but is ready to act should it need to

 LONDON -- It used to be that the only thing to expect from Spain at major tournaments was that it would fall short of expectations. . These days, that would mean anything short of bringing home the title. Having gone from perennial underachiever to the top of world football, Spain will be the team with the biggest target on its back at the European Championship. "Our problem now is that we are not arriving to the final phase of the Euros like we did four years ago," Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas said. "Then, the other teams knew us but we surprised people little by little until we deservedly won the tournament. Now, all the other national teams know how Spain plays and they are going to make it tough for us." And theres no shortage of challengers hoping to knock the defending champions off their perch. The Netherlands may again prove to be the biggest obstacle, bringing back most of the team that lost to Spain in extra time in the 2010 World Cup final. But the other usual suspects are credible contenders as well, with Germany, Italy, France, Portugal and England all bringing strong teams to Poland and Ukraine for the June 8-July 1 tournament. And, since this is the Euros, no team can really be discounted off hand -- as Greece showed in 2004 and Denmark did in 1992. But until anyone proves otherwise, Spain is still the team to beat. Having built a reputation as a country that always came up short in major tournaments, Spain finally managed to ride its attack-minded style of football all the way to the title at Euro 2008, then followed it up by winning the World Cup two years later. This time they are without injured striker David Villa -- who played a key role in both those title runs -- but still have a wealth of talent led by Barcelona midfield duo Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta. If Fernando Torres can rediscover his scoring form, Spain has every chance of continuing its modern dynasty and becoming the first team to defend its European title. "We believe we have a great generation of players," Xavi said. "The whole world is keeping an eye on the team and there is a certain pressure, but a good one." That also means theres less pressure on every other team, which they seem to view as a good thing as well. One common theme in the pre-tournament talk is that many of the traditional powers are trying to set themselves up as underdogs. "The Italy team is not going there as one of the favourites to win the European Championship," said Italy coach Cesare Prandelli, whose team faces Spain, Ireland and Croatia in Group C. "But I like to say that Italians know how to surprise." France midfielder Samir Nasri was even more modest, saying his team may struggle even to advance from Group D, where it will face England, Sweden and co-host Ukraine. France is one of the biggest question marks of the tournament but is eager to make up for a disastrous 2010 World Cup, where it failed to win a game and imploded among infighting. "Were a young team lacking in experience, so were not favourite in the group," Nasri said. "France hasnt played well in an international competition since 2006." The Germans, at least, are willing to say theyre ready to take on Spain, which it lost to in the World Cup semifinals in South Africa. "The Spaniards have a strong team, but weve gotten closer. Weve gotten better," Germany midfielder Mesut Oezil said. "Our goal is to win the title." To do that, Germany first has to get out of the toughest group of the tournament, having been drawn with the Netherlands, Portugal and Denmark -- all four of which are ranked in the top 10 by FIFA. "Were all aware how difficult our group is," said Portugal coach Paul Bento, who will rely on Cristiano Ronaldo to guide the team through the opening round. The Dutch are expected to bring back 10 members of the starting lineup from the World Cup final, including creative quartet Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, Robin van Persie and Rafael van der Vaart. That means the Oranje are likely to stay true to their high-scoring, entertaining style of football -- regardless of the opposition. "You have to find the right balance, and (coach Bert Van Marwijk) wants to go back to what we had at the World Cup," Netherlands midfielder Nigel De Jong said. Euro 2012 kicks off on June 8 with co-host Poland playing Greece in Group A, which also includes Russia and the Czech Republic and is seen by many as the weakest in the tournament without any top contenders. Of course, Greece knows better than most how to spring a surprise. "Greeks have a passion for football and I know my players will be determined," Greece coach Fernando Santos said. "We have some problems but thats no excuse. We are not going for a holiday." . Om, who stands just 1.52 metres tall, also set an Olympic record when he cleared 168 kilograms in the clean and jerk in the mens 56-kilogram category. . Visiting Celta led at the Anoeta Stadium four minutes after the restart when Enrique De Lucas blasted Iago Aspas short pass into the roof of the net. Five minutes later, Antoine Griezmanns run along the outside of the area froze Celtas defence and allowed the French midfielder to find Agirretxe alone on the left to equalize. . The South African completed a 3-under 69 in the rain-delayed third round, then closed with a 68 for a three-stroke victory over Scotlands Stephen Gallacher. . -- The Baltimore Ravens have agreed to a two-year contract with former Cincinnati Bengals starting offensive guard Bobbie Williams. . -- Junior Dos Santos got into only a few street fights as a kid in Brazil, and he doesnt remember winning any of them. TORONTO - The National Hockey League says its keeping an eye on the swine flus progression after Washington Capitals forward Quintin Laing became at least the third player to be diagnosed with the illness. Capitals spokesman Nate Ewell told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Laing is being treated for H1N1 and is being kept away from the rest of the team. Edmonton Oilers defenceman Ladislav Smid and Colorado Avalanche goalie Peter Budaj also have the swine flu, their teams said Tuesday. The NHL has adopted no specific plans to try to contain the illnesss spread, but is ready to act should it need to. We have been regularly providing our clubs with updated information and recommendations as they become available, the NHL said in a statement released to The Canadian Press. We have not mandated specific precautions or courses of action. The league is monitoring the progression of the flu, but have implemented no specific contingency plans at this point in time. However, we will be prepared to do so should it become necessary. Laing ssat out Washingtons 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night and will miss at least the next two games, too. . Ewell said no other members of the Capitals have shown symptoms of the swine flu. Smid logged nearly 20 minutes of ice time in Edmontons 3-0 loss to Colorado on Tuesday and did not miss any games due to his illness. There are no other confirmed cases among the Oilers players, coaches and support staff, although the team has been hit hard by players suffering from seasonal flu illnesses as well as flu-like symptoms. The biggest thing is that our doctor has been talking to our players and we are doing everything to stay on top of this, Oilers head coach Pat Quinn said Tuesday. We have been cautious from Day 1 and hopefully we will be prepared to help our players get through this thing if indeed more players do contract the flu. Budaj didnt accompany the Avalanche for the start of their four-game road trip, though he hopes to rejoin the team before it returns home. - With files from The Associated Press. ' ' '