Who will win Euro 2000?

Which side do you think will lift the trophy when the tournament ends in Rotterdam on July 2?

One of the best international tournaments in memory is coming to a conclusion. Sixteen teams have been whittled down to the two finalists, Italy and France, but who will get their hands on the silverware?

France have lived up to their pre-tournament billing having played some delightful football on route to the final.

The French have the opportunity to become the first team to lift the European Championships as the World Cup holders and much will depend on Zidane who has been in imperious form over the last three weeks.

Italy will be hoping that Zidane and the French forwards have as much trouble breaching their defence as other teams have had in the tournament.

The Italians have made quiet progress to the final and unlike their opponents are unbeaten in the competition. Having only conceded two goals in five matches it is clear where their strengths lie but their forwards cannot be under-estimated.

You told us your verdict on which team was going to win Euro 2000. Read a selection of your comments below.

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Your reaction

I know France will win Euro 2000. They are by far the best team in Europe.

Sebastien, U.S.A

I think that France are by far the better team but you cannot underestimate the Italians.The final will be interesting because of the attacking style of the French and the 'score-one-goal-then-put-nine-players-in-defence' tactics of Italy. Past tournament results and team ability favours France, but I think Italy will come out on top and they will be lifting the trophy at the end - Italy 1 France 0.
Adam Brookes, England

From the start I have backed France to win, but then seeing Holland play in the knock out stages, I wasn't so sure. Now Holland are out, I think France will win quite eaisly
Calvin Morgan, UK

Italy will be the European Champions. Not only have they the best defence in the tournament, they also have quite a dangerous attack. My guess are that Italy is going to win 2-0!!! France will not be able to penetrate Italy's defence.
Bernard Raymond Tan, New Zealand

France are a very good team and in the recent past Italy have been unlucky. France is my team, but the semi-final has given Italy the hope to win and this time Italy is set to beat France.
Moses S. Tucker Jr , Liberia

Let us hope that France get an early goal and force the

The best teams never quit. The Italians could have quit in the semi final but they didn't, so it's Italy for me.

Ongito Hodari, Tanzania

Italians to come out and play. It would be a travesty if, at the end of such a fantastic and entertaining tournament, the final turned out to be a sterile affair, stolen at the end by the most cynical and unambitious team in the tournament.
Matt Scholes, Canada

Variation in approach seems to be the strength of Italy. That was proved beyond doubt when they humbled Holland. They play different games against different opponents. France will testify to that after the final.
Ramachandran, India

The French are perfect in everything. No doubts, France will win the final.
Ayedh Saleh, Saudi Arabia

Italy can do it. They've beaten one top class team and there is nothing to stop them from doing it again. They will be thinking of revenge and team confidence must be high.
Pardeep Kaur, England

There is a limit to luck. The Italians have exhausted theirs. I give the trophy to France. 2-1
Raphael Njoku, Belgium

The winners will be

Italy have the technical and moral superiority and deserve to win.

Silvio E. Gallizzi, Canada

France since they have the better players in both attack and defence. The way the Italian forwards are playing they will have difficulty getting past thr French defence.
Mangire Kibanda, Tanzania, East Africa

France deserves to win. They have played the more attractive football than Italy.
Lambrecht, The Netherlands

I am in no doubt that France will be European Champions. Their midfield is formidable. Zinedine Zidane, Patrick Vieira and Didier Deschamps have been superb while Blanc, Thuram and Desailly have been rock solid. Henry has kept all the defences on their toes and Barthez has given out good messages towards his new boss.
Stephen Smith, England

The French are in a class of their own, with probably the best goalkeeper in the world between the sticks and a back line as hard to get past as a titanium plated wall -

The winners will be France. They are composed and focused.

