PARIS—This afternoon I’m off to Arcachon, a small holiday town on France’s Côte d’Argent and a short drive from Bordeaux. No, I didn’t run the calculations and determine this to be the capital of French and European football passion, and thus the perfect place to celebrate the start of Euro 2008. I’m here for the wine, to celebrate my birthday, and to maybe dip a toe in the ocean. Hey, even the Sportstrotter needs a weekend away from the grind.
First off, if you missed yesterday’s preview and want to catch up, you can find it here. For everybody in the know, let’s live in the now. I’ll be enjoying the region’s glut of oysters tonight, but will also be keeping an eye on the first games of the tournament, Switzerland versus the Czech Republic and Portugal versus the Turkey. The Czechs and the Portuguese are the favourites from this group. But compared with most World Cups, the Euro’s group stage often doesn’t work out the way one would expect, so don’t be shocked to see favourites upset by a draw, or even a loss. My rocks-for-brains gut feeling: Switzerland, eager to impress the home fans and shed the image of “stultifying enemy of good football� that they earned with their defence-first-and-always performance two years ago in Germany, comes out with an attacking mindset against the Czechs, who take advantage of this by scoring early, and maybe even often. In the nightcap, the Turks surprise the Portuguese. Don’t ask me why—the Euro isn’t always about why. These things happen. Just roll with it.
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