Analysis of Group Stage

Fance were automatically placed into Group A for the Euro 2016 draw, and it was kind to them. Switzerland and Romania are no pushovers, but neither can be considered the best in their pot. And Albania, while they did well to qualify for the tournament, were gifted some points due to crowd trouble. They're largely considered to be one of the weakest teams in the tournament.

Predicted ranking: France(82%) - Switzerland(9%) - Romania(6%) - Albania(3%)

Must-see game: France vs. Romania

Opening matches to tournaments can set the tone, and the French have a chance to set a marker when they welcome the Romanians to the Stade De France on June 10. Les Bleus might, however, have bad memories of facing those opponents in such a fixture. A dull 0-0 draw in Zurich opened a disastrous Euro 2008 tournament for the French, and it proved the only point they gained in the entire group stage. Iord?nescu is bound to fancy pulling off a similar result. That might be Deschamp's toughest test of what looks to be a fairly easy draw.

Best individual battle: Pogba vs. Inler

Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba is the player who can carry the host nation to the further reaches of a tournament that the French think they can win. However, a player whose athleticism and cruising speed can pull anyone apart can also drop into listless consistency. Leicester City's Gokhan Inler, a veteran of Serie A with Napoli, is the type of player who can put Pogba off his loping stride, though the Swiss captain has not yet found a place in Claudio Ranieri's Leicester team, due to injury and the great form of his club colleagues.

Switzerland

They reached the quarter-finals in 2000 by beating England with a last-minute penalty, conceded by Phil Neville. It is their only victory in 13 European Championship matches.

Romania possess the disciplined team ethic and strong defence that was characteristic of Greece's shock Euro 2004 triumph.

Nonetheless, national coach Anghel Iordanescu is not fooled by his side's fairly lofty world ranking of 16th - or the fact they had the best defensive record in qualifying, instead bemoaning the lack of players based in Europe's top leagues.

Key player: Xherdan Shaqiri

Touch of an angel, build of an oil rig, Shaqiri made a slow start to life at Stoke City. Perhaps that was just him coming to terms with the famous otherness of the Premier League; perhaps he was taking a while to come to terms with what looked, after Bayern Munich and Internazionale, like something of a backward step. But he's started to get the hang of things now, and was revelatory in their recent deconstruction of Manchester City. At international level, he remains Switzerland's focal point, both their most creative player and most likely goalscorer.

Romania

Underwhelming. They've finished bottom of their group in all three previous appearances, but did at least earn their first victory at the ninth attempt when co-hosts in 2008

The Swiss credit rating is fairly high despite the national team having never reached the knockout stage at a European Championship.

They progressed to the last 16 at the 2014 World Cup and their regular starting line-up all play for top-flight clubs in Germany, England or Italy.

Key player: Vlad Chiriches

Assuming they're going to play similarly negative football in France, they're going to be relying on big performances from centre-back Vlad Chiriches. He was a disappointment at Tottenham Hotspur, but Napoli certainly isn't the worst place for him to have landed and attempt to rebuild what was once a thoroughly promising career. Chiriches isn't the biggest of defenders, but his agility and positional play often enables him to escape sticky situations. Against some of Europe's finest attackers, he's going to have to show Spurs what they're missing.

France

Winners in 1984, as hosts, and 2000. This is their seventh successive Euros finals.

France were the last host nation to win the title, in 1984, and are among the favourites this time. With a dynamic and athletic midfield, allied to verve and pace in a three-man front line, they can be electric on the counter-attack.

Coach Didier Deschamps has brought unity to a squad riven by unrest for years; however, the blackmail case which has pitted striker Karim Benzema and attacking midfielder Mathieu Valbuena on opposite sides could yet undermine the team's chances.

Key player: Paul Pogba

Pogba is one of the most talented players in the entire tournament and can single-handedly change any game he's involved in. He can make a difference at both ends of the pitch with his monstrous skillset -- but he tends to suffer from some of the consistency problems that plague younger players. If France can keep Pogba focused and motivated, though, there's not a midfield in the tournament that can properly contain him.

Albania

Debutants.

The most unfashionable side to qualify, and rank outsiders with Northern Ireland. The influence of their Italian coach is clear - they are organised, sit deep and frustrate the opposition, hoping to snatch a goal from set-pieces or long shots.

They stifled Portugal in qualifying, winning 1-0 away and only losing the return game in stoppage time.

Key player: Lorik Cana

Like all teams of their stature, Albania will need solid foundations if they're to pull up trees at a major tournament. And that means needing big performances from centre-back Lorik Cana. The 32-year-old made his international debut over a decade ago, when the prospect of playing at a major tournament must have seemed ridiculous. However, in no small part down to his fine performances at the back, the Paris Saint-Germain academy graduate will captain his nation in France next summer, where his leadership and experience will be as important in a young squad as anything else.