Holders could face three former champs

In the third pot are Euro 2004 champion Greece, Croatia, Sweden and Portugal.

''I'd like to avoid Spain,'' Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo said. ''I prefer to play the favorites later in the tournament.''

France is in the lowest-ranked pool for the second straight Euros - alongside Denmark, the Czech Republic and Ireland - due in part to its failure to win a match at its last two major tournaments.

No wonder that when asked recently if France has a realistic chance of winning Euro 2012, coach Laurent Blanc responded: ''No.''

The side, though, is on an 17-game unbeaten run after losing its first two matches under Blanc, who took over from Raymond Domenech following France's dismal World Cup campaign.

Referring to last month's 1-0 victory over the United States and 0-0 draw with Belgium, Blanc said: ''We've improved even if you couldn't see it in these two matches.''

''I can tell you that, abroad, they have more respect for the French national team,'' Blanc added. ''The Germans want to avoid us, which is rather a compliment. I can assure them that we want to avoid them too.''

Another European power with a point to prove in next year's finals is England, which failed to qualify for Euro 2008 and endured a disappointing World Cup two years later.

Redemption is on the agenda for Capello before leaving the England job in July.

''For the World Cup we had the older players with the experience,'' Capello said. ''Now it's something new - very interesting and new. Now we have got the young players.''

Two coaches could face their homelands in the group stage: Dutchman Dick Advocaat with Russia and Italian Giovanni Trapattoni with Ireland.

Trapattoni managed Italy coach Cesare Prandelli while at Juventus and he could also come up against compatriot Capello.

''Psychologically, I would like to avoid Italy - also from a technical standpoint the Azzurri should always be avoided,'' Trapattoni said according to the ANSA news agency. ''I would prefer to measure up against Capello's England. I've already got some counter moves ready. Anyway, the opponent to avoid at all costs is Spain.''

Poland kicks off Euro 2012 in Warsaw and the final is being played in Kiev.

This will be the last time the tournament is played under its current format, before the flagship event for the 53-nation UEFA grows into a 24-team tournament in France in 2016.

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Rob Harris can be reached at http://twitter.com/RobHarrisUK