Euro 2016 A ‘Powerful Response’ To Paris Attacks

Joachim Loew, the coach of Germany looks at his ticket as he takes his seat for the Euro 2016 soccer championships draw in Paris Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015.

Martin O’Neill’s team will play Belgium, Sweden and Italy.

Turkey’s campaign started badly with defeats in their first two matches but they improved as it went on and snatched an automatic place in Euro 2016 as the best third-placed team with a last-gasp goal to secure a 1-0 win at home to Iceland. “Why not have a tough one close to home?”

Russian Federation and Slovakia join England and Wales in Group B, which should hand both British teams a great chance to advance.

Witness Ireland against Germany, and that was in a qualifier not even a friendly.

Italy fans will also remember the last time they came up against Sweden in the tournament.

The Republic of Ireland take on Belgium, Sweden, Italy and in group E. “For the players to play against players they know very well, it’s a game they will all look forward to”, he told the BBC.

Russian Federation and debutants Slovakia complete the group.

Never mind a mouth-watering Battle of Britain between neighbours England and Wales, who have been squaring up to each other since 1879 and whose players meet up and down the Premier League every weekend.

O’Neill said: “I felt with four games left we were still in the group and I don’t think it was really bravado”.

Italy will not be relishing Group E much, which contains a top-ranked Belgian side – featuring Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany – Sweden, led by Paris Saint-Germain star Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Ireland.

“At the end of the draw the chief executive said to me, “Well you have to beat Germany if you want to win the tournament”, and of course that was slightly tongue in cheek, but everybody’s looking forward to it”.

Ireland global Darren O’Dea will join Jamie Moore on 98FM’s Now That’s What I Call Sport on Sunday morning from 9am to discuss the draw.

“Whatever we say or do, once the referee’s whistle goes it’ll come down to what those 22 players can do out on the pitch”.

PROJECTED TOP TWO: Belgium, Italy.

The opening match of the tournament sees France play host to Romania on June 10 at the Stade de France, with defending champions Spain starting out against the Czech Republic.