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Euro 2016: Ultimate guide to the tournament

Euro 2016 kicks off on June 10, with the final a month later on July 10 - but who will come out on top?

Here, we take a closer look at all 24 teams competing in the France showpiece, including how they qualified, their key players and how they think they'll do in the tournament. 

Read on for our ultimate guide to the competition...

Group A

France

PARIS, FRANCE - MARCH 29:  Anthony Martial of France in action during the International Friendly match
Image: Anthony Martial will be a key man for France

Manager: Didier Deschamps

How they qualified: Hosts

Previous best at Euros: Winners (1984 & 2000)

Top scorer in qualifying: N/A

Also See:

Key player: Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)

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Fixtures

June 10 - Romania (8pm, Stade de France, Paris)
June 15 - Albania (8pm, Stade Velodrome, Marseille)
June 19 - Switzerland (8pm, Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille)

Odds of winning Euro 2016: 3/1 favourites

What they say: "We play to win. We are going to work for it and we are the hosts, hopefully the fans and crowd will be with us. It will be a good chance to go through the competition and win it." - midfielder, Yohan Cabaye.

Did you know: France have won eight of their last nine games ahead of Euro 2016, a run which included victories over Portugal, Germany and Netherlands.

Romania

Bogdan Stancu of Romania battles for the ball with Mario Gaspar of Spain during the International Friendly match between
Image: Romania had the best defence in qualifying

Manager: Anghel Iordanescu

How they qualified: Finished unbeaten in second behind Northern Ireland in Group F

Previous best in Euros: Quarter-finals (2000)

Top scorer at qualifying: Paul Papp, Constantin Budescu and Bogdan Stancu (2)

Key player: Vlad Chiriches (Napoli)

Fixtures (all times BST)

June 10 - France - (8pm, Stade de France, Paris)
June 15 - Switzerland - (5pm, Parc des Princes, Paris)
June 19 - Albania - (8pm, Parc OL, Lyon)

Odds of winning Euro 2016: 100/1

What they say: "There was pressure in qualifying, but at the moment of truth you prove you are the sort of team that can cope with this pressure. There isn't any bigger motivation than the one of being present at a final tournament." - defender, Razvan Rat

Did you know: Romania had the best defensive record of any side in qualifying, conceding just two goals in 10 games.

Switzerland

Switzerland midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri (left)
Image: Xherdan Shaqiri is aiming to inspire his Swiss team-mates

Manager: Vladimir Petkovic

How they qualified: Finished second behind England in Group E

Previous best in Euros: Group stage

Top scorer at qualifying: Josip Drmic and Xherdan Shaqiri (4)

Key player: Xherdan Shaqiri (Stoke)

Fixtures

June 11 - Albania (2pm, Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis, Lens)
June 15 - Romania (5pm, Parc des Princes, Paris)
June 19 - France (8pm, Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille)

Odds of winning Euro 2016: 40/1

What they say: "I want to make history with Switzerland. We want to play a good tournament. We have a tough group but I think we are a good team. We have very talented players, we have experience. When we play a good game, nobody can stop us." - midfielder, Xherdan Shaqiri

Did you know: Only Germany (181) had more shots than Switzerland (155) in qualifying.

Albania

Image: Ermir Lenjani celebrates in style for Albania

Manager: Gianni de Biasi

How they qualified: Finished second behind Portugal in Group I

Previous best at Euros: Have never previously qualified

Top scorer in qualifying: Seven players (one goal each)

Key player: Lorik Cana (Nantes)

Fixtures

June 11 - Switzerland (2pm, Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis, Lens)
June 15 - France (8pm, Stade Velodrome, Marseille)
June 19 - Romania (8pm, Parc OL, Lyon)

Odds of winning Euro 2016: 200/1

What they say: "I hope the country grows having these boys as an example. Few people believed we could have made it in the beginning, but we all made it. We all contributed to this achievement." - manager, Giani de Biasi

Did you know: Albania scored the fewest goals (seven) of any team to have qualified for Euro 2016.

