euro 2012 predictions, Sol Campbell Holland and Spain in a repeat of the World Cup final with Holland this time coming out as winners.
Michael Cox Germany to beat Spain, by being quicker and more energetic.
Paul Doyle Spain v France, Spain to win.
Dominic Fifield The Netherlands to beat France.
Barry Glendenning Germany 3-1 France.
David Hytner Spain to beat France. Even with a couple of key injuries, Spain have the most lavish talent and an immortal third straight tournament triumph is within their grasp.
Stuart James Germany v Spain, with Germany to win.
Sid Lowe Spain v Germany, Germany to win.
Kevin McCarra Germany v Spain. The less-fatigued Germans to win.
Scott Murray Holland to beat France in a seven-goal epic. (The final of this tournament is almost always a non-event; we're owed a little something.)
Barney Ronay Germany (winners) v Russia (almost home from home in Kiev).
Rob Smyth A repeat of 2008: Spain 1-0 Germany.
Jacob Steinberg Spain v Germany, with Germany to win. Do Spain have enough firepower this time? A vibrant young Germany side look too strong to be denied.
Daniel Taylor Spain to beat the Netherlands in a repeat of the World Cup final, albeit a less bad-tempered (and warmer) match.
Richard Williams France to beat Germany, giving Laurent Blanc a suitable reward for his hard work in rebuilding the squad after the shameful World Cup experience of two years ago.
Jonathan Wilson Germany, despite their weird recent defensive lapses, Klose's age and Gomez's profligacy, to beat a tired Spain in the final.
Paul Wilson Spain 3-0 France.
Top scorer
Sol Campbell Robin van Persie (Holland). I believe he can carry on the scoring spree he went on with Arsenal last season.
Michael Cox Karim Benzema (France).
Paul Doyle Karim Benzema. And he could create as many as he scores: this could be the tournament where he truly fulfils the prophesies of greatness that have been attached to him since he was a teenager.
Dominic Fifield Robin van Persie (Holland).
Barry Glendenning Nicklas Bendtner (Denmark). No, really.
David Hytner Karim Benzema. The French are either temperamental blow-outs or forces to be reckoned with and, having regrouped under Laurent Blanc to play some fluent stuff, they should be the latter. Benzema stands to profit.
Stuart James Robin van Persie (Holland).
Sid Lowe Mario Gomez (Germany).
Kevin McCarra Mario Gomez. The problem is that Robin van Persie's Holland, and Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal are also in group B. At least one of them will be limited to three matches.
Scott Murray Miroslav Klose (Germany). It's what he does.
Barney Ronay Robin van Persie. Will play every game, takes penalties and free-kicks, body still holding together. Plus doesn't appear to suffer from Gomez-panic in front of goal in those big matches.
Rob Smyth Either Robert Lewandowski (Poland), the smart outside bet who is no longer an outside bet because everyone is calling him an outside bet, or Karim Benzema.
Jacob Steinberg Robin van Persie. A boring but logical choice. Just how can you ignore him after his awesome season for Arsenal?
Daniel Taylor Robin van Persie comes into the tournament on the back of the best season of his professional life.
Richard Williams Karim Benzema, high on confidence after winning the Spanish league with Real Madrid.
Jonathan Wilson I hate the notion of a top-scorer award, privileging as it does one facet of the game over everything else, but if I have to, Robin van Persie.
Paul Wilson I think Fernando Torres (Spain) might be due a good run. Based on the two teams I have chosen for the final it ought to be Torres or Karim Benzema.
Player to watch
Sol Campbell Karim Benzema. He is in great form and appears capable of carrying his nation's Euro 2012 dreams.
Michael Cox Of established names, this could be Mesut Ozil's (Germany) tournament. For an outsider, the Greek winger Giannis Fetfatzidis probably won't start – he's exciting, and this is Greece – but he's tremendously talented on the ball, and once you get over the dullness of him being tagged "the Greek Messi", you smile and reluctantly accept that it's an appropriate nickname.
Paul Doyle Aleksandr Kerzhakov (Russia) – Canny and cutting, this fine player's interplay with Russia's other in-form forwards should be the highlight of Group A and possibly beyond.
