Fabio Capello believes that Euro 2012 will be tougher for England than the 2010 World Cup campaign was.
England boss wary of a difficult group stage
England head coach Fabio Capello believes that Euro 2012 will be tougher for his side than the 2010 World Cup campaign was.
The Three Lions were pitted against the United States, Algeria and Slovenia in the group stage in South Africa and failed to progress beyond the second round, losing to arch rivals Germany.
The draw for the Euro 2012 finals will be made on Friday and England could face Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal or France, and could also see get a potential quarter-final draw against Germany.
The tournament in Poland and Ukraine will be Capello's last as the Three Lions boss and the Italian tactician admits that his players will find it tougher than they did in the summer of 2010.
Stronger
"Absolutely," he said. "This time it will be stronger.
"It will be stronger because if you look at the groups and all the teams, particularly the three European teams who reached the World Cup semi-finals; the technical level is at the top, the organisation of the teams is at the top.
"Also some teams who didn't play well at the World Cup will now be back at the top.
"Portugal, France and Italy will be better. It will be a really tough tournament."
Capello admits he would like to avoid Spain and Holland in Friday's draw and he is also wary of Portugal and France.
"Spain and Holland," Capello noted when asked who he hoped England would avoid in the draw. "After that there is also Portugal and France. These are the teams I would prefer to avoid in the group stage."
The 65-year-old further stated that he will leave his position as the England manager after the conclusion of the tournament.
"As an England manager, this is it for me," he said.
You can follow the draw for Euro 2012 from 4.30pm on Friday on skysports.com and Sky Sports News HD.You can follow the draw for Euro 2012 from 4.30pm on Friday on skysports.com and Sky Sports News HD.
