Euro 2016 dark horses

As the domestic league seasons are winding down across Europe, fans are gearing up for a great summer of International football. Euro 2016 is less than a month away and the usual suspects are preparing to carry the weight of their nation's expectations.

France, Germany and Spain are the big favourites for success. England are perennial underachievers and are fourth favourites with bookmakers. Belgium have an exciting squad and are also tipped to do well. Outside the big names there are some dark horses - teams who could surprise people and even emulate Greece, who unexpectedly won the tournament in 2004.

Austria are definitely a team to look out for. Unbeaten in the Euro 2016 qualifiers, they dropped only two points and finished with 28 points from 10 games, the second highest tally (after England with 30). They topped Group G, beating out Russia and Sweden along the way.

Manager Marcel Koller has built a team with the right mix of experience and youth. Furthermore his side are solid defensively. They only conceded 5 goals in the qualifiers. They also know how to find the back of the net having scored 22 goals in Group G. Seven of these were from in form striker Marc Janko, who is a danger man. Another player to watch is Stoke City's forward Marko Arnautovic. He is a player with great power, pace and technique and should make a big impact.

Austria have a fairly favourable draw in the group stages. They will face Hungary, Portugal and Iceland in Group F. If they can reproduce the form that has seen them rise to 11th in the FIFA world rankings, then they are likely to do very well at the finals.

Another team who could go far in France this summer are Wales who will be playing in their first major tournament since 1958. Boss Chris Coleman has built his team around the world's most expensive player - Gareth Bale and it has payed off so far. The Real Madrid man has scored over half of Wales' qualifying goals and has been a real catalyst for the side.

The Dragons are not just a one-man team though. Players like Joe Ledley, Joe Allen and Aaron Ramsey have given the side proven Premier League experience. Coleman's players have not been prolific in front of goal, but have been very strong at the back. They only conceded four goals in qualifiers and kept two clean sheets against group winners Belgium. By qualifying for the Euros, Wales have already exceeded expectations. They will have less pressure from the fans enabling them to play with greater freedom. If they can keep Bale fit, they could cause quite an upset.

Poland have to be taken seriously as dark horse contenders. They finished second behind World Champions Germany in Qualifying Group D, but only trailed by a single point. They beat Germany at home, proving that, on their day they can overcome anyone.

They were top-scorers in qualification with 33 goals and have one of the deadliest strikers in the world right now in Robert Lewandowski. He was top-scorer in qualification with 13 goals from 10 games. The Poles also have a great travelling fan base which will give them a very vocal backing in France. Their attacking threat should see them make a real mark.

Finally the Fairy Tale pick for dark horses are Iceland. They will travel to the European Championships with around 1% of their country's 330,000 plus population following to cheer on their team. Their qualification stages saw them beat the likes of Holland and Turkey to finish second in Group A. They are solid, concededing just 6 goals in their 10 games on route to the finals. With experienced players like Eidur Gudjohnsen and the vision and talent of star playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson, Iceland could be the team to win the hearts of the neutral.