Dominic Fifield Alan Dzagoev (Russia). The CSKA Moscow midfielder scored four times in eight qualifying games and, along with the former Arsenal playmaker Andrey Arshavin, provides a fluid attacking threat from midfield behind a lone forward. Russia will need him to have recovered from a broken toe to illuminate what otherwise appears a rather mundane group.
Barry Glendenning In a prediction not-entirely-unrelated to that outlandish one above, I think this is the tournament where the young Ajax and Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen will stake his claim to be regarded as one of world football's great midfielders.
David Hytner Mario Gotze. The 20-year-old Germany midfielder is blessed with a drool-inducing first touch.
Stuart James Mario Gotze. He has forged an excellent reputation at Borussia Dortmund and could be an exciting impact player for Joachim Löw, assuming he starts on the bench.
Sid Lowe Robert Lewandowski (Poland).
Kevin McCarra Robert Lewandowski. At 23, the forward should be entering his peak years. He has just won the Double with Borussia Dortmund.
Scott Murray Aiden McGeady (Rep of Ireland), the Muscovite Ronaldinho, is overdue a signature career performance.
Barney Ronay Alan Dzagoev. The talented Mr Alan: scored four times in qualifying and seems well placed to make an Arshavin-esque impression at these championships (in a good way).
Rob Smyth Left-back has been the forgotten position of the great Spain and Barcelona sides. The brilliant Jordi Alba (Spain) will change that.
Jacob Steinberg Ibrahim Affelay (Holland). A knee injury ruined his season for Barcelona, but he could give full-backs nightmares on the left for Holland.
Daniel Taylor Mario Balotelli (Italy). It won't necessarily end well, but something will happen – with Mario, you quickly learn it always does.
Richard Williams Christian Eriksen (Denmark), the Ajax playmaker who failed to fulfil expectations (mine, anyway) in South Africa but now has more experience of the big occasion.
Jonathan Wilson Russia have flickered over the past two years, notably in the first hour against Ireland in Dublin and against Italy on Friday. If they are to catch light again, the runs of Roman Shirokov from deep will be key.
Paul Wilson I don't know how many games he will get to play in the Euros, but Hatem Ben Arfa (France) has been great to watch in the Premier League.
How far will England go
Sol Campbell With a bit of luck they can reach the semi-finals.
Michael Cox A slightly better than evens chance of getting out of the group.
Paul Doyle Quarter-finals. It would be a feat not to make it past Sweden or Ukraine and an even bigger one to beat anyone in the knock-out stages.
Dominic Fifield Out of the group but out of the tournament at the quarter-final stage, which would actually still constitute something of a triumph given the national team's relatively traumatic buildup to the finals.
Barry Glendenning They will lose against Italy in the quarter-finals, probably on penalties.
David Hytner The quarter-finals. Nobody expects anything, for once, which will remove a traditional burden but there is good reason for the low expectations. England are thoroughly uninspiring. They should wriggle through the group but I'm not holding my breath.
Stuart James I fear we may fail to get out of the group but I'm going to be optimistic and say we'll scrape through, courtesy of an Andy Carroll goal, and get as far as the quarter-finals.
Sid Lowe Not far, sadly. Knocked out by the first decent side they face, as always.
Kevin McCarra Emerging from the group would be creditable, but a potential meeting with Spain thereafter is alarming.
Scott Murray It's becoming fashionable to compare England to Greece in 2004. But Greece beat the hosts twice, the reigning champions, and the most exciting team in the tournament. England won't be doing any of that. Out in the first round.
Barney Ronay An ugly and rather desperate escape from the group stage. Heroic but still somehow inevitable defeat in the quarters.
Rob Smyth First round. This is the worst England squad at a major tournament since at least 1992, maybe ever, and not even Roy Hodgson's tactical excellence is likely to save them.
Jacob Steinberg Group stage exit. Without Wayne Rooney in their first two games, their poor passing will be their undoing in a tricky group.
Daniel Taylor The preparation has been so haphazard it wouldn't be a huge surprise if they were eliminated at the group stage, but the squad is not as desperately poor as portrayed. My prediction would be to qualify as runners-up then go out to Spain in the first knockout round.
