Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Vienna

It looks as though the winner of Euro 2008 will be a team that plays expansive, attack-minded football rather than one that places a great deal of emphasis on defence and grinding the opposition down.

That's what I hope will happen anyway. Portugal, Germany, Netherlands and Spain have all impressed with their style of play in the opening round of group games.

For me, the biggest surprises were . I knew they were capable of playing such good, attractive football, but to do it against the Italians and win 3-0 was some achievement.

Before the tournament began, I wondered if Marco van Basten's side might fall victim to the kind of that has damaged their chances in the past, but so far there are no signs of disharmony. Let's hope that continues and they carry on playing the free-flowing football you associate with teams in orange.

As for Spain, the other big winners in round one, well, what can you say? In David Villa and Fernando Torres, they have a cutting edge most sides would envy.

Their partnership shows real understanding: they feed of each other; they know how the other one plays; and they work hard for each other. It helps enormously that they have a brilliant supply line from midfield. Senna, Iniesta, Silva and Xavi were fabulous in the 4-1 defeat of Russia.

But the Spanish are not infallible. Russia did create a number of chances. How will the Swedes fare against ? We will find out on Saturday.

The biggest disappointments so far have been France. What surprised me most as I watched their was their inability to make things happen. I blame the coach, Raymond Domenech, to some extent. He was not able to change the dynamic of the team when it became clear they were finding it hard to break down the Romanians.

I'm not writing off the French just yet, but we will need to see a big improvement when they pay the Netherlands on Friday if they are to have any hope of triumphing in Vienna on 29 June. If Thierry Henry is fit, I expect him to play.

Friday is a big day for Italy, too. Despite their humbling by the Dutch, I expect . They possess some world-class players who will be eager to prove a point. I still think they are capable of reaching the semi-finals and ultimately winning Euro 2008, but they must beat Romania.

A final word for co-hosts Switzerland and Austria. I think they've raised a few eyebrows with their displays so far. They were both unlucky not to get something from their matches against the Czech Republic and Croatia respectively. That said, I still don't think they will make it beyond the group stages.

Quarter-final predictions:
Portugal v Poland;
Germany v Czech Republic;
Netherlands v Sweden;
Spain v Italy.

Now it is your turn. Let me know what you think the line up will be for the last eight...