Euro 2016 draw: Germany face Robert Lewandowski in Group C

While Germany will feel like they’re by far the best team in their group, they won’t be pleased to see Robert Lewandowski again. He was spectacular for Poland when the two sides met in Euro 2016 qualifying, and his team will need him to duplicate his performances if they’re going to get a result against Germany in the finals. Ukraine will like their chances of giving Poland problems and sneaking into second, while Northern Ireland will probably be thrilled to avoid blowouts.

Meet the teams:

The reigning World Cup champions looked extremely casual in qualifying and didn’t top their group with any kind of ease. They dropped two points at home against Ireland, barely recorded one-goal wins against Scotland and Georgia, and lost twice away from home. At the heart of their issue is the heart of the team. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira, the central midfield pair that dominated during Germany’s knockout stage run in Brazil, has been taken out by injury. Jogi Löw has a lot of talented options to replace them, but has yet to find the perfect duo. He’s got six months to sort it out if he wants to get the best out of the rest of his squad, which is unquestionably the best in Europe.

Key player: Thomas Müller

Over his seven years in Bayern Munich’s first team, Muller has been his squad’s steadiest player. He’s never been the clear star of the team, but always the second or third best player. But this year, he’s taken his game to another level, and his stats rival the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He’s been even better for Germany than Bayern during his career, and if that trend continues, he’ll be a top contender for player of the tournament.

With a couple of exceptions, there aren’t many players Polish squad that really scream elite quality, yet the whole is significantly more awkward than the sum of its parts. Europe’s highest scorers in qualifying, the Poles beat world champions Germany in the process, eventually finishing just a solitary point behind their illustrious neighbours. Though Robert Lewandowski is the obvious focal point, his young strike partner Arkadiusz Milik has also scored regularly for his country. With Kamil Glik and Lukas Piszczek in defence, and Jakub Błaszczykowski in midfield, Poland are perhaps the most dangerous of the teams floating around Pot 3, and though they won’t win the tournament, nobody will be particularly looking forward to playing them.

Key player: Robert Lewandowksi

Well, duh. Arguably Europe’s deadliest striker, and the most prolific throughout qualifying, Lewandowski is pretty much a complete striker, capable of scoring any type of goal against any standard of defence. He secured Poland’s qualification with a header of stupendous quality and power against the Republic of Ireland, and is the closest thing the Euros will likely have to an unstoppable forward. The question, then, will be whether Poland can get him enough decent service.

The Ukraine national team aren’t one of the big names around in international football, but they’re definitely a team to keep an eye on. Four years ago when they hosted Euro 2012 with Poland they weren’t that great or that interesting, but in the time since then they’ve become a team well worth paying attention to. They play smart football with a number of solid players and a few more exceptional talents that make them a dangerous team that cannot be overlooked. Are they a serious contender for the Euro title, or even to make it deep into the knockout rounds? Probably not, no. But they’ll be a giant headache for whoever they play, and that makes them fun.

Key player: Yevhen Konoplyanka

The talented winger may not get talked about quite as much as his teammate Andriy Yarmolenko, but that doesn’t change that he’s plenty talented. His skill at both creating from wide areas and using his ability on the ball to penetrate the box and wreak havoc. He doesn’t have elite speed or elite crossing or elite anything really, but he also has no real weak spot, being at least above-average in every skill you look for in a winger. He’s a player that must be accounted for at all times, and that’s an asset in a tournament setting.

This is what we meant when we said expanding the Euros would let bad teams in, can you believe Northern Ire ... wait, they won their group? They would have qualified for a 16-team tournament too? Oh, OK then.

Northern Ireland are still the same team you’re familiar with -- there is no new George Best firing them to glory. It’s just that their crew of former Manchester United academy players who have gone on to do very well at Championship and bottom-half Premier League teams are in their mid-20s and very solid players. Captain Steven Davis looks quite a bit better for his country than he does for Southampton, and their back line is excellent for a country of their size.

Key player: Roy Carroll

The 38-year-old former Manchester United keeper is back in England with Notts County after spending time with Odense BK, OFI Crete and Olympiacos. He will see a lot of shots at the Euros, and we hope his body is up for it.