Soccer: Spain on ideal run to champs

WARSAW - Defending champions Spain will have the Czech Republic and Scotland among their rivals in what should be a straightforward qualifying route to the 2012 European Championship, while World Cup winners Italy got a tougher draw.

Lithuania and Liechtenstein completed Group I in yesterday's draw, meaning Spain, the top-ranked team in the world, will not have to face any side that qualified for this year's World Cup in South Africa.

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque, whose team was the last to be picked, said he was "relatively pleased" with the draw and that Spain were in a five-team group.

"Liechtenstein appears easy, but we have to take care against the other three," he said.

Germany, the runners-up to Spain in 2008 and three-time champions, were placed with Turkey and neighbouring Austria in Group A. The Germans will also face Belgium, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, coached by former Germany boss Berti Vogts.

Austria co-hosted the last tournament with Switzerland but have never qualified otherwise.

"With Germany and Turkey, we have two top teams ... These are two teams which we can annoy or even beat on a very good day," Austria coach Dietmar Constantini said.

Italy will play two teams that have qualified for this year's tournament in South Africa - Serbia and Slovenia.

"It's a very demanding group, the only group with three World Cup finalists," Serbia coach Radomir Antic said.

Italy, who won the European title in 1968, also face Northern Ireland, Estonia and the Faroe Islands in Group C. England, who failed to qualify for Euro 2008, were with another World Cup finalist, Switzerland, in Group G.

They also face Wales and have two trips to the Balkans, to Bulgaria and Montenegro.

"It's my first derby as manager of the national team, it will be interesting. They are a good young team," England manager Fabio Capello said of Wales.

"It is a tough group because all the games will be strong games to play."

England were drawn into one of three groups with five teams, while the other six have six teams in each.

France, the 2000 champions, will again face Romania after also playing the team in 2010 World Cup qualifying. The other Group D teams are Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belarus, Albania and Luxembourg.

"Romania is always a tough opponent," France's technical director Gerard Houllier said.

Greece, the 2004 champions, have Croatia and Israel as their rivals in Group F, plus Latvia, Georgia and Malta.

Portugal will have three trips to northern Europe, with World Cup finalists Denmark, Norway and Iceland awaiting, along with Cyprus.

The Netherlands will have two Nordic rivals in Sweden and Finland, plus Hungary, Moldova and San Marino in Group E.

Russia, who like Croatia did not qualify for the World Cup but were placed among the nine top-seeded teams, are in Group B, with Slovakia, who has qualified for the World Cup.

When Armenia were picked to play in Group A with Azerbaijan, with which they have a territorial dispute, it was automatically moved to Russia's Group B, which also has Ireland, Macedonia and Andorra.

The nine winners and the runners-up with the best record qualify directly for the final tournament.

The remaining eight runners-up will go into a home-and-away playoff round that will be played in November 2011. Four teams in those playoffs will be seeded.

As co-hosts, Poland and Ukraine qualify for the tournament automatically.

Euro 2012 draw:

* Group A: Germany, Turkey, Austria, Belgium, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan.
* Group B: Russia, Slovakia, Ireland, Macedonia, Armenia, Andorra.
* Group C: Italy, Serbia, Northern Ireland, Slovenia, Estonia, Faroe Islands.
* Group D: France, Romania, Bosnia, Belarus, Albania, Luxembourg.
* Group E: Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Hungary, Moldova, San Marino.
* Group F: Croatia, Greece, Israel, Latvia, Georgia, Malta.
* Group G: England, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Wales, Montenegro.
* Group H: Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Cyprus, Iceland.
* Group I: Spain, Czech Republic, Scotland, Lithuania, Liechtenstein.

- AP