If Wednesday’s friendlies involving the 16 Euro 2008 finalists are anything to go by, the June event should be a real treat for the fans, with plenty of goals, near-misses and desperate defending, and the chance of a few shocks too.

Written off by most pundits as little more than a punching bag, the Austrians showed in the first 30 minutes of their astonishing 4-3 defeat to the Netherlands that they might be a tough nut to crack playing at home after all.

A fierce Austrian onslaught coupled with a comedy of errors at the back by the Dutch, never really known for their defensive strength, gave the co-hosts a 3-0 lead before the “Oranje” turned the match on its head.

Poland’s Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker tipped his team to be the Euro 2008 surprise package after their impressive qualifying campaign but the 3-0 defeat by the United States suggests they might end up as mere also-rans.

Poor defending from set-pieces did not cost the Poles on the road to Euro 2008 as they were able to outscore their opponents most of the time but it could undo them at the next level.

Germany made it clear they are rightly one of the tournament favourites with a 4-0 drubbing of Switzerland, the other co-hosts, with Miroslav Klose taking his international tally to 38 goals in 73 matches.

An understrength France will certainly take heart from a 1-0 win over England as will Spain after beating world champions Italy by the same score thanks to a spectacular David Villa volley.

Anyone prepared to write off defending champions Greece may want to reconsider after their 2-1 victory over Portugal in a repeat of the Euro 2004 final. It was Greece’s third consecutive win over a team widely regarded as one of the world’s most talented outfits.

Romania’s 3-0 rout of eastern European rivals Russia and their effervescent performance suggests they have a fighting chance of surviving the “Group of Death.”

Croatia’s famous 3-2 win over England fuelled high hopes of glory among the country’s fans and media but Eduardo’s horrible injury and last month’s 3-0 defeat to the Dutch instilled more modest expectations of reaching the last eight.

England’s conquerors were not impressive in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Scotland at Hampden Park and their current form suggests they will do well to progress to the quarter-finals.

As ever, there are at least half a dozen heavyweights and it seems inevitable that one of them will be crowned European champions on June 29… unless someone can do a Greece. Give us your thoughts on that in the comments.

PHOTO: Klaas Jan Huntelaar (L) scores for the Dutch against Austria in Vienna, March 26, 2008. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

Horrific scenes in which fans battered a policeman with burning flares and seats ripped out at a Serbian first division match earlier this month provided a graphic reminder of spiralling soccer violence in the Balkans.

The riot at Red Star Belgrade’s home match with Hajduk Kula happened only four months after their city rivals Partizan were kicked out of this season’s UEFA Cup after their fans started trouble at Bosnian rivals Zrinjski Mostar.

Fights between rival fans are also common in neighbouring Croatia, where the supporters of traditional foes Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split clashed with each other last year, the day Croatia beat England 2-0 at home in their Euro 2008 qualifying  campaign.

The Belgrade mayhem, which resulted in the arrest of one offender, three Red Star officials and the match delegate, led to Red Star being fined and ordered to play three home matches behind closed doors.

Partizan’s expulsion from the UEFA Cup and the crackdown on Red Star might just be enough to force the clubs to take a tougher stance on hooliganism, one that is long overdue.

The Serb government is now also involved in trying to tackle the issue but some of my colleagues and many fans in the region have been suggesting the need for farther-reaching international repercussions.

The question is, should clubs and national teams face the threat of expulsion from international competition for violence in their domestic leagues? Should UEFA be acting in that direction if they deem local soccer governing bodies are not doing enough?

Those in favour argue that teams in this part of Europe have so far been allowed to get away with “slaps on the wrist” for serious wrongdoings by their fans.

The initial delight in Croatia over a “kind” Euro 2008 draw has given way to caution and the sense that passage into the last eight may not be so easy after all.

Still, it’s hard to resist the feeling that Slaven Bilic’s side, galvanised by the shock 3-2 win over England at Wembley, could be the tournament dark horses, after being drawn in Group B along with Germany, Poland and co-hosts Austria.

Croatia’s former coach Zlatko Kranjcar, who stepped down after the 2006 World Cup, described Austria as “a floating mine” ready to explode in their opening match against the Croats, having tipped Germany and Poland as much tougher rivals.