Sam B.Thorpe, The Gambia

they are in my view unbeatable. They have so many class players to choose from in midfield, obviously you play Zidane, who has been the best player of the tournament and for the rest you could draw lots. Up front you have the speed of Henry. They play so crisply and their passes zip along the floor like bullets.
Matt Phillips, England

The spotlight is on France and Holland, but the better team is Italy. Holland have proven over and over again that they fail at key matches. France have less talent than Italy, although they are a better organised team.
Bernardo Aumond, Brazil

I think that Portugal have the most flair and I hope they win this championship! They are an absolute delight to watch and have the necessary strengths to lift the trophy. Besides, I think it will be good for the game if a small country like Portugal (without comparable financial backing) won just due to sheer class!
Rupy Gill, England

The big question is: can France display a similar performance against Portugal after the trouble they have gone through against Spain? If France will make it to the final, they are likely to miss out a few players on the way, due to yellow cards and injuries. Holland, however, are pretty much clear and without damage and will dispose of Italy without too many problems. The Dutch finishing power may also be a crucial factor between the two. That still does not take away the fact that I reckon the French to have the best team. But the best team does not always win the competition...
Joop Bosman, Netherlands

Although Portugal are an inspired team and Holland is at home I think it's between Italy and France but it's a tough call.
Pancho Encarnacion, Puerto Rico

Italy will win because like France in '98 and Germany in '96 they have a tight defence, hard working midfield, a bit of sparkle and that wee bit extra of having two to three world class forwards.
Enda Ruddy, N. Ireland

I think Holland and France will do well. They have a good squad and team spirit. But if I had to choose one team it would have to be France if they can maintain their form.
Loqman Hakim Ghazali, Malaysia

After the match against Yugoslavia, it should be crystal clear to anybody that Holland is going to win this championship. If you remember the last World Cup in France, Holland was clearly the best team and should have been in the final. Now however, we are playing at home.
Oscar Ferrada Mercado, Holland

Though I admire the football played by Portugal, France will win the title. They also have the flair and attack-mindedness as well as a better defence. France to win over Holland in the final.
John D. Watson, United States

The only team in the competition with everything is France

Chris, Northern Ireland

France and Holland would make a thrilling final, with Holland emerging winners. They both have the skill, discipline and determination to win.
Ken Onacha, Israel

I want France to win. They will make history if they do. No World Cup Winners have ever gone on to win the European Championship two years later. They stand on the threshold of the double!
Del Spooner, Italy

After watching the first two quarter-finals I am more and more certain that Portugal will take it home. Their way of playing, brilliant individuals and the mixture of youth and more experienced players put them in front of the rest. After following the boring and disappointing Norwegians, I hope the Portuguese will show us the way to play entertaining and offensive Football.
Åsmund Berge, Norway

The only team in the competition with everything is France. They have the best keeper in the world, a defence with pace, power and adaptability. Their midfield has grit AND guile as well as speed, and their strikers have power and pace to burn. France will win easily.
Chris Sherrard, Northern Ireland

Holland can go all the way

Matthew Wakeling, England

Teams that end up winning championships tend to improve steadily throughout the tournament. One of the greatest examples of this was the 1982 win of the World Cup by Italy. They started mediocre and ended up beating Argentina, Brazil and Germany. I would rule out the possibility of Turkey, Yugoslavia or Romania going all the way but It's wide open among the other five teams, with perhaps Holland slight favourites.
Marios Philippopoulos, Canada

Holland can go all the way. They have some brilliant players like Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Kluivert, Marc Overmars and Jaap Stam. France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Yugoslavia are good but Holland at home could be unstoppable.
Matthew Wakeling, England

Holland are going to win Euro 2000. With England out of the competition It will be Holland V France in the final. Holland winning 3-1.
Andrew Simpson, Scotland

Holland have the tenacity, flair, inventiveness, strength and reserve manpower to win Euro 2000.The team is as efficient as the Germans and the clinical finishing of it's strikers will see them go all the way.
Unisa Sesay, Sierra Leone

I am sure Portugal will win and Luis Figo will lift the Euro 2000 trophy.
Taha Abduke, Ethiopia

