© EuroFootball.com
After surveying all the coaches of the teams participating in the upcoming European Championship tomorrow, it became clear that the vast majority consider the defending champions France as favorites to retain the title.
All sixteen coaches in the survey expressed their opinion about the favorites. France was mentioned a total of fourteen times, followed by the tournament hosts Portugal in second place. Italy's team was mentioned seven times, while the Netherlands and Germany were each mentioned six times.
Jacques Santini (France): "Many teams have the opportunity to contend for the title, including Italy, England, and the Netherlands. But I especially think about Portugal. Playing at home is a big advantage, and for players like Luis Figo, Rui Costa, or Fernando Couto, this is their last chance. But we also came here to win."
Sven-Göran Eriksson (England): "France has a fantastic team, but I have another favorite - Germany. Germany always fights like crazy for the title."
Rudi Völler (Germany): "My main favorite is France, followed by Italy and the Netherlands. There are six or seven teams of high level. We are one of them."
Giovanni Trapattoni (Italy): "France, England, the Netherlands, Spain, the Czech Republic, and Germany have good teams. The Germans have problems, but I know their players. During championships, they never give up. And with the main 23 players, we are also up there (among the favorites). It's hard to choose."
Luiz Felipe Scolari (Portugal): "There are teams that can win the tournament. Maybe France, Spain, Italy, or Germany. We respect our opponents, but we are not afraid of them."
Dick Advocaat (Netherlands): "It's hard to say who will win. I hope we play well and win trophies."
Aleksandrs Starkovs (Latvia): "Our first round opponents the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Germany - all could be winners. The same goes for France, Italy, and Spain."
Inaki Saez (Spain): "Some teams theoretically have better chances than others - for example, Portugal as the host or France as the defending champion. Also, as always, there are perennial favorites like Germany, England, Italy."
Otto Rehhagel (Greece): "Besides Portugal, France, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands, among my favorites is also Germany."
Morten Olsen (Denmark): "I think France has the best team. They play the kind of football I like to see, and it would be great for the game if they win."
Otto Baric (Croatia): "The favorite is France. But I think Spain will go a long way."
Georgy Yartsev (Russia): "There is more equal competition in the European Championship than in the World Cup, so anything can happen."
Jakob Kuhn (Switzerland): "France is usually a little better than everyone else, but Portugal will also contend for the title. The Championship is more open than ever before."
Karel Bruckner (Czech Republic): "I wouldn't categorically pick a favorite, but France, Italy, and Portugal have good chances."
Lars Lagerback, Tommy Soderberg (Sweden): "France."
