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After a year's delay, the European Championships are almost upon us at last. In just a few months' time, 24 teams from across the continent will take to the pitch to battle it out and vie for the coveted UEFA trophy.
Among the favourites are the usual suspects of Germany, France, Spain and Italy, with perennial also-rans England, Belgium and the Netherlands joined by current holders Portugal as the nations who are most hotly tipped to emerge as winners.
But can any unfancied teams repeat the feat of Greece in 2004 and claim an unlikely victory? Here's a quick run-through our tips of dark horses for this year's tournament.
Croatia
Given that Croatia reached the final of the most recent major tournament that they participated in, it seems a little unfair to refer to them as dark horses.
However, visitors to Bitcoin sports betting sites can take advantage of attractive odds for the World Cup 2018 runners-up.
Granted, several of the star players of that squad have since hung up their international boots (such as Mario Mandžukić and Ivan Rakitić), while others are arguably past their peak (like Luka Modrić and Ivan Perišić).
However, they're still a well-drilled unit which could cause problems for most teams in the world.
Poland
Any team containing the world's best striker as voted by FourFourTwo magazine can never be written off in a major tournament.
Poland are a curious case in that despite having the firepower of Robert Lewandowski and other major talents including Wojciech Szczęsny, Jan Bednarek, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Mateusz Klich, Arkadiusz Milik and Krzysztof Piątek at their disposal, they've not really made a serious impression on the global stage.
Perhaps 2021 could be the year that all changes. Drawn into a group from which they could conceivably qualify with relative ease, Poland will be setting their sights on progressing throughout the knockout stages as far as possible.
Wales
After emerging as shock semi-finalists in 2016, could Wales go one better this time around? They've flown largely under the radar since that impressive performance, but with talisman Gareth Bale back playing regularly at Tottenham and approaching something close to his finest form, they could be an interesting outside bet for unlikely glory.
That's especially true given the talents elsewhere in their squad: Ben Davies, Daniel James and Aaron Ramsey all play at a high level, while Harry Wilson, David Brooks, Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu and Neco Williams show great potential for the future. Could the Dragons breathe fire this summer?
Denmark
Aside from the imperious Belgium, Denmark will fancy their chances of besting the other two teams in their group, Russia and Finland. Once in the knockout stages, it could come down to a luck of the draw for who they face next.
However, a strong spine of Kasper Schmeichel, Simon Kjær, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Christian Eriksen makes them a solid proposition; they're perhaps only let down by their lack of a prolific striker to cause the opposition defence problems.
That certainly didn't stop Greece in 2004, however, and in Eriksen, they have a player capable of unlocking even the most stubborn of backlines. Therefore, Denmark could be a dark horse capable of galloping all the way to the finish line.