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Euro 2016 squads in full

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Group B

England

England v Turkey - International Friendly
Image: Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy were the Premier League's two top scorers

Manager: Roy Hodgson

How they qualified: As Group E winners with a 100 per cent record

Previous best at Euros: Semi-finals (1968 & 1996)

Top scorer in qualifying: Wayne Rooney (7)

Key player: Harry Kane (Tottenham)

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Fixtures

June 11 - Russia (8pm, Stade Velodrome, Marseille)
June 16 - Wales (2pm, Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis, Lens)
June 20 - Slovakia (8pm, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne)

Odds of winning Euro 2016: 8/1

What they say: "I feel we've got a very good squad. It's probably the first time I've felt the squad is capable in any given game of matching any team. But obviously it's one thing having that, and another being able to do that consistently throughout a tournament." - forward, Wayne Rooney

Did you know: England faced the fewest shots in qualifying with 12. The next lowest was Russia with 22.

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England's route to Euro 2016 final

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Russia

Russia's Artem Dzyuba (R) celebrates with Dmitri Kombarov (C) and Roman Shirokov after scoring during the European Qualifier v Liechtenstein in Vaduz
Image: Russia face England in their opening game

Manager: Leonid Slutsky

How they qualified: Second in Group G behind Austria

Previous best at Euros: Semi-final (2008)

Top scorer in qualifying: Artem Dzyuba (8)

Key player: Roman Shirokov (CSKA Moscow)

Fixtures

June 11 - England (8pm, Stade Velodrome, Marseille)
June 15 - Slovakia (2pm, Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille)
June 20 - Wales (8pm, Stade Municipal, Toulouse)

Odds of winning Euro 2016: 40/1

What they say: "The Russian national team has many strong and experienced players. We are strong as a team. Out of the young players there is Aleksandr Golovin. He can really become a high-level player, but for this he has to work a lot. Oleg Shatov from is also very strong" - manager, Leonid Slutsky

Did you know: Russia were awarded a 3-0 victory against Montenegro in their final Euro 2016 qualifier in March last year after the match was abandoned due to attacks on their players.

Slovakia

Slovakia's Miroslav Stoch celebrates scoring his side's first goal of the game during an International Friendly at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Image: Former Chelsea youngster Miroslav Stoch will be in France with Slovakia

Manager: Jan Kozak

How they qualified: Second in Group C behind Spain

Previous best at Euros: Have never previously qualified

Top scorer in qualifying: Marek Hamsik (5)

Key player: Marek Hamsik (Napoli)

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Fixtures

June 11 - Wales (5pm, Matmut Atlantique, Bordeaux)
June 15 - Russia (2pm, Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille)
June 20- England (8pm, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne)

Odds of winning Euro 2016: 150/1

What they say: "I expect and I hope that we will be a tough team for any team we play." - manager, Jan Kozak

Did you know: Slovakia averaged just 43.5 per cent possession in qualifying, the lowest of any team to reach the finals.

Wales

Wales player Aaron Ramsey celebrates
Image: Wales' Aaron Ramsey is aiming to make an impression in France

Manager: Chris Coleman

How they qualified: Second in Group B behind Belgium

Previous best at Euros: Have never previously qualified

Top scorer in qualifying: Gareth Bale (7)

Key player: Gareth Bale (Real Madrid)

Fixtures

June 11 - Slovakia (5pm, Matmut Atlantique, Bordeaux)
June 16 - England (2pm, Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis, Lens)
June 20 - Russia (8pm, Stadium Municipal, Toulouse)

Odds of winning Euro 2016: 80/1

What they say: "Now that we are here we don't just want to be rolled over. Every game we play we want to make a statement. We're more than capable of doing that. We've worked our socks off to get here and we want to prove we're more than capable of matching the bigger nations." - midfielder, Aaron Ramsey

Did you know: Euro 2016 will be only the second major tournament that Wales have appeared in. They also featured at the 1958 World Cup.

