Graphic: Europe's finest - team by team guide

The last time Germany won a match at the European Championship finals was in 1996. Go on, check it if you wish: two defeats and a draw in 2000, a defeat and two draws in 2004. Not since June 30, 1996, at Wembley have Germany emerged victorious from a match in the business end of Europe's international tournament, and even that was after extra time. Mind you, it was also a final, against the Czech Republic. They are tricky like that.

Fabio Capello, the England manager, has been a London resident for long enough to appreciate that no one wins friends in his adopted country, or just about anywhere, by tipping Germany to win, and as an Italian with acquaintances in Spain, after studying the form at Euro 2008, it was diplomatic to hedge his bets. Even so, in his assessment was a clear, underlying belief that this is Germany's trophy to lose. It is an opinion shared by many, not least the bookmakers.

This is as near to a home tournament as Germany can get without turning the clock back to 2006 and they appear better served now, under Joachim Low, than then, with Jürgen Klinsmann in charge. “Germany are very strong mentally,” Capello said. “They have confidence and fewer problems than before because they have good players. They play better for their country than their clubs most times and this will feel like being in Germany. Plus, they have no fear of penalties because they always win.”

That this is a home from home for one visiting country has basis in more than a common tongue (only in Geneva in Switzerland, of the eight host cities, is German in dialect form not spoken as the first language). Even the most famous son of Austria, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, born in Salzburg, regarded himself as German. In a letter dated August 17, 1782, the composer wrote of “Germany, my beloved fatherland, of which I am proud, as you know”. And despite his residency in Vienna, on his death, The Observer obituary referred to him as a “German composer”.

So while it may be said that Austria and Switzerland will have home advantage in the coming weeks, Germany can go one better, boasting an advantage of sorts and a decent squad.

Austria teeter on the brink of embarrassment as perhaps the poorest team to be included in a competition that normally is uniformly strong, while Switzerland are tidy and potential qualifiers from an ordinary group featuring Portugal, Turkey and a weakened Czech Republic team, but should be dispatched by the first good side they meet in the knockout phase.

Germany have a straightforward challenge (Croatia, Poland and Austria) and the prospect of a supporter influx that will make them the tournament's equivalent of England. Even the quickest train routes between the two host countries often cut through Germany, so it is an irony that Klagenfurt, where Low's team play group matches against Poland and Croatia, is the venue farthest from the homeland, in southern Austria, near Slovenia.

Low is also taking a more relaxed view than his predecessors, by basing his team at the Swiss resort of Tenero, on the shores of Lake Maggiore near Italy, rather than in the German-speaking parts of Switzerland, or Austria. At Euro 2000, hosted by Belgium and Holland, the German squad of Erich Ribbeck was situated so close to home on the border that roaming mobile phones switched to the Deutsche Telekom network approaching the training ground. German football is rife with division and the players could not escape it there. They finished bottom of their group.

Low is brighter. He was the tactical wit behind the unexpected success under Klinsmann, when Germany reached the World Cup semi-finals before losing a superb match against Italy late in extra time, and has allowed a smooth transition since 2006, although the loss of Bernd Schneider here is a blow. Many of his old-stagers are finding form at the right time, not least Michael Ballack, who will partner Torsten Frings, the defensive midfield player who is, contrary to the old joke, very much what he used to be.

This evening's curtain-raiser takes place in Switzerland and later all eyes will be on Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo, Europe's finest player, who will need to replicate his prolific form for Manchester United if he is to help his countrymen to overcome the continued absence of a world-class goalscorer. The focus after the weekend turns to group C, starting on Monday, which brings together France and Italy, the 2006 World Cup finalists, plus Holland and the tournament's dark horses, Romania.

It is for this reason that Low, the Germany manager, refers to the European Championship finals as the most difficult competition of all. No contest in the World Cup finals would have this intensity at such an early stage and since this competition expanded to feature 16 countries in 1996, no quartet of teams placed in a single group has been as strong.

Romania would be considered decent outsiders, were it not for the wicked hand they were dealt at the draw in Lucerne, while the preference for Portugal and Spain, both perennial underachievers, in the betting markets has much to do with the belief that something has to give in group C and one, or perhaps two, of the biggest names must fall.

“Romania are very interesting, very dangerous,” Capello said. “They have good quality and will not make it easy for any of the teams. I have to say Italy will get through and France are very clear on what they must do in big matches because they have experience, but it will be hard.”

No Holland, then, and a surprising absence of Germans in Capello's otherwise predictable list of players to watch, which included Ronaldo, Franck Ribéry, of France, Fernando Torres, of Spain, and a trio of Italians, Andrea Pirlo, Luca Toni and Gianluigi Buffon, whom he rates as the best goalkeeper in the world.

As for Spain, Capello had the standard misgivings about temperament, to put it politely (the actual phrase was said in Italian and appeared to concern an unexpected bowel movement and a large cleaning bill).

“This is a big problem for them,” Capello said. “They talk about it all the time, the people and the newspapers. There is always this fear; maybe the same as it is with England. I think Spain have the team with the most technical quality. It is the best midfield in Europe. Fàbregas, Xavi, Iniesta, these players are incredible, but they play a lot of possession football and do not always go for goal, so how Torres plays is very important.”

Spain have got lucky with an opening match against Russia, who will be without Andrei Arshavin, the playmaker, for the first two matches - he was sent off against Andorra in the last qualifying match - and Sweden are ordinary, but Greece, the holders, in the group decider could provide a test. It is hard to see beyond Germany, though, so at least one former resident of Vienna would have been pleased.