We are down to the last eight in UEFA Euro 2024, and The Hard Tackle tries to predict how things could pan out in the quarter-finals.
After a blockbuster 2023/24 season where he saw numerous incredible stories like that of Bayer Leverkusen and Girona, the UEFA Euro 2024 has also lived up to the hype thanks to teams like Georgia, Romania, Austria, and Slovakia. We have come across some sensational underdog stories, and every match seems to have delivered.
While the majority of the underdogs have not been able to make it to the quarter-finals, we have some massive clashes lined up between the best teams in Europe for a place in the semi-final.
Luis de la Fuente’s new look Spain will go up against hosts Germany while Euro 2016 finalists France and Portugal will once again square up against each other. The Netherlands will face a tough test in the form of an exciting Turkiye team, which houses some future stars. Meanwhile, England will battle Switzerland for a place in the last four.
Before we make predictions on how things could pan out in the quarter-finals, it must be noted that the predictions are based on how teams have played so far. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at every team’s run so far and gives you the verdict on how things could pan out in the next round.
Spain vs Germany
The two most successful teams in the history of the European Championship are all set to square up against each other in the UEFA Euro 2024 quarter-finals. Both teams have lifted the silverware on three occasions and are fighting for their fourth title.
Julian Nagelsmann’s team had a flying start to the tournament as they won the opening fixture 5-1 against Scotland. They came out of the group stage without much trouble and got past Denmark in the round of 16 without much trouble.
As far as Spain are concerned, they won all their group games and managed to smash Georgia 4-1 in the round of 16 fixture to book their place in the last eight of UEFA Euro 2024. They went behind early in the game against Georgia but completely dominated them to bounce back.
Both Spain and Germany have been playing some quality football of late. They could be considered two of the most in-form teams at the Euros this year. However, only one of them can make it to the semi-finals.
Both teams like to dominate possession and control the tempo of the game. However, on Friday, only one of them will be able to dictate the pace, and that might be the hosts because they have the more experienced midfielders who could give them an edge.
While Spain could be very dangerous on the break, the midfield is where the battle will be won. Expect both teams to find the back of the net in an encounter which will be evenly contested. But, in the end, Germany might come out on top by the smallest of margins.
Portugal vs France
France will be looking to avenge the loss they suffered in the final of Euro 2016 at the hands of Portugal. Both teams have star-studded lineups, but neither team has been firing on all cylinders.
The 2018 World Cup winners have made it to the top eight without scoring a goal from open play. On the back of own goals and a Kylian Mbappe penalty, they have managed to finish second in their group with one win and two draws. In the round-of-16 fixture against Belgium, an 85th-minute Jan Vertonghen own goal was enough to secure their win.
Portugal secured the top spot in their group by winning their first two group games. They made some major changes to their XI for the game against Georgia and suffered a defeat at their hands. In the round of 16 fixture, Slovenia almost edged past them but thanks to Diogo Costa’s heroics in the penalty shootout, they gear up for the quarter-final fixture against France.
The 2022 World Cup finalists are expected to dominate the ball in this fixture, which might actually help a team like Portugal, who could use their pace to hit them on the break. Given how dangerous France could be on the break, Roberto Martínez will be happy to let them have the ball.
Having said that, they will have to be wary of the attacking threat Didier Deschamps’s team possesses. They might not have scored from open play yet, but they have created a truckload of chances. Expect them to find the back of the net at least once.
While France will be the dominant team, Portugal will have the opportunities to find the back of the net on the counter and if they can manage to score twice, they should be through to the next round.
England vs Switzerland
England will clearly be the favourites heading into this quarter-final fixture against Switzerland. While Gareth Southgate has one of the most dangerous squads at Euro 2024, his players have not been able to reach the expected levels yet.
The Three Lions won their opening group game against Serbia but could not get the better of Denmark and Serbia. They did finish top of their group to square up against Slovakia in the round of 16.
While the Three Lions dominated the ball and created quite a few chances, they were on the verge of getting knocked out but Jude Bellingham’s equaliser in injury time helped them push the game into extra time, where Harry Kane helped them secure the win.
Switzerland also secured a win in their opening group game against Hungary and then played out a draw each against Scotland and Germany to finish second. After securing a hard-fought draw against the hosts, they squared up against defending champions Italy in the round of 16.
To everyone’s surprise, they were the better team on the night against the Azzurri. Switzerland created more chances, and they ended up securing an easy 2-0 win to book a place in the last eight.
If the English players play to their full potential, Switzerland won’t stand a chance. Having said that, it looks unlikely that Gareth Southgate’s team will be playing the free-flowing dominant football everyone expects from them.
The Swiss do have an outside chance, but it will mostly depend on how Granit Xhaka and Remo Freuler perform in the centre of the park. It won’t be a one-sided game, but England are still expected to go through because of the bench strength they have.
Netherlands vs Turkiye
While we have some heavyweight clashes lined up in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, this fixture between the Netherlands and Turkiye could be the most exciting one, where we should have end-to-end action for most parts. While the Oranje have history on their side and will have the tags of favourites, this Turks have a lot of quality in their ranks and they won’t go down without a fight.
Ronald Koeman’s charges started the campaign with a 2-1 win over Poland and followed it up with a draw against France. However, they ended up suffering a shocking defeat at the hands of Austria in their final group game.
While things were not really clicking for them in the group stages, they secured a sensational 3-0 win over Romania in the round of 16. It was an all-out attack from the Dutch and given how they played, Turkiye are in for a tough night.
Vincenzo Montella’s team started their campaign with a 3-1 win against Georgia. While they did lose 3-0 to Portugal, they did not really go in with their best XI to preserve themselves for the game against Czechia, which they won 2-1 to finish second in Group F.
Turkiye squared up against Austria in their round of 16. They were second best in terms of possession, shots taken and shots on target but still ended up winning the game 2-1. They do have some exceptional players in their ranks, one of them being Real Madrid’s wonderkid Arda Güler, who could do a lot of damage. It will still be very difficult for them to go past the Netherlands who have hit top gear at the best possible time.
