The European Championships are flying by, with only seven matches left. Most of the home nations may have headed home, but this is a tournament worth keeping an eye on. So far it’s given us a lot of late drama, and quite a few shocks. Will we get more of the same this weekend?
The quarters are four very different matches, some mismatched, some stellar. Germany v Italy is obviously the stand out, while Belgium are massive favourites to beat Wales. Few would have expected Poland or Portugal to get this far, but they’re meeting in Marseille on Thursday. Even fewer would have backed Iceland, and they’re taking on hosts France. Here we’ve previewed each of those clashes, and we’ve picked out a betting tip for each.
Thursday 30th June 2016
Poland v Portugal (20:00) – Draw (21/10 with Sky Bet)
Can Cristiano Ronaldo get back to his best in order to get his country into the semis? Portugal have a great chance to make the next round, but they’re going to face fierce resistance from a strong Poland defence.
While the Poles have a strong forward line, they’ve not hit it off in France quite yet. They showed against Switzerland last time out that they’re capable of digging in and taking a game to extra time, and surely they’ll be able to do the same here. While Portugal have attacking talent, they look very blunt up front.
The Portuguese dug in themselves in the last round, forcing extra time with Croatia. While they probably aren’t going to play for extra time on this occasion, they’ll be trying to keep things tight. They pushed for the win against Hungary and conceded three and they can’t afford to do that here.
Both sides will be nervy, and that should lead to a cagey game. We can see this clash going the distance once again, it’s difficult to pick a winner between them. We’re backing the draw in this one at 21/10, as we think things won’t be settled by the end of normal time, with two evenly matched nations.
Friday 1st July 2016
Wales v Belgium (20:00) – Over 1.5 Belgium goals (21/20 with Betfair)
Wales are playing their biggest game ever this week, but can they shock Belgium? The side ranked second in the world won 4-0 against Hungary in the last round, and they’re growing into this tournament. After their opening game defeat, they’ve won three straight matches. In that time they’ve hit eight goals, and their attacking talent is starting to gel up front. With this Welsh side looking shaky at the back at times, they’re going to need an incredible performance to keep things tight here. Going into this clash, you can see why the Red Devils are odds on favourites.
They’ve been handed a good draw, which gives Belgium a great chance of making the final. Wales will be hoping for a repeat of their qualifying success against the Belgians, but they’ve got a big gap to bridge. While Gareth Bale can inspire them, there’s such depth for Marc Wilmots to call upon.
This Belgian golden generation is very attack-heavy, but they can make that work here. We’ve seen what they can do going forward, and we’re backing them to impress again. Wales haven’t quite been the same defensively this summer, and we see them letting in a couple of goals in this clash. We’re going with over 1.5 Belgian goals at 21/20 with Betfair.
Saturday 2nd July 2016
Germany v Italy (20:00) – Italy to qualify (6/4 with Betfair)
The tie of the round, and arguably the tournament, sees Italy taking on the world champions. Having dumped the Spanish out in the last round, Italy are faced with an even bigger challenge here. Antonio Conte impressed quite a few as his side beat Spain, but how much further can he take them?
The Italians were expected to make an early exit, but they’ve got such a strong unit that they’re a side to fear. That’s especially true for Germany, as they’ve never beaten Italy at a major finals. Can they reverse that poor record here, or will Conte’s men move into the semis?
Germany had a strong win in the last round, but they’ve not been that convincing so far. Their group stage results were fine, but they never put in a really strong performance. It’s hard to tell if they’re playing well now, as Slovakia weren’t the most difficult last 16 opposition.
Italy have a real togetherness built up, and they have a manager who is tactically astute. We compared them to Atletico Madrid taking on Barcelona ahead of the Spain game, this one is like Atletico against Bayern Munich. Conte’s team are so solid and well drilled that we see them booking a spot in the last four. At 6/4 with Betfair to qualify, you have to be tempted to back them.
Sunday 3rd July 2016
France v Iceland (20:00) – Both teams to score (11/8 with Sky Bet)
Iceland are heading into a massive fixture against France in Paris, and they’ll believe they can win this game. They showed their confidence against England, and look where that got them. Nothing has stopped Iceland so far, they’ve been easily the team of the tournament. Neutrals worldwide will be willing them on against France, but what chance do they have of causing a shock? It’s not something to rule out.
France have proven again and again here that they have defensive issues. They looked wide open in their first two group games, and they were caught napping by the Irish on Sunday.
Ireland could have scored more than once with a little more pace and composure, which is something Iceland have. They’re a side packed with energy and they’re used to taking chances when they come. They’ll have opportunities to get past this French side, and we’re backing them to get a goal. France may have too much for them, but we’re backing both teams to score here at 11/8 with Sky Bet.
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