Richard Williams All the way to the last four, beating Spain in the quarter-finals before elimination at the hands of, yes, Germany.
Jonathan Wilson France should top the group, then it's a toss up between the other three who comes second. But even if they do get through, Spain will see them off in the quarters.
Paul Wilson Quarter-finals, if they are lucky. If they carry on being as unlucky as Gary Cahill was at Wembley they could lose badly to France in the first game and never recover.
Most looking forward to
Sol Campbell Watching players at the top of their powers playing tactical and adventurous football.
Michael Cox Ireland – so much more likeable than England. Their weaker players are cult heroes rather than figures of ridicule.
Paul Doyle Seeing if Ireland's wingers can turn meagre possession into maximum profit.
Dominic Fifield The Dutch and Germans colliding in Kharkiv. Both teams boast the ability to scintillate, and Bert van Marwijk's team will want to make amends for the disappointment in missing out at the last in Johannesburg two years ago.
Barry Glendenning Seeing what new depths of ignorance BBC pundit Alan Shearer can plumb in his pre-match analysis of any teams located further east on the map of Europe than England.
David Hytner The atmosphere at Ireland games.
Stuart James Seeing how the group of death (Group B) pans out. Portugal will need Ronaldo to be at his very best to have any chance.
Sid Lowe Seeing Fernando Torres's rebirth.
Kevin McCarra Germany v Holland. These fierce rivals met at Euro 2004 in a 1-1 draw, but the current sides are of a higher standard.
Scott Murray Spain losing their crown, heralding the beginning of the end for tiki-taka, which without Lionel Messi has been no fun at all.
Barney Ronay Germany v Holland. The connoisseur's hateful grudge match.
Rob Smyth The languorous, ghostly movement of the unique Mesut Ozil.
Jacob Steinberg The group of death. This is the fourth Euros in a row in which Holland have been in the group of death. Expect sparks to fly when they meet Germany.
Daniel Taylor Seeing new places, experiencing a different culture and, naturally, getting away from that bloody Mars advert.
Richard Williams Seeing how Italy cope with their domestic problems. Pretty well, I'd guess.
Jonathan Wilson Consistent high-level football in a non-bloated format. For the final time in Europe.
Paul Wilson Andy Carroll proving all the doubters wrong and leaping like a salmon to score a late winner against France.
Least looking forward to
Sol Campbell Crowd trouble, particularly any that is racially-motivated.
Michael Cox The inevitable Paul The Octopus follow-up.
Paul Doyle Mario Balotelli being provoked by everyone who knows he's a red-card risk. Which means everyone.
Dominic Fifield The sense of local deflation if Poland and Ukraine stumble at the group stage.
Barry Glendenning The inevitable hounding of Roy Hodgson in certain media quarters for non-football reasons.
David Hytner Ultra-defensive football getting its reward.
Stuart James Anything happening off the field that detracts from the football. Oh, and looking further ahead, the fact that there will be 24 teams rather than 16 in four years' time. A ridiculous decision yet again made with money in mind.
Sid Lowe The prospect of Wayne Rooney arriving too late to be able to make a difference.
Kevin McCarra The travelling around two large countries.
Scott Murray Mr Roy going off like a Catherine Wheel. It'll take just one question, pressure applied at exactly the wrong moment. By the end of England's campaign, blame shifted accordingly, even Manchester United and Everton fans may admit that Liverpool supporters might have been on to something.
Barney Ronay Nothing really. Euro 2012: Our writers' predictions, from winners to golden boot
How far will England progress, who will be the rising stars and what will be the games to savour in Poland and Ukraine? Intense schedule, just the 16 teams, interesting venues: this is what tournaments should be like.
Rob Smyth Roy Hodgson being bullied for failing to turn a sow's ear into a silk purse.
Jacob Steinberg John Terry's presence. A player who faces a trial at a magistrates' court on a charge of alleged racial abuse, which he denies, should not be representing England.
Daniel Taylor Being accused of being anti-Hodgson and conniving-friend-of-Harry every time there is a legitimate question about Roy's tactics, management etc.
Richard Williams Arguments about refereeing decisions.
Jonathan Wilson Ill-informed moaning and generalisations about eastern Europe.
