK, Enköpings SK, Väsby IK, IF Brommapojkarna, Vasalunds IF, Degerfors IF, AIK Solna, Örgryte IS, Aalborg BK, Rosenborg BK, Sweden • Played the game only until his late teens; began coaching at junior level before taking on his first senior posts with Swedish second-tier clubs Väsby, Brommapojkarna and Vasalund.

• Joined Allsvenskan club Degerfors in 1994 and moved on a year later to AIK; guided Stockholm club to three successive Swedish Cup finals, losing the first one, in 1995, and winning the next two.

• Won for a third time in 2000 with his next club Örgryte (after two-legged victory v AIK in final), where he remained for six seasons before moving abroad in January 2004 to coach Danish club AaB.

• Led AaB to 2007/08 title – only the third championship in club's history – but announced mid-season that he would be leaving at the end of the campaign for Rosenborg.

• Masterminded runaway Tippeligaen title success for Rosenborg in his first full season and replaced long-serving Sweden coach Lars Lagerbäck in November 2009, while remaining with Rosenborg until the start of UEFA EURO 2012™ qualification in September 2010.

►SWITZERLAND UEFA European Championship record Final tournament: 1996, 2004, 2008 P83 W30 D22 L31 F122 A111

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 2: P10 W6 D3 L1 F18 A8 Pts21 Switzerland finished top of a tight section, with only five points separating them from fourth- placed Israel. The campaign seemed headed for trouble after opening with a 2-2 draw in Israel and then a 2-1 home defeat by Luxembourg, but they bounced back with five successive wins, including two against main rivals and UEFA EURO 2004 champions Greece. A solid defence which conceded only four goals after the opening two games helped their passage to South Africa, sealed with a 3-0 victory over Luxembourg.

UEFA EURO 2008 Having qualified as co-hosts, Switzerland's hopes of advancing from Group A received a massive early blow when they lost captain and main striker to injury shortly before half-time of an opening 1-0 defeat by the Czech Republic. A massive storm dominated the second match against Turkey, which ended in a 2-1 defeat after struck in added time. Already out of the tournament, Switzerland ended on a high, winning 2-0 against already-qualified Portugal thanks to goals from in Basel.

UEFA European Championship best performance Switzerland registered their first and only victory at a final tournament with that 2-0 victory over Portugal. However, perhaps their best performance came in EURO '96 qualifying as a side spearheaded by Stéphane Chapuisat and Kubilay Turkyilmaz finished top of Group 3 ahead of Turkey and Sweden, collecting five wins and two draws from their eight games.

Key facts Hakan Yakin scored all three of Switzerland's goals at UEFA EURO 2008, where they became only the second host nation after Belgium in UEFA EURO 2000 to exit after the group stage. They were soon joined by a third, as co-hosts Austria also bowed out.

Head coach: Date of birth: 12 January 1949 Nationality: German Playing career: TuS Stetten, FV Lörrach, FC Basel 1893, VfB Stuttgart, FC Lugano, FC Luzern Coaching career: SC Zug, FC Aarau, Grasshopper-Club, BV Borussia Dortmund, FC Bayern München (twice), Switzerland

• Won two championship titles and a with Basel during a playing career that was relatively low profile but abundant with goals; finished the Swiss top flight's 18-goal top scorer in 1973, a year after representing West Germany at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. • Settled in Switzerland and spent his first years as a coach with Zug and Aarau before moving to Grasshoppers, where from 1988-91 he won two league titles and two national cups.

• Returned to Germany and revived the fortunes of sleeping giant Borussia Dortmund, winning back-to-back Bundesliga crowns in 1995 and 1996 and defeating Juventus 3-1 in Munich in May 1997 to win the UEFA Champions League.

• Recruited by Bayern in 1998, his success continued, with four further Bundesliga titles coming his way as well as another UEFA Champions League success – in 2001 – that enabled him to become only the second coach to win Europe's premier club competition with two clubs (after Austrian Ernst Happel).

• Left Bayern in 2004 but returned in January 2007 and led club to domestic double the following season; succeed Köbi Kuhn as Switzerland coach after UEFA EURO 2008™ and steered team to top spot in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying group despite early shock home defeat by Luxembourg.

