Germany to the Final.

How will Germany cope without the old guard? While the changes since the World Cup have not exactly been wholesale there are some notable absentees, former captain Philipp Lahm and squad mainstay Per Mertesacker having retired from international football. 

Bastian Schweinsteiger is unlikely to see much playing time in France, too, and experienced heads like these are not easily replaced. Germany have depth and top-level experience in most areas but may not quite be the battle-hardened, sleek side that came out on top in Rio two years ago. Then again, the German mentality is rarely in question when major tournaments come around.

If Germany want to move alongside Spain in the pantheon of recent greats, a European Championship win seems necessary. The world champions lost out to Italy in the semi-finals four years ago and were runners-up back in 2008; now they hope their taste for success can extend to the continental stage and there are few who would confidently back against them. 

Joachim Low’s team had a few ups and downs in qualifying, and it has not been a straightforward two years since that extra-time win over Argentina, but their pool of quality remains the envy of almost everybody – and it would be a major surprise if they fell short of the last four, as a bare minimum.