Paul Wilson Salon, a Ukrainian delicacy that turns out to be pure pig fat. Tasteless yet revolting.
Michael Cox Germany to beat Spain, by being quicker and more energetic.Paul Doyle Spain v France, Spain to win.
Dominic Fifield The Netherlands to beat France.
Barry Glendenning Germany 3-1 France.
Stuart James Germany v Spain, with Germany to win.
Sid Lowe Spain v Germany, Germany to win.
Kevin McCarra Germany v Spain. The less-fatigued Germans to win.
Scott Murray Holland to beat France in a seven-goal epic. (The final of this tournament is almost always a non-event; we're owed a little something.)
Barney Ronay Germany (winners) v Russia (almost home from home in Kiev).
Rob Smyth A repeat of 2008: Spain 1-0 Germany.
Jacob Steinberg Spain v Germany, with Germany to win. Do Spain have enough firepower this time? A vibrant young Germany side look too strong to be denied.
Daniel Taylor Spain to beat the Netherlands in a repeat of the World Cup final, albeit a less bad-tempered (and warmer) match.
Richard Williams France to beat Germany, giving Laurent Blanc a suitable reward for his hard work in rebuilding the squad after the shameful World Cup experience of two years ago.
Jonathan Wilson Germany, despite their weird recent defensive lapses, Klose's age and Gomez's profligacy, to beat a tired Spain in the final.
Paul Wilson Spain 3-0 France.
Top scorer
Sol Campbell Robin van Persie (Holland). I believe he can carry on the scoring spree he went on with Arsenal last season.
Michael Cox Karim Benzema (France).
Paul Doyle Karim Benzema. And he could create as many as he scores: this could be the tournament where he truly fulfils the prophesies of greatness that have been attached to him since he was a teenager.
Dominic Fifield Robin van Persie (Holland).
Barry Glendenning Nicklas Bendtner (Denmark). No, really.
David Hytner Karim Benzema. The French are either temperamental blow-outs or forces to be reckoned with and, having regrouped under Laurent Blanc to play some fluent stuff, they should be the latter. Benzema stands to profit.
Stuart James Robin van Persie (Holland).
Sid Lowe Mario Gomez (Germany).
Kevin McCarra Mario Gomez. The problem is that Robin van Persie's Holland, and Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal are also in group B. At least one of them will be limited to three matches.
Scott Murray Miroslav Klose (Germany). It's what he does.
Barney Ronay Robin van Persie. Will play every game, takes penalties and free-kicks, body still holding together. Plus doesn't appear to suffer from Gomez-panic in front of goal in those big matches.
Rob Smyth Either Robert Lewandowski (Poland), the smart outside bet who is no longer an outside bet because everyone is calling him an outside bet, or Karim Benzema.
Jacob Steinberg Robin van Persie. A boring but logical choice. Just how can you ignore him after his awesome season for Arsenal?
Daniel Taylor Robin van Persie comes into the tournament on the back of the best season of his professional life.
Richard Williams Karim Benzema, high on confidence after winning the Spanish league with Real Madrid.
Jonathan Wilson I hate the notion of a top-scorer award, privileging as it does one facet of the game over everything else, but if I have to, Robin van Persie.
Paul Wilson I think Fernando Torres (Spain) might be due a good run. Based on the two teams I have chosen for the final it ought to be Torres or Karim Benzema.
Player to watch
Sol Campbell Karim Benzema. He is in great form and appears capable of carrying his nation's Euro 2012 dreams.
Michael Cox Of established names, this could be Mesut Ozil's (Germany) tournament. For an outsider, the Greek winger Giannis Fetfatzidis probably won't start – he's exciting, and this is Greece – but he's tremendously talented on the ball, and once you get over the dullness of him being tagged "the Greek Messi", you smile and reluctantly accept that it's an appropriate nickname.
Paul Doyle Aleksandr Kerzhakov (Russia) – Canny and cutting, this fine player's interplay with Russia's other in-form forwards should be the highlight of Group A and possibly beyond.
