Euro 2008 kicks Off Today

If you are a football fan today will definately be the last chance you have to buy football shirts online, with the European Championship due to kick off in Austria and  Switzerland, with the first match being played by Austria against the Czech Republic. This tournament promises to be one of the most exciting to date, with the bookmakers having no clear favourite.

One team however that are on many peoples lips at the moment is Spain. All though they have not fulfilled expectations in tournament gone by they still have quality players throughout the squad such as Casillas, Puyol, Fabregas, Torres and Villa. Spain’s build up to this match has been relatively disappointing, only managing a one nil win against the USA this week.

Other favourites kicking around are France and Italy. Although Cannavaro and Vieira look set to hang up their football boots due to injury and miss out on the tournament, both teams have a lot of quality throughout the playing squad. Italy has an added incentive to follow up from their World Cup success by adding another trophy to their impressive cabinet.

Fabio Capello backed up by a Castrol Performance Index review has named Germany as his favourites for this year’s tournament. Their first game is against Poland, in which three points will be seen to be vital.

Scouts from around Europe are also going to be in their masses to see if they can spot the next big star. This year will be no different, and there is plenty of new talent that will be on show. One example of such player is Karim Benzema, who has caught the eye of many this season. He currently plays for Lyon and managed to score against Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League.

With players like Ronaldo and Henry on show there will be plenty to see for fans. The only dampener that can be put in this tournament is the non existence of the England football team, which has obviously had an effect on the sale of England football shirts this season. Love them or hate them, they always add to the excitement and general buzz around major tournaments like this. Once this tournament is over the teams will have a short pre-season break before competing in their domestic leagues next season, and concentrate on the qualifiers for the World Cup in 2010.