“However, this Croatian generation is hungry for success, both the staff and the players. What they need is a bit of luck because they certainly have the quality to go far,” he said.

Having warned his team they must take it one game at a time after appealing on the fans not to count their chickens before they are hatched, Bilic too expressed confidence that Croatia have matured into a side ready to make an impact like the one that finished third in the 1998 World Cup finals in France.

“We fear no one because we know that we are capable of holding our own against anyone,” he told Croatian media after the perfect ending to an impressive qualifying campaign.

Greece, of course, were the ultimate dark horses last time. Unfancied before the tournament, they kicked off with victory over hosts Portugal and came all the way through to repeat the trick in the final and win the tournament.

In other circumstances, Romania would be on many people’s list of the outside team to watch for 2008 but their chances have been hit by the worst possible draw, which will see them line up in Group C — take your pick on whether to call it the group of death, mayhem, destruction, aaarrrggghh or whatever – with Italy, France and the Dutch.

Who do you think could be the dark horses? Could Sweden make a bigger impact this time? Zlatan Ibrahimovic is in such good form at the moment that anything seems possible. Or what about the Swiss? They reached the knockout stage at the last World Cup and with that experience maybe a young, talented team could reach the last four. Give us your best guess in the comments below.

PHOTO: Croatia coach Slaven Bilic heads the ball during a training session at Wembley, November 20, 2007. REUTERS/Toby Melville

Serbia’s Spanish coach Javier Clemente is going through the same ordeal as his axed England counterpart Steve McClaren after both sides missed out on Euro 2008.

Like McClaren, the 57-year old Clemente faces the wrath of an unforgiving soccer-mad nation and while he says he wants to carry on the chances of that look slim.

The big difference here is that the Serbian FA chiefs, who vowed to back him at the body’s December 6 meeting, may go down with him.

Hailed as a saviour when he took over in July 2006 following the Serbia and Montenegro state union’s dismal performances in last year’s World Cup, Clemente made no friends among the media or the fans in the months that followed when he said one must stay sober and realistic in victory and defeat.

Slip-ups in Kazakhstan and Armenia that derailed Serbia’s bid to reach their first major tournament as an independent nation made things worse as the pundits started sharpening their knives at approximately the same stage McClaren’s future with England looked doomed (see Kevin Fylan’s blog from March).

Like England, Serbia were thrown several lifelines by teams playing for pride rather than a berth in the Euro 2008 finals and squandered them all.

But while England fans saw their Euro hopes dashed by Croatia at the new Wembley Stadium in front of 80,000 disappointed fans, only a few hundred Serbia supporters turned up the same day for the home match with Poland, whose 3,000 travelling contingent were as shocked as reporters braving the November cold in Belgrade.

It came as no surprise when around 400 showed up for Serbia’s final game at home to Kazakhstan on Saturday, rescheduled twice due to heavy snow. The meaningless 1-0 win provided an anti-climax to Clemente’s valiant effort to take a young side lacking international experience to a major tournament at the first time of asking.

Like McClaren, the lively Basque has taken full responsibility and refused to criticise either the fans or the players, even though he was let down by both when he needed them most.

But should managers shoulder all the blame for defeat in a sport as complex as football? Doesn’t the manager need support, through thick and thin, to stand a chance?

PHOTO: Javier Clemente gives instructions during a Serbia training session in Brussels, August 21, 2007. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

Just four days after Croatia’s 3-2 win at Wembley cost England a place at Euro 2008 the two nations were drawn in the same group in qualifying for the next major competition, the 2010 World Cup.

As Reuters sports editor Paul Radford notes in his report from Durban, there were gasps from inside the hall as Croatia went into Group Six to join the English.

But should England be relishing the prospect of almost instant revenge, or dreading the prospect of playing a side that were technically and tactically superior in their two matches?

Having dropped to the second pot after the fiasco, England must have breathed a sigh of relief to avoid Italy, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands among the top seeds.

But surely, they will be wary this time of a young, hungry and talented Croatian team that sent shock waves through Europe with an outstanding performance at the new Wembley Stadium.

Having qualified for six out of seven major tournaments since they became an independent nation in 1992, Croatia quickly acquired the stature of dark horses, not least for their third-placed finish at the 1998 World Cup in France.