Dominic Fifield Alan Dzagoev (Russia). The CSKA Moscow midfielder scored four times in eight qualifying games and, along with the former Arsenal playmaker Andrey Arshavin, provides a fluid attacking threat from midfield behind a lone forward. Russia will need him to have recovered from a broken toe to illuminate what otherwise appears a rather mundane group.
Barry Glendenning In a prediction not-entirely-unrelated to that outlandish one above, I think this is the tournament where the young Ajax and Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen will stake his claim to be regarded as one of world football's great midfielders.
David Hytner Mario Gotze. The 20-year-old Germany midfielder is blessed with a drool-inducing first touch.
Stuart James Mario Gotze. He has forged an excellent reputation at Borussia Dortmund and could be an exciting impact player for Joachim Löw, assuming he starts on the bench.
Sid Lowe Robert Lewandowski (Poland).
Kevin McCarra Robert Lewandowski. At 23, the forward should be entering his peak years. He has just won the Double with Borussia Dortmund.
Scott Murray Aiden McGeady (Rep of Ireland), the Muscovite Ronaldinho, is overdue a signature career performance.
Barney Ronay Alan Dzagoev. The talented Mr Alan: scored four times in qualifying and seems well placed to make an Arshavin-esque impression at these championships (in a good way).
Rob Smyth Left-back has been the forgotten position of the great Spain and Barcelona sides. The brilliant Jordi Alba (Spain) will change that.
Jacob Steinberg Ibrahim Affelay (Holland). A knee injury ruined his season for Barcelona, but he could give full-backs nightmares on the left for Holland.
Daniel Taylor Mario Balotelli (Italy). It won't necessarily end well, but something will happen – with Mario, you quickly learn it always does.
Richard Williams Christian Eriksen (Denmark), the Ajax playmaker who failed to fulfil expectations (mine, anyway) in South Africa but now has more experience of the big occasion.
Jonathan Wilson Russia have flickered over the past two years, notably in the first hour against Ireland in Dublin and against Italy on Friday. If they are to catch light again, the runs of Roman Shirokov from deep will be key.
Paul Wilson I don't know how many games he will get to play in the Euros, but Hatem Ben Arfa (France) has been great to watch in the Premier League.
How far will England go
Sol Campbell With a bit of luck they can reach the semi-finals.
Michael Cox A slightly better than evens chance of getting out of the group.
Paul Doyle Quarter-finals. It would be a feat not to make it past Sweden or Ukraine and an even bigger one to beat anyone in the knock-out stages.
Dominic Fifield Out of the group but out of the tournament at the quarter-final stage, which would actually still constitute something of a triumph given the national team's relatively traumatic buildup to the finals.
Barry Glendenning They will lose against Italy in the quarter-finals, probably on penalties.
David Hytner The quarter-finals. Nobody expects anything, for once, which will remove a traditional burden but there is good reason for the low expectations. England are thoroughly uninspiring. They should wriggle through the group but I'm not holding my breath.
Stuart James I fear we may fail to get out of the group but I'm going to be optimistic and say we'll scrape through, courtesy of an Andy Carroll goal, and get as far as the quarter-finals.
Sid Lowe Not far, sadly. Knocked out by the first decent side they face, as always.
Kevin McCarra Emerging from the group would be creditable, but a potential meeting with Spain thereafter is alarming.
Scott Murray It's becoming fashionable to compare England to Greece in 2004. But Greece beat the hosts twice, the reigning champions, and the most exciting team in the tournament. England won't be doing any of that. Out in the first round.
Barney Ronay An ugly and rather desperate escape from the group stage. Heroic but still somehow inevitable defeat in the quarters.
Rob Smyth First round. This is the worst England squad at a major tournament since at least 1992, maybe ever, and not even Roy Hodgson's tactical excellence is likely to save them.
Jacob Steinberg Group stage exit. Without Wayne Rooney in their first two games, their poor passing will be their undoing in a tricky group.
Daniel Taylor The preparation has been so haphazard it wouldn't be a huge surprise if they were eliminated at the group stage, but the squad is not as desperately poor as portrayed. My prediction would be to qualify as runners-up then go out to Spain in the first knockout round.
Richard Williams All the way to the last four, beating Spain in the quarter-finals before elimination at the hands of, yes, Germany.