Portugal have the best squad and team spirit

Scott Briggs, Scotland

The Italians will win Euro 2000. The way in which they triumphed in all of their first three games was remarkable. They did not play anything like their best football, and yet breezed past the rest of their group. They are the hardest team to actually beat as they are technically solid, and one of the better defensive units in the tournament, and the ability to play well below par and still win is something that gives them a major advantage.
Phil Styles, England

Portugal have the best squad and team spirit. No other team in the tournament can match that.
Scott Briggs, Scotland

If Spain can keep it together at the back against France then they can beat them. Spain are better going forward so France will have to be good at the back to contain the likes of Raùl, Mendieta and Alfonso.
Martin Huntley, England

Italy deserve to hold the Euro 2000 trophy. They have a great team and have been performing extraordinarily with experienced players.
Amit Singh, India

I think Spain and France will do well. My outsider is Yugoslavia, they have very good players and will be playing on passion, due to the fact that they were almost not allowed to play.
Aleix Mejas, England

France will win the final. They finished runners-up in the group stage behind Holland, but they have such an extremely strong team, from the defence through to the attackers. They have the best midfield player in the world alongside another superior midfielder (Zidane and Deschamps), two of the best forwards in the world (Anelka and Henry), and arguably the best keeper around (Barthez), and playing in front of him are four class defenders (Thuram, Lizarazu, Blanc and Desailly). France just can't go wrong.
Ben Gornall, England

France just smashed Denmark 3-0 and played an average game. They are less in control of the game because they now play with two strikers. But these strikers are Anelka and Henry, with Trezeguet and Wiltord on the bench. They can score at any time against any team. But their main strength is their mental toughness, like in '98. France will be very hard to defeat. Holland? Did you watch them against the Czech Republic?
William, USA

Holland? Did you watch them against the Czech Republic?

William, USA

Yugoslavia, one of the best sides in France 98, going out only because of a missed penalty by Mijatovic in the quarter finals. This team are 28-1, yet their players are playing in key positions for clubs like Inter, Lazio, Fiorentina and Juventus. They easily disposed of Croatia and the Republic of Ireland in the qualifiers.
Alistair McGill, Scotland

I think Turkey could be the dark horses of the championships but I don't think they will win, they will do well to reach the final. I really think Holland will take the honours this time round.
Declan Sherlock, Ireland

I think Turkey could be the dark horses of the championships

Declan Sherlock, Ireland

Although they do not seem very strong, I think that the Italian national team will win Euro 2000. Italy has not done well in the most recent international competitions in spite of the fact that they have always had powerful teams. Since Italy are hungry to achieve a major title I think they have good opportunities this time. Moreover, Zoff is an excellent manager.
Andreas Feldmann, Chile

I think France will win Euro 2000 because of the quality and depth they have in their squad. Barthez is a fantastic goalkeeper. They also have some world class defenders like Laurent Blanc and Thuram. The midfield is France's strong point where they have the likes of Petit, Vieira and of course Zidane who I think is the best European player in the world. During the 1998 World Cup the only position the French were short of were strikers, but now France have one of the best strikers in the world. Thierry Henry has been in great form for Arsenal and if he can carry that on into Euro 2000 along with the likes of Zidane and Thuram, I think France will be a good bet to win the competition
Alastair Brown, France

Although the brains favour Spain or Holland, for sentimental reasons I say Romania...A heart-breaker at the '94 World Cup (lost on penalties to Sweden, otherwise who knows what might have happened??!), Romania has the same core squad, but combine that with terrific young talent influx and you just might have the winner.
Ted, US

Everone is mentioning Holland but they will be shocked when Portugal led by Figo upset them.
Kwaku Darkoh, Ghana

I believe that Spain have the most exciting line-up in the competition. Their past performances have not always reflected their potential but this could be their year given the success of Spanish sides in the Champions League.
Mike Hall, Spain