The European Championships are just round the corner and the excitement is starting to build for what is sure to be a fantastic tournament, as punters and armchair fans study the latest betting odds as to who will lift the trophy.

The Germans have been in a period of transition in recent years, can they win at odds of  3/1?

Germany are a side that will always be one of the favourites for a major competition and they seem to have a knack for tournament football.

They have, however, been the nearly men in recent years, finishing in third place in the last two World Cup’s and securing runners-up spot at Euro 2008. You can back them to lose in the final again at 5/1.

Latest Euro 2012 Odds (best price quoted)

• Spain 5/2 with William Hill
• Germany 3/1 with Paddy Power
• Netherlands 6/1 with Bet365
• France 10/1 with Bet365
• Italy 14/1 with Paddy Power
• England 16/1 with Ladbrokes

The Germans know that they will have to be at their best to progress from Group B where they go head to head against Portugal, Netherlands and Denmark in what looks to be one of the toughest groups in the competition.

It was 2004 when Germany failed to progress to the knockout stages and they are 6/5 to finish their group as winners.

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Joachim Loew’s side look to be in fantastic shape going into the tournament though, winning all of their games in qualifying.

Loew took an extremely young side to the World Cup in 2010 where they were extremely impressive. Two years on, they are sure to have benefited from the experience in South Africa and will look to be even more successful. The likes of Mezit Ozil and Mario Gomez will strike fear into opposition defences.

There is no doubt that if Germany are the best they can be unstoppable and as we all know are the masters of a penalty shootout. With many of the team coming from the Champions League final runners-up Bayern Munich, Loew may have to reinstall some confidence into his team.

It has been 16 years since the three time European Champions last one a major trophy. With the perfect blend of youth and experience, this could be their year. They are being offered at 3/1 to be Champions in Poland and Ukraine.