How are Germany preparing for the tournament?

Coach Joachim Low has named his preliminary squad and on May 11, the team will visit a training camp in Sardinia for recovery and rehabilitation. One week later they will go to southern France for further preparation before participating in friendlies against Switzerland on May 26 and against Israel on May 31. They will travel to their Euro 2012 camp near Gdansk on June 4. Due to the DFB-Pokal final between Bayern Munich and Dortmund on May 12, the BVB players will join up with the squad at a later date, while the Bayern players still have to play the Champions League final on May 19, as well as a friendly match against Netherlands on May 22.

What is Germany's realistic target for the tournament?

There is no doubt that Germany want the title in Poland-Ukraine. After the third-place finish at the 2006 World Cup, the final loss to Spain at Euro 2008 and another bronze-medal placing in the World Cup in 2010, the players, coaching staff and the fans are hungry for a trophy.

What is Germany's toughest game in the group?

Netherlands and Portugal will predictably be the two toughest games, and the clash against the Oranje will be doubly important as it is the second group match, one that could severely dent either team's hopes of advancing. There's also the historical rivalry to consider, but the Germans will be boosted by the 3-0 friendly win over the Dutch back in November, although Arjen Robben, Rafael van der Vaart and Robin van Persie were missing from that game.

Are there any injury or fitness concerns?

Schweinsteiger is fit again after having several injury problems since November 2011, but is not yet back in the form he was before. Mario Gotze also recently made his long-awaited return to Dortmund's starting XI and even scored in a 5-2 win over Kaiserslautern. Miroslav Klose also returned for Lazio last week-end, and will be fit for the finals. Per Mertesacker remains out injured, and while he expects to be fit in the next few weeks, his starting role in Low's team could be jeopardised.

Are there any surprise picks who could go to the Euros?

Low turned a few heads with his initial selection, nominating the uncapped Julian Draxler and Marc-Andre ter Stegen, as well as Ilkay Gundogan, who only once appeared for his squad in a six-minute outing. At 18 years of age, and after a less-than-stellar season at Schalke, Draxler will not make the final cut. Ter Stegen only recently turned 20 years of age, but he is already of international class, so his selection is not the greatest of surprises. Nor is Gundogan, who has been brilliant for Dortmund in recent months. However, his inexperience in the Germany squad makes his selection somewhat curious. The final surprise was the inclusion of Cacau, who although an international player since 2009, is Low's third choice striker and had a very underwhelming season at Stuttgart.

What is the biggest issue for the coach to resolve?

Germany appear to be in good shape - although they lost to France in February - and there aren't many weak areas in the team. One concern is that Philipp Lahm has been utilised largely as a right-back at Bayern, but he is the regular left-back in the national team. Low could switch his captain to the right, but he has limited options on the the opposite flank. It will also be interesting to see how Kroos is deployed. He has had a fantastic season at Bayern, but could find himself on the bench in the national set-up due to the competition in midfield. In attack, Low will have to choose between Mario Gomez and Klose, although the coach usually favours the Lazio man if fit.