Football: Euro 2000 - The Expert's View: Gerry Armstrong.
Outright fancy: You will not be surprised to hear that I fancy Spain. Spanish football is in the middle of a purple patch, confidence is high, and Jose Antonio Camacho has numerous quality players.Dangers: Holland. They are the host nation, which is a massive advantage, and they are spoilt for choice with a long list of excellent players such as Patrick Kluivert, Clarence Seedorf and Edgar Davids. Whether they are worth backing is debatable, though.
Teams to avoid: Germany are not the force they used to be. I am a big fan of Portugal - any side containing Luis Figo has to be respected - and I think that the defending champions will struggle to finish in Group A's top two.
The Golden Boot: A lot of people will obviously fancy the likes of Thierry Henry and Kluivert, but for a bit of value I would suggest Paul Scholes, who should get goals from midfield, and Darko Kovacevic. He was Real Sociedad's top scorer last year and did brilliantly for Juventus in Europe.
Players to watch: If Spain do win Euro 2000, then Real Madrid's Champions League hero Raul should be a certainty for the Golden Boot. He is more than just a goalscorer - he is a real match-winner. The other potential star is Henry, who had a great season with Arsenal and could be the striker that France has been searching high and low for.
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| Title Annotation: | Sports |
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| Author: | Summariser, Gerry Armstrong Eurosport |
| Publication: | The Racing Post (London, England) |
| Date: | Jun 8, 2000 |
| Words: | 235 |
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