Denmark will need to overcome a @@@@ group containing @@@@ if it wants to advance to the Euro 2016 finals in France.

While @@@, one of the top seeds in the draw, will be favourites to win the group, Denmark, which was one of the second seeds, should be marginal second favourites ahead of @@@ to take the other automatic qualifying spot.

Should Denmark finish third in the six-team group, it will need to win a playoff against another third-finishing side – unless it is the team with the best record across the nine groups.

Perennial challengers
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Only one slip-up since 1984
As a side that hasn’t strayed outside the top 24 in Europe for over 30 years, Denmark should not only fancy its chances of qualifying from this group, but of starting to regard the continental tournament as a regular date in its footballing calendar.  

In just 24 years, the European Championship will have expanded in size from an eight-team tournament (in 1992) to cater for 24, and in 2016, it will adopt the same format as the World Cup from 1986 until 1994: six groups from which the top two and the best four third-place finishers will advance to a round of 16.

Since qualifying for its first finals in 1984, Denmark has only failed to qualify one tournament: Euro 2008. During that time, Denmark has advanced beyond the group stage three times: 1984 (semis), 1992 (winners) and 2004 (quarters). In 1964, when the finals featured just four teams, Denmark finished fourth.