Team Talk / Dave Farrar / 06 June 2008 / Leave a comment

We all know about the Cristiano Ronaldos and Franck Riberys of Euro 2008, but what do you really know about the likes of Dani Guiza and Dorin Goian? Not much? Worry not, Dave Farrar certainly knows a thing or two about them.

Because so many of them play in England and the Champions league is so popular, the top stars from overseas are pretty well known to an educated betting public. So there's little point in telling Betfair readers about Karim Benzema, Franck Ribery and Cristiano Ronaldo. There will be some little known talent on view at Euro 2008 though, and below are six players that have stayed off the radar for various reasons, and that you might grow to love as the tournament takes its course.

Bafetimbi GOMIS

Two months ago, Gomis was nowhere near the French squad, and his journey to making the cut for Euro 2008 has been an extraordinary one, driven on by his 15 goals for St Etienne and Raymond Domenech's urge to be different. He won't start for France, but, given their potential problems (they go by the names of Thierry and Nico) in front of goal, he may become a star as an impact substitute, like David Trezeguet eight years ago. Gomis is an awkward looking player, and one Premier League club's European scout told me recently that they wouldn't look at him because "his arse is too big, and he looks clumsy." One thing Gomis does have is the ability to score, as he showed on his two goal debut just a week ago. There have been plenty of nearly men strikers in France in the past five years, and during the Euros, Gomis carries the flame for Piquionne, Luyindula and all of the ones that got away.

Fabio QUAGLIARELLA

Another substitute, although one who may well play his way into the Italian starting line up. Quagliarella has a penchant for scoring crucial and spectacular goals, never more so than the two he got on his first start against Lithuania. The flaw in his game is his inability to take more simple chances, and his goalscoring record for Udinese is nowhere near what it ought to be, scoring 13 and 12 in the last two seasons. He has bags of class and is attracting lots of interest from Premier League clubs because of his ability to play both as a front man and in the hole. Watch out for passes from improbable angles and thirty-five yard volleys.

Dani GUIZA

Guiza's career was going nowhere just a couple of years ago. He was playing for Getafe, not scoring, and approaching the kind of age when he was on the way to becoming a lower league journeyman. Then he met a woman called Nuria Bermudez in Madrid, the self confessed football groupie fell for him, and has been the power behind the Guiza throne ever since. His move to Real Mallorca breathed life into his career, and 16 goals in his last 13 La Liga games made sure that he ended the season as the league's top scorer. He's a modern day Ismael Urzaiz and is the form striker for any country going into the tournament.

Marcell JANSEN

By common consent, Phillip Lahm of Germany was the best left back at the last World Cup, and yet he won't start Euro 2008 in that position because of Bayern Munich's Marcell Jansen. Lahm has switched to right back to accommodate the buccaneering Jansen, who is part of a new trend for attacking full backs in Germany, with Heiko Westermann of Schalke and Clemens Fritz of Bremen also on the list. He is a brilliant crosser, and, in a German squad with three big aerial threats in Gomez, Klose and Kuranyi, Jansen's performances will be key, and he'll soon be known to a much wider audience.

Dorin GOIAN

Clubs looking for the new Nemanja Vidic need look no further. The huge Dorin Goian towers over his Romanian colleagues and leads their watertight defence with bravery and consistency. He's so good that Victor Piturca moved Cristian Chivu to the centre of midfield to accommodate Goian in the side and it's a move that has paid off. Piturca, a top class striker in his playing days, recognises the value of a powerhouse centre back, and also appreciates Goian's use at attacking set pieces. His three goals in qualifying, including the winner against Holland, mean that he is one to watch in the "to score" markets.

ARDA Turan

21 years old, blisteringly quick, and seven goals from midfield last season for Galatasaray. There's a lot of excitement in Turkey about Arda, and while scouts will wonder whether he will be able to play outside of his own country at club level, at international level he could really thrive in Austria and Switzerland. He can play on the right and in the middle but is most effective as a marauding left winger. His job will be to supply Nihat and Tuncay, and if he fires creatively, then Turkey could be the shock team of Euro 2008.

Tags: Dani Guiza, Euro 2008 players, Fabio Quagliarella