►TURKEY UEFA European Championship record Semi-finals: 2008 Quarter-finals: 2000 Final tournaments: 1996, 2000, 2008 P100 W37 D23 L40 F118 A144

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 5: P10 W4 D3 L3 F13 A10 Pts15 A disappointing campaign marred by injuries to key players ended with Turkey missing out on their second successive World Cup finals and standing down as coach. Draws against Belgium and Estonia, and back-to-back defeats by eventual section winners Spain meant Terim's side slipped behind Bosnia-Herzegovina in the race for second place. After drawing 1-1 in Zenica in September 2009, a 2-0 loss in Belgium the following month sealed their fate as they ended third, four points – and, tellingly, 12 goals – shy of Bosnia- Herzegovina.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group C: P12 W7 D3 L2 F25 A11 Pts24 Turkey qualified for the finals after finishing runners-up to Greece, a 2-1 win in Norway in their penultimate fixture ensuring they finished above their opponents. Terim's side then exceeded expectations by reaching the last four. After an opening loss to Portugal, they stunned co- hosts Switzerland by winning 2-1 through Arda Turan's injury-time goal. More drama followed as they overturned a two-goal deficit against the Czech Republic to book a last-eight slot, scoring twice late on. A 120th-minute Semih Şentürk equaliser took them to penalties against Croatia, with Turkey prevailing 3-1, before their luck ran out with a 3-2 defeat by Germany.

UEFA European Championship best performance After three defeats on their tournament debut at EURO '96, Turkey caused a stir at UEFA EURO 2000, getting through a group containing Italy, Sweden and co-hosts Belgium before losing 2- 0 to Portugal in the quarter-finals. Terim's team went a step further at UEFA EURO 2008 thanks to a rash of late goals, and though suspensions undermined them in their last-four meeting with Germany, it still took a last-minute Philipp Lahm strike to deny them extra time.

Key fact Having failed to qualify in their first nine UEFA European Championship campaigns, Turkey have reached three of the last four final tournaments.

Head coach The new head coach is yet to be confirmed by the Turkish Football Association.

►WALES UEFA European Championship record Quarter-finals: 1976 P86 W32 D18 L36 F108 A119

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 4: P10 W4 D0 L6 F9 A12 Pts12 Hopes that this would be the campaign when Wales's rich group of young talent announced themselves on the international stage were dashed as they finished fourth, 14 points behind winners Germany. Unconvincing early home victories over Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein did not augur well for the tougher tests that followed though 's side took heart from trips to Russia and Germany which yielded narrow defeats only through late goals. A 2-0 home loss to Finland established a grim backcloth to the remainder of the campaign, even if trips to Azerbaijan (1-0) and Liechtenstein (2-0) provided maximum points.

UEFA EURO 2008 Qualifying Group D: P12 W4 D3 L5 F18 A19 Pts15 When Wales's second fixture produced their heaviest-ever home qualifying defeat, it was clear another difficult campaign beckoned. They finally limped home in fifth, with only Cyprus and San Marino beneath them. After some encouraging signs in a 2-1 opening loss at eventual group winners Czech Republic, promise turned to dust as they were thrashed 5-1 by Slovakia in . One of Wales's greatest players, announced his international retirement near the end of a campaign which had long fizzled out, though there was the satisfaction of a revenge-securing 5-2 win in Slovakia and a goalless draw at runners-up Germany.

UEFA European Championship best performance Wales came closest to reaching a UEFA European Championship final tournament in 1976 when it was still a four-team event. Competing in a preliminary round group featuring Austria, Hungary and Luxembourg, Wales recovered from an opening-day loss to Austria to top the standings with ten points from six games. It earned a quarter-final against Yugoslavia, but they got off to the worst possible start by conceding a first-minute goal in Zagreb, and went on to lose 3-1 on aggregate.

Key facts Wales's record victory in the competition is a 7-0 rout of Malta on 25 October 1978 in the 1980 UEFA European Championship preliminary round. Their record defeat was a 5-0 loss in Georgia on 16 November 1994 in EURO '96 qualifying.

Head coach: John Toshack Date of birth: 22 March 1949 Nationality: Welsh Playing career: Cardiff City FC, Liverpool FC, Swansea City FC Coaching career: Swansea City FC, Sporting Clube de Portugal, de Fútbol (three times), Real Madrid CF (twice), Wales (twice), RC Deportivo La Coruña, Beşiktaş JK, AS Saint-Etienne, Catania Calcio, CF • An archetypal British centre-forward – big, bustling and strong in the air – Toshack formed a potent strike partnership with at Liverpool during the 1970s, winning the league title three times, the FA Cup in 1974 and the UEFA Cup in 1973 and 1976 while also featuring en route to European Champion Clubs' Cup glory in 1977 and 1978; scored 12 goals in 40 international appearances for Wales.

• Left to become player-manager at Swansea, where he led the Welsh club up through all four divisions of the Football League.

• Moved to Portugal in 1984 to coach Sporting but it was across the border in Spain that he enjoyed his greatest successes abroad, notably at Real Sociedad, where he won the Copa del Rey in 1987 during the first of three impressive sojourns at the Basque club.

• Also had two brief spells at Real Madrid, winning the Liga in record-breaking fashion in 1990, but lasting less than a year in the hot seat in 1999 prior to being replaced by Vicente del Bosque.

• In charge of Wales for just 41 days in 1994, he returned to manage his country a decade later, replacing , but was unable to prevent Wales going beyond 50 years without qualification for a major tournament after missing out on UEFA EURO 2008™ and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.