Two weeks to Euro kick-off, battle lines drawn

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Paris, May 23: : A nervy two week countdown starts on Saturday as the 16 Euro 2008 finalists put the finishing touches to their squads ahead of the opening game between co-hosts Switzerland and the Czech Republic in Basel.

The June 7-29 European footballing extravaganza offers Manchester United quintet Patrice Evra, Edwin van der Sar, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani and Mikael Silvestre a shot at a unique Premier League-Champions League and Euro treble.

While for beaten Champions League finalist Chelsea's Claude Makelele, Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Ballack, Florent Malouda, Nicolas Anelka and Petr Cech the tournament represents a chance of wiping away the tears of that drama-laden penalty shoot-out defeat.

France manager Raymond Domenech will be relieved to hear that full-back Evra resisted the temptation to join the rest of his celebrating United colleagues in painting Moscow's Red Square even redder after Wednesday night's heroics.

"I didn't really party a lot because I need to go with the national team. I don't drink alcohol anyway," said the French defender whose job it will be to stop the attacks of France's Group C rivals' Italy, The Netherlands and Romania in what has been classed the mother of all groups of death.

Germany manager Joachim Loew has granted Ballack some time out with the Chelsea midfielder joining up with the rest of the Mannschaft on Monday.

Germany have a friendly against Belarus on Tuesday. It may be 14 days until the first football is kicked in anger but the cold war has well and truly started with Dutch coach Marco van Basten trying to put the heat on two of the pre-tournament favourites - Italy and France.

Van Basten, whose side have an opening match baptism of fire against World Cup winners Italy in Berne on June 9, said: "France (beaten World Cup finalists) and Italy are undoubtedly even stronger than in 2006.

"These two sides feature two groups of players which haven't changed much and so are therefore even more experienced. France have really impressed me in terms of the level of their physical potential. They're really really powerful."