ENGlAND
A perfect 10 wins in qualifying and the emergence of new talent: Since the woeful World Cup in 2014, England seems to be on the up. Roy Hodgson’s team will not, though, be traveling to France in June as a favorite as the national team looks to end its 50-year wait to win a major trophy.
Key Players
WAYNE ROONEY: The striker broke Bobby Charlton’s record England goal haul of 49 in qualifying after assuming the captaincy, but appears a fading force. At 30, Rooney’s influence at Manchester United has been on the wane and he played in central midfield toward the end of the Premier league season.
Coach
ROY HODGSON: Most coaches would lose their jobs after failing to win a match at a World Cup but Hodgson was allowed to see out his four-year contract. Whether the well-traveled 68-year-old survives in the England dugout after France will depend on the team’s performance.
RUSSIA
For Russia, it’s all about the home World Cup in 2018, but the European Championship is a great practice run.
Key Players
IGOR AKINFEEV: The undisputed No. 1 keeper for Russia, Akinfeev knows Slutsky’s approach inside out, having played under him for the last six years at CSKA. However, he is prone to embarrassing errors under pressure, such as letting a shot slip through his fingers against South Korea at the WC.
Coach
lEONID SlUTSKY: Slutsky’s appointment in August ended a nine-year run of foreign coaches at the helm of the Russian national team.
SlOVAKIA
Slovakia is among five newcomers to the tournament. The team will play in a European Championship for the first time as an independent nation since splitting with Czechoslovakia in 1993. But that doesn’t mean the Slovaks have no experience with major tournaments: At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, they pulled off a major upset by knocking out defending champion Italy.
Key Player
MARTIN SKRTEl: Skrtel remains a defensive cornerstone for Slovakia. The 31-year-old center back was irreplaceable in his nine qualifiers when he captained the Slovaks. With Skrtel on the field, Slovakia lost just one game, 1-0 to Belarus.
Coach
JAN KOZAK: Played 55 times for Czechoslovakia, scoring nine goals, and later led Kosice to the Champions league group stage in the 1997-98 season as the first Slovak club in the top European competition.
WAlES
Ryan Giggs. Ian Rush. Mark Hughes. Neville Southall. Just some of the Wales greats who never managed to cap their distinguished careers by playing at a major international tournament.
Key Player
GARETH BAlE: The world’s most expensive footballer has been Wales’ inspiration, either in the unusual position of lone striker or from a central attacking midfield position. Has ups and downs for Real Madrid but rarely has a bad game for Wales
Coach
CHRIS COlEMAN: Deserves credit for heading up the rebuilding of Welsh football after the death of previous coach Gary Speed.