Group C

Germany

MUNICH, GERMANY - APRIL 16:  Manuel Neuer, keeper of Muenchen reacts during the Bundesliga match between
Image: Manuel Neuer will be aiming to add to his World Cup winners' medal

Manager: Joachim Low

How they qualified: Won Group D

Previous best at Euros: Winners (1972, 1980, 1996)

Top scorer in qualifying: Thomas Muller (9)

Key player: Mesut Ozil (Arsenal)

Fixtures

June 12 - Ukraine (8pm, Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille)
June 16 - Poland, (8pm, Stade de France, Paris)
June 21 - Northern Ireland (5pm, Parc des Princes, Paris)  

Odds of winning Euro 2016: 7/2

What they say: "We are strong on the footballing side. Now it's important that we can find our team spirit and unconditional togetherness. Then we are capable of winning the tournament." - manager, Joachim Low

Did you know: Germany had the highest average possession in qualifying of 72 per cent.

Northern Ireland

Kyle Lafferty scored seven goals in the European Qualifiers for Northern Ireland
Image: Kyle Lafferty scored seven goals in qualifying for Northern Ireland

Manager: Michael O'Neill

How they qualified: Won Group F

Previous best at Euros: Have never previously qualified

Top scorer in qualifying: Kyle Lafferty (7)

Key player: Steven Davis (Southampton)

Fixtures

June 12 - Poland (5pm, Allianz Riviera, Nice)
June 16 - Ukraine (5pm, Parc OL, Lyon)
June 21 - Germany (5pm, Parc des Princes, Paris)

Odds of winning Euro 2016: 250/1

What they say: "The key is not to be beaten in the first game. I'm not expecting to be in the tournament on 10 July but, equally, I'm also hoping I'm not going home on 23 June either. We are the type of country no one wants to play." - manager, Michael O'Neill

Did you know: Northern Ireland scored the most goals from set-pieces in qualifying (nine).

Poland

WARSAW, POLAND - JUNE 08:  Robert Lewandowski of Poland celebrates scoring the opening goal during
Image: Poland will look to Robert Lewandowski to fire them to a successful tournament

Manager: Adam Nawalka

How they qualified: Finished second in Group D behind Germany

Previous best at Euros: Group stage (2008 & 2012)

Top scorer in qualifying: Robert Lewandowski (13)

Key player: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

Fixtures

June 12 - Northern Ireland (5pm, Allianz Riviera, Nice)
June 16 - Germany (8pm, Stade de France, Paris)
June 21 - Ukraine, (5pm, Stade Velodrome, Marseille)

Odds of winning Euro 2016: 50/1

What they say: "We are a team that has loads of good players and we should be competing for something more at big competitions, not just playing to get out of the group." - goalkeeper, Lukasz Fabianski

Did you know: Lewandowski's 13 goals in qualifying equalled the record set by David Healy in 2008.

Ukraine

Ukraine's Andriy Yarmolenko (C) shoots to score during the international friendly football match between Ukraine and Wales
Image: Andriy Yarmolenko is Ukraine's major threat

Manager: Mykhaylo Fomenko

How they qualified: Beat Slovenia 3-1 on aggregate in play-offs

Previous best at Euros: Group stage (2012)

Top scorer in qualifying: Andriy Yarmolenko (6)

Key player: Andriy Yarmolenko (Dynamo Kiev)

Fixtures

June 12 - Germany (8pm, Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille)
June 16 - Northern Ireland (5pm, Parc OL, Lyon)
June 21 - Poland (5pm, Stade Velodrome, Marseille)

Odds of winning Euro 2016: 66/1

What they say: "I am convinced that we deserved our ticket for the Euros. Now a lot of work is ahead of us as we hope to prepare well for France 2016." - manager, Mykhaylo Fomenko

Did you know: Before their victory over Slovenia in November, Ukraine had lost every one of their five previous play-offs to qualify for major competitions.

