Oliveira calls for Portuguese passion
Wednesday, February 8, 2006
Article summary
Agostinho Oliveira believes fervent home support can help inspire hosts Portugal to glory this summer after they were placed in a testing Group A.
Article body
Agostinho Oliveira, Portugal
This group is as tough as the other one as there is little to choose between the eight teams in this final tournament. To be drawn with the three teams we have, compared to those we could have had, does not make much difference. We know it's a tough group but we will be doing our best to win the competition while helping to contribute to the growth of European football. We will be very focused, we will have the right attitude and we have the quality to do well. Playing at home will obviously help and we will need the help of the Portuguese people to make sure we keep the trophy in this country.
René Girard, France
We are definitely in the most difficult group as we come up against the host nation, a Serbia side which is continuing to improve at this level, and Germany - we all know about them. We came through a couple of very difficult play-off matches against England and we will be a stronger team because of that. We were at our best in the second leg and now we're here we plan to have a very successful tournament. Italy and Portugal are my favourites but this will be a major experience for our young players - playing the hosts in full stadiums will bring back memories of our play-off against England at Tottenham.
Dragomir Okuka, Serbia and Montenegro
This is a very difficult group with four strong teams. Now we are here, we plan to enjoy it and compete for the championship, as we did when reaching the final in Germany in 2004. None of the matches will be easy as all the teams are at a similar level, which means we will have to take our chances when they arrive.
Dieter Eilts, Germany
As we saw in all the play-off games, there are no easy matches and this tournament will be no different. We saw at EURO 2004™ the enthusiasm that people in Portugal have for football and this should be a championship which also excites the fans. Matches against the host nation are always special, while games with France are usually exciting. We are a side without a star player and our success is based on a team ethic so I can't single out one player who might shine for us. What I can say is that we're looking forward to this tournament and hopefully realising our potential in Portugal.