While Ukraine have a chance of joining the hunt for an automatic berth and a play-off spot reserved for the best eight second-placed teams from nine groups, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra are likely to feature merely as also-rans.

Can England turn the tables on the team that beat them twice in the Euro 2008 qualifiers or will Croatia stretch their impressive streak at the expense of the Three Lions once again? Give us your thoughts in the comments below.

For 86 minutes it looked like history would repeat itself when Red Star Belgrade clashed with Bayern Munich in their UEFA Cup Group F match on Thursday.

Red Star were leading 2-1 in front of their passionate 45,000 home crowd, who were as jubilant as in 1991 when the Serbian side beat their Bavarian rivals 4-3 on aggregate in the European Cup semi-finals with a last minute own-goal.

I was in the northern section of the stadium that day in 1991 along with the Red Star faithful and watched them invade the pitch after the final whistle and tear down the goalposts in wild celebrations that lasted until the early hours.

Red Star went on to win Europe’s premier club competition with a penalty shootout victory over Olympique Marseille.

There were never going to be any such antics even if Red Star had beaten Bayern again but a cruel twist of fortune left the home fans mourning what my colleagues in the press box instantly qualified as payback.

Bayern drew level in the closing stages and then scored a freak winner in the last minute of injury time, leaving the 1,000 or supporters who made the trip from Munich to do all the singing and dancing this time (you can read a full report in English on the Bayern website).

Having praised his youthful team for a valiant effort, Red Star manager Milorad Kosanovic had no complaints about the wheel of fortune turning the other way.

“You have to earn your luck and while we must have deserved it 1991, I hope this is the last time we have to repay the most famous win in the club’s history,” he said. “It’s a pity because I know our fantastic fans would have staged an almighty party if we had won.”

Instead, broken hearts rather than chilly weather made the densely populated residential area surrounding the stadium eerily empty as sobbing Red Star fans made their way home.

PHOTO: Red Star Belgrade’s Ognjen Koroman celebrates scoring a goal against Bayern Munich during their UEFA Cup Group F soccer match in Belgrade October 25, 2007. REUTERS/Ivan Milutinovic

Manchester United’s haul of silverware under Alex Ferguson over the years has overwhelmingly rested on their attacking flair and the ability to outgun even the strongest rivals in high-scoring encounters.

This season, they have overcome a shaky and injury-plagued start on the back of seven straight wins in the Premier League and the Champions League by keeping a clean sheet in each of them.

With Wayne Rooney still looking for his best form and new signings Carlos Tevez, Nani and Anderson adapting to the torrid exertions of the Premier League, United have relied on rock-solid defending to get their season on track.

Six uncharacteristic 1-0 wins and the 2-0 defeat of troubled Chelsea revealed a new layer of steel in a back four led by Rio Ferdinand and reinforced with the arrival of Serbia’s Nemanja Vidic in January 2006.

After demonstrating his no-nonsense approach and the ability to score from set pieces at Red Star Belgrade and Spartak Moscow, Vidic became a key factor in United’s success last season, just as he had predicted when I spoke to him during the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

“It’s time we brought the title back to Old Trafford and I believe we will,” he said when I asked him if he thought United had it in them to dethrone Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea.

But is the new accent on defence really the sign of a change in strategy for Ferguson? Or is it just a case of the backline coming to the rescue while the forwards struggle for form?

Red Ranter certainly expects a return to last season’s service sooner rather than later. This was his view after the win over Roma:

“On the whole, the team has been found wanting going forward, but - forgive the cliche - the performances are getting more assured. Hopefully we’ll manage to spank Wigan this weekend and set things right.”

Is that all United need – a comprehensive victory to clear the cobwebs, and back to 4-2 victories? Or should we get used to chants of “Boring, boring United”?

Zoran Milosavljevic, Belgrade

PHOTO: Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand (L) challenges AS Roma’s Francesco Totti for the ball during their Champions League match, October 2, 2007. REUTERS/Phil Noble

Football is in mourning again after Zambian striker Chaswe Nsofwa of Israeli second division side Hapoel Beer Sheva collapsed and died during a practice match on Wednesday.