Group D

Croatia

Ivan Rakitic of Croatia in action
Image: Ivan Rakitic will be at the heart of Croatia's midfield

Manager: Ante Cacic

How they qualified: Finished second in Group H behind Italy

Previous best at Euros: Quarter-finals (1996 & 2008)

Top scorer in qualifying: Ivan Perisic (6)

Key player: Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona)

Fixtures

June 12 - Turkey (2pm, Parc des Princes, Paris)
June 17 - Czech Republic (5pm, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne)
June 21 - Spain (8pm, Matmut Atlantique, Bordeaux)

Odds of winning Euro 2016: 25/1

What they say: "Our defence for Euro 2016 is strong. We have quality players." - defender, Tin Jedvaj

Did you know: Croatia were shown three red cards during their qualifying campaign - more than any other side. Duje Cop, captain Darijo Srna and Vedran Corluka were the culprits.

Czech Republic

Petr Cech is likely to feature for Czech Republic
Image: Petr Cech will keep goal for Czech Republic

Manager: Pavel Vrba

How they qualified: Won Group A

Previous best at Euros: Runners-up (1996)

Top scorer in qualifying: Borek Dockal (4)

Key player: Petr Cech (Arsenal)

Fixtures

June 13 - Spain (2pm, Stadium Municipal, Toulouse)
June 17 - Croatia (5pm, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne)
June 21 - Turkey (8pm, Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis, Lens)

Odds of winning Euro 2016: 100/1

What they say: "I'm not sure yet what the potential of this team is. We are happy to qualify and we have time to prepare. Let's see what will happen." - goalkeeper, Petr Cech

Did you know: The Czechs conceded 14 goals in qualifying, more than any other side to qualify for Euro 2016.

Spain

David Silva of Spain battles for the ball with Mihai Pintilii of Romania during the International Friendly match between Romania and Spain
Image: David Silva will be an important figure for Spain

Manager: Vicente del Bosque

How they qualified: Won Group C

Previous best at Euros: Winners (1964, 2008, 2012)

Top scorer in qualifying: Paco Alcacer (5)

Key player: David Silva (Manchester City)

Fixtures

June 13 - Czech Republic (2pm, Stadium Municipal, Toulouse)
June 17 - Turkey (8pm, Allianz Riviera, Nice)
June 21 - Croatia (8pm, Matmut Atlantique, Bordeaux)

Odds of winning Euro 2016: 11/2

What they say: "If we make the semi-finals I would be happy, I'm telling you the truth. Even though some would consider not winning it a failure." - manager, Vicente del Bosque

Did you know: Spain are aiming for a third consecutive European Championship triumph. They are the only country in history to have won the competition twice in a row.

Turkey

Arda Turan celebrates Turkey's qualification for Euro 2016
Image: Arda Turan celebrates Turkey's qualification for Euro 2016

Manager: Fatih Terim

How they qualified: Third-placed team with the best record

Previous best at Euros: Semi-finals (2008)

Top scorer in qualifying: Burak Yilmaz (4)

Key player: Arda Turan (Barcelona)

Fixtures

June 12 - Croatia (2pm, Parc des Princes, Paris)
June 17 - Spain (8pm, Allianz Riviera, Nice)
June 21 - Czech Republic (8pm, Stade Felix Bollaert-Delelis, Lens)

Odds of winning Euro 2016: 66/1

What they say: "We will not have fear from anyone and try to enjoy our football on the pitch. I am fully confident of my players. I believe we can do very interesting work there. We can introduce new starlets." - manager, Fatih Terim

Did you know: Having failed to qualify in their first nine UEFA European Championship campaigns, Turkey have reached four of the last six final tournaments.