Jonathan Wilson France should top the group, then it's a toss up between the other three who comes second. But even if they do get through, Spain will see them off in the quarters.
Paul Wilson Quarter-finals, if they are lucky. If they carry on being as unlucky as Gary Cahill was at Wembley they could lose badly to France in the first game and never recover.
Most looking forward to
Sol Campbell Watching players at the top of their powers playing tactical and adventurous football.
Michael Cox Ireland – so much more likeable than England. Their weaker players are cult heroes rather than figures of ridicule.
Paul Doyle Seeing if Ireland's wingers can turn meagre possession into maximum profit.
Dominic Fifield The Dutch and Germans colliding in Kharkiv. Both teams boast the ability to scintillate, and Bert van Marwijk's team will want to make amends for the disappointment in missing out at the last in Johannesburg two years ago.
Barry Glendenning Seeing what new depths of ignorance BBC pundit Alan Shearer can plumb in his pre-match analysis of any teams located further east on the map of Europe than England.
David Hytner The atmosphere at Ireland games.
Stuart James Seeing how the group of death (Group B) pans out. Portugal will need Ronaldo to be at his very best to have any chance.
Sid Lowe Seeing Fernando Torres's rebirth.
Kevin McCarra Germany v Holland. These fierce rivals met at Euro 2004 in a 1-1 draw, but the current sides are of a higher standard.
Scott Murray Spain losing their crown, heralding the beginning of the end for tiki-taka, which without Lionel Messi has been no fun at all.
Barney Ronay Germany v Holland. The connoisseur's hateful grudge match.
Rob Smyth The languorous, ghostly movement of the unique Mesut Ozil.
Jacob Steinberg The group of death. This is the fourth Euros in a row in which Holland have been in the group of death. Expect sparks to fly when they meet Germany.
Daniel Taylor Seeing new places, experiencing a different culture and, naturally, getting away from that bloody Mars advert.
Richard Williams Seeing how Italy cope with their domestic problems. Pretty well, I'd guess.
Jonathan Wilson Consistent high-level football in a non-bloated format. For the final time in Europe.
Paul Wilson Andy Carroll proving all the doubters wrong and leaping like a salmon to score a late winner against France.
Least looking forward to
Sol Campbell Crowd trouble, particularly any that is racially-motivated.
Michael Cox The inevitable Paul The Octopus follow-up.
Paul Doyle Mario Balotelli being provoked by everyone who knows he's a red-card risk. Which means everyone.
Dominic Fifield The sense of local deflation if Poland and Ukraine stumble at the group stage.
Barry Glendenning The inevitable hounding of Roy Hodgson in certain media quarters for non-football reasons.
David Hytner Ultra-defensive football getting its reward.
Stuart James Anything happening off the field that detracts from the football. Oh, and looking further ahead, the fact that there will be 24 teams rather than 16 in four years' time. A ridiculous decision yet again made with money in mind.
Sid Lowe The prospect of Wayne Rooney arriving too late to be able to make a difference.
Kevin McCarra The travelling around two large countries.
Scott Murray Mr Roy going off like a Catherine Wheel. It'll take just one question, pressure applied at exactly the wrong moment. By the end of England's campaign, blame shifted accordingly, even Manchester United and Everton fans may admit that Liverpool supporters might have been on to something.
Barney Ronay Nothing really. Euro 2012: Our writers' predictions, from winners to golden boot
How far will England progress, who will be the rising stars and what will be the games to savour in Poland and Ukraine? Intense schedule, just the 16 teams, interesting venues: this is what tournaments should be like.
Rob Smyth Roy Hodgson being bullied for failing to turn a sow's ear into a silk purse.
Jacob Steinberg John Terry's presence. A player who faces a trial at a magistrates' court on a charge of alleged racial abuse, which he denies, should not be representing England.
Daniel Taylor Being accused of being anti-Hodgson and conniving-friend-of-Harry every time there is a legitimate question about Roy's tactics, management etc.
Richard Williams Arguments about refereeing decisions.
Jonathan Wilson Ill-informed moaning and generalisations about eastern Europe.
Paul Wilson Salon, a Ukrainian delicacy that turns out to be pure pig fat. Tasteless yet revolting.
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