UEFA Euro Cup 2016 Predictions; Who Are the Losers of the Group Draw?

UEFA announced the groups for the UEFA 2016 qualifiers, featuring a number of interesting matchups. Inevitably the big teams will earn the spotlight when analysis about these groups comes about. Some top teams inevitably came away with a solid draws in the qualifiers while other teams wound up with the short straw. Here are the losers of the draw.

Spain: The defending champions will not have an easy road defending their 2012 title. The team will contend with Luxembourg, Macedonia, Belarus, Slovakia and Ukraine. Many expect this Spanish side to feature a lot of new faces; or at the very least the starting XI will not feature the same superstars from the World Cup squad. Xavi and Xabi Alonso will likely not be a part of the team. Who knows if Vicente del Bosque will decide to pass the goaltending baton over to David de Gea to see what he is made of. The defense will likely not be all that different and the forwards will probably remain a work in progress depending on how the team does in Brazil. But as noted, the midfield will be revamped and will likely feature new stars to replace the older ones.

This will obviously alter the team's chemistry and one must wonder if Spain is still a powerhouse after struggling in the last few matches against Equatorial Guinea and South Africa.

So this obviously becomes a bigger issue when one realizes that Spain must compete with an up-and-coming Ukrainian side that gave England and France all they could handle in qualifiers. This team is fast and can score quite proficiently.

But after Ukraine the situation looks just as difficult with Belarus and Slovakia likely providing some problems. Everyone saw what Belarus did to the Spanish in Spain during the qualifiers a few months ago; Spain won 2-1 but struggled throughout. Slovakia is a team with offensive potential that should also give Spain trouble. Macedonia and Luxembourg are the minnows but could also be problematic.

Netherlands: The Dutch are another team that is likely to enter a transitory phase after the World Cup. They will have to contend with Turkey and the Czech Republic for a top spot in the qualifiers. The Turks actually lost twice against the Dutch in the World Cup qualifiers but remain dangerous. The Czechs are undoubtedly the top contender for the Dutch in this group; they managed 15 points in qualifiers despite finishing third.

But that does not even factor Iceland into the equation. The small nation managed to gain a playoff berth and then gave Croatia all it could handle before being admirably eliminated. This team will be out for more in this qualifying round and should present a lot of trouble for the Netherlands.

Anyone in Group G: The Russians managed to qualify for the World Cup but face stiff competition from a group that includes Sweden, Austria and Montenegro. Anyone of these teams can finish among the top two depending on who gets hot at the right time. Sweden and Russia would emerge as the favorites based on talent, but one cannot overlook Austria or Montenegro. The former put up an admirable performance in a group that included Sweden, Ireland and Germany while the latter nearly took first place from a group that included Poland, England and the Ukraine. This is undoubtedly the most exciting qualifying group in the entire tournament.