Group E

Belgium

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - NOVEMBER 13:  Eden Hazard of Belgium in action during the international friendly match between Belgium and Italy at King Baudouin Stadi
Image: Eden Hazard will hope to have an impressive tournament with Belgium

Manager: Marc Wilmots

How they qualified: Won Group B

Previous best at Euros: Runners-up (1980)

Top scorer in qualifying: Eden Hazard (5)

Key player: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)

Fixtures

June 13 - Italy (8pm, Parc OL, Lyon)
June 18 - Republic of Ireland (2pm, Matmut Atlantique, Bordeaux)
June 22 - Sweden (8pm, Allianz Riviera, Nice)

Odds of winning Euro 2016: 11/1

What they say: "I am convinced that Belgium have a team that can win the European Championship. Of course, everything needs to go well, but we will be aiming for the trophy." - defender, Jan Vertonghen

Did you know: Belgium are the highest ranked European team in FIFA's world rankings. Marc Wilmots side are second, ahead of Germany (fifth) and Spain (sixth).

Italy

Italy's Graziano Pelle celebrates after scoring against England
Image: Southampton's Graziano Pelle has been named in Italy's squad

Manager: Antonio Conte

How they qualified: Won Group H after unbeaten campaign

Previous best at Euros: Winners (1968)

Top scorer in qualifying: Graziano Pelle (3)

Key player: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus)

Fixtures

June 13 - Belgium (8pm, Parc OL, Lyon)
June 17 - Sweden (2pm, Stadium Municipal, Toulouse)
June 22 - Republic of Ireland (8pm, Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille)

Odds of winning Euro 2016: 16/1

What they say: "I want to face this tournament in the best way possible. I always talk about work - we need to work with our head down and give all we have to do something beautiful." - manager, Antonio Conte

Did you know: Five of Italy's seven wins in the group stage were by a one-goal margin.

Republic of Ireland

Netherlands goalkeeper Jasper Cilessen is closed down by Jonathan Walters
Image: Jonathan Walters will lead the line for the Republic of Ireland

Manager: Martin O'Neill

How they qualified: Beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-1 on aggregate in a play-off

Previous best at Euros: Group stage (1988 & 2012)

Top scorer in qualifying: Robbie Keane and Jon Walters (5)

Key player: Jon Walters (Stoke)

Fixtures

June 13 - Sweden (5pm, Stade de France, Paris)
June 18 - Belgium (2pm, Matmut Atlantique, Bordeaux)
June 22 - Italy (8pm, Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille)

Odds of winning Euro 2016: 100/1

What they say: "Ultimately when you get to a major tournament, the first aim when you make the 23, you want to get out of the group, that's the key. The atmosphere and enthusiasm around the group have got stronger and stronger throughout this campaign. It's a different squad, different management and there are lots of different elements involved in it to make me believe that it's going to be very different [to previous tournaments]." - John O'Shea

Did you know: The Republic of Ireland's 2-1 away loss to Poland in October 2015 saw the joint-highest number of fouls committed in any game during the qualifying rounds (44). The match saw six yellow cards and a red for John O'Shea.

Sweden

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - NOVEMBER 17:  Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Sweden celebrates after the UEFA EURO
Image: Sweden's main man Zlatan Ibrahimovic will expect to make his mark

Manager: Erik Hamren

How they qualified: Beat Denmark 4-3 on aggregate in a play-off

Previous best at Euros: Semi-finals (1992)

Top scorer in qualifying: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (11)

Key player: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG)

Fixtures

June 13 - Republic of Ireland (5pm, Stade de France, Paris)
June 17 - Italy (2pm, Stadium Municipal, Toulouse)
June 22 - Belgium (8pm, Allianz Riviera, Nice)

Odds of winning Euro 2016: 66/1

What they say: "Ibrahimovic is our match-winner, our captain, our only world-class player. But we need to be a unit. I think that's one of the reasons we have been successful. We have a captain who takes huge responsibility for the team, but also the team take responsibility for him. That's the good chemistry we have in our squad." - manager, Erik Hamren

Did you know: Sweden qualified through the play-offs after beating Scandinavian rivals Denmark. It was the first time they have reached the European Championship through that route.