Tragically, and almost unbelievably, Nsofwa was the third footballer to die in a little over a week, following Antonio Puerta and the 16-year-old Walsall player Anton Reid. We are lucky it was not four. Leciester City defender Clive Clarke suffered a suspected cardiac arrest at half-time in a match against Nottingham Forest but he is apparently recovering well.

The question most fans are asking is how this can happen to professional athletes, apparently at the peak of fitness.

There have been immediate calls for better and more regular heart screening for players (see comments from Fifa’s chief medical officer, Professor Jiri Dvorak in The Telegraph, for example).

But isn’t it also time we considered whether we are simply asking too much of the players?

I talked over the phone this week to Serbia midfielder Nenad Kovacevic, who was out for a year after collapsing during a league match for his former club Red Star Belgrade in 2003. He added weight to a widespread opinion that there are too many matches in top-level football.

“The game is played at a torrid pace these days and the number of matches top-level players are involved in every season has reached a critical point,” said the 27-year old who now plays for French Ligue 1 side Lens.

“Puerta is not the first casualty but I certainly hope he will be the last.”

It’s a point that was also made in The Times by Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the PFA.

Is it time to make a drastic cut in the number of games we ask our top players to play?

Zoran Milosavljevic

Sickening scenes in the Bosnian city of Mostar come as a reminder that soccer violence in the western Balkans is largely an echo of the ethnic strife that tore the former Yugoslavia to pieces in the 1990s.

Fans of home club Zrinjski and the visiting supporters of Serbias Partizan Belgrade clashed with each other as well as with riot police before, during and after a UEFA Cup first qualifying round match that came close to being abandoned early in the first half.

As a result, Partizan were thrown out of the UEFA Cup and fined 50,000 Swiss francs as European soccer’s governing body delivered on its vow to show no tolerance for hooliganism.

It is no surprise that soccer violence keeps showing its ugly head on a regular basis in this part of Europe, where the authorities have so far taken half-hearted action to vanquish it. Fights among fans, some of them with fatalities, seem to break out whenever passionate local derbies take place in Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia and also when clubs or national teams from these countries play each other.

Vulgar ethnic and religious insults and banners glorifying war crimes suspects are part of the violence which leaves fans, police and security stewards in danger of suffering serious injuries and worse.

The culprits usually get away with suspended sentences and the teams with symbolic fines. It means the violence goes effectively unpunished and it has driven away most decent soccer fans from the stadiums.

Serbia kicked off their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign behind closed doors after trouble during their final World Cup 2006 home qualifier against Bosnia but that did not seem to ring the alarm bells in Belgrade sufficiently.

Partizans banishment certainly will. The clubs top officials, while hoping they would be let off the hook one more time, readily acknowledged that they had it coming.

Zoran Milosavljevic, Belgrade

Arsene Wenger’s reputation of getting the best value for money on the transfer market will be put to the test with Eduardo da Silva’s arrival from Dinamo Zagreb for a fee Croatian media have placed at between 11 and 24 million euros.

While Dinamo are understandably delighted with the biggest transfer fee in their history, messageboards suggest many fans are sceptical as to whether Arsenal will get their money’s worth from a 24-year old striker yet to prove himself at top level.

Gunnerblog and Goonerholic reacted positively but many other Arsenal blogs have made no comment.

Da Silva’s reputation rests largely on last season’s record of 34 goals in the Croatian first division but it is unlikely to strike primal fear into the hearts of the tried and tested Premier league defenders.

Perhaps more indicative of his ability is a tally of seven goals in 12 internationals, including a header in Croatia’s 2-0 defeat of England in October and a hat-trick in a 4-3 win over Israel.

Da Silva is quick and nimble, likes to take on defenders and has a great awareness of where the goal is as his lethal finishing for Dinamo and Croatia suggests.

However, he is a far cry from Thierry Henry and not robust enough to play on his own up front. He could form a decent partnership with another striker — if he adapts to the grueling exertions and torrid pace of Premier league football.

Will Da Silva live up to his Croatia-bred billing and turn out to be another fine product of Wenger’s instinct? Or should Arsenal have gone for a proven striker closer to Henry’s stature?

Zoran Milosavljevic, Belgrade