A new series of Nessun Dorma starts with the first part of our deep dive into Euro 88, the last major tournament in Europe before the big bang of Italia 90. Martyn Ramsay, Gary Naylor and Rob Smyth set the scene for a much anticipated tournament. “Whatever happens,” wrote David Lacey in his preview for the Guardian, “the 1988 European Championship should set new standards on the field.”

Martyn, Gary and Rob discuss where football was at in 1988, recall the highlights of qualification – including Ireland’s favourite Scotsman and the Cypriot keeper who was almost blown up – and preview each team’s prospects ahead of the tournament. Were England valid second favourites? How much did we know about the Netherlands? And who was Matthias Herget?

The draw

Group 1 West Germany, Italy, Spain, Denmark

Group 2 England, Netherlands, USSR, Republic of Ireland

Pre-tournament odds

7/4 West Germany

5/1 England, Netherlands

13/2 Italy

7/1 USSR

11/1 Spain, Denmark

25/1 Republic of Ireland

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