Group F

Austria

Marko Arnautovic
Image: Marko Arnautovic will be integral to any Austrian success

Manager: Marcel Koller

How they qualified: Won Group G after unbeaten campaign

Previous best at Euros: Group stage (2008)

Top scorer in qualifying: Marc Janko (7)

Key player: Marko Arnautovic (Stoke)

Fixtures

June 14 - Hungary (5pm, Matmut Atlantique, Bordeaux)
June 18 - Portugal (8pm, Parc des Princes, Paris)
June 22 - Iceland (5pm, Stade de France, Paris)

Odds of winning Euro 2016: 40/1

What they say: "We have a very good team, most of our players are playing in the German Bundesliga and even four or five now play in the Premier League. With the national side, though, in the last few years the development of the Austrian football team has been incredible." - defender, Kevin Wimmer

Did you know: Austria had the second highest points tally from the qualifying groups (28), beaten only by England's perfect 30.

Hungary

Greece's defender Kostas Manolas (R) vies with Hungary's midfielder Zoltan Gera during the Euro 2016 qualifying football match between Hungary and Greece a
Image: Zoltan Gera will be at Euro 2016 with Hungary

Manager: Bernd Storck

How they qualified: Beat Norway 3-1 on aggregate in play-off

Previous best at Euros: Semi-finals (1964 & 1972)

Top scorer in qualifying: Daniel Bode, Tamas Priskin and Krisztian Nemeth (2)

Key player: Tamas Priskin (Slovan Bratislava)

Fixtures

June 14 - Austria (5pm, Matmut Atlantique, Bordeaux)
June 18 - Iceland (5pm, Stade Velodrome, Marseille)
June 22 - Portugal (5pm, Parc OL, Lyon)

Odds of winning Euro 2016: 200/1

What they say: "We have a lot of players who don't play very often in their clubs. I told them to play without fear and you will have success." - manager, Bernd Storck

Did you know: Hungary picked up a whopping 38 yellow cards during their qualifying campaign - more than any other side - but never had a player sent off.

Iceland

Iceland celebrate Gylfi Sigurdsson's goal
Image: Gylfi Sigurdsson (left) is Iceland's star player

Manager: Lars Lagerback

How they qualified: Finished second in Group A behind Czech Republic

Previous best at Euros: Have never previously qualified

Top scorer in qualifying: Gylfi Sigurdsson (6)

Key player: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea)

Fixtures

June 14 - Portugal (8pm, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne)
June 18 - Hungary (5pm, Stade Velodrome, Marseille)
June 22 - Austria (5pm, Stade de France, Paris)

Odds of winning Euro 2016: 100/1

What they say: "I think it's a natural thing for us to be underdogs. If you're a country of 320,000 people you're always going to be the underdog, against the majority of teams anyway." - forward, Eidur Gudjohnsen

Did you know: Euro 2016 will be Iceland's first major tournament in their history, with their previous best being their defeat to Croatia in the 2014 World Cup play-offs.

Portugal

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - SEPTEMBER 06:  Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal celebrates scoring
Image: Can Cristiano Ronaldo fire Portugal to glory?

Manager: Fernando Santos

How they qualified: Won Group I

Previous best at Euros: Runners-up (2004)

Top scorer in qualifying: Cristiano Ronaldo (5)

Key player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

Fixtures

June 14 - Iceland (8pm, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne)
June 18 - Austria (8pm, Parc des Princes, Paris)
June 22 - Hungary (5pm, Parc OL, Lyon)

Odds of winning Euro 2016: 20/1

What they say: "I don't believe in easy groups or difficult groups. What I believe in is work - it's by working that we get results. We have to respect all our opponents and find solutions to beat them." - manager, Fernando Santos

Did you know: Portugal have made it past the first round in all six European Championships they have featured in and are the only side in the tournament's history to have made it to a home final and lost (Euro 2004 against Greece). 

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