After a dramatic end to the group stages, the Euro 2016 knockout matches are about to get underway. After a few tame affairs and one sided games, this is where things get really serious. The draw has paired up some of the biggest sides in Europe, which makes the first half of the draw look a little light in comparison.
The first half of the games aren’t as packed with talent as the second, but there are some interesting matchups here. There’s a lot less between the sides in these games, and there’s history too. Wales are taking on Northern Ireland, while the Republic of Ireland face France. Here we’ve gone through the first four games of the last 16 and picked out what we believe are the best bets for each match.
Saturday 25th June 2016
Switzerland v Poland (14:00) – Under 1.5 goals (5/4 with Betfair)
This isn’t exactly the most glamourous fixture for the tournament to return to. Neither of these two are that strong going forward, so we don’t expect a great game here. There’s not much that makes us want to watch this game, but after almost three days without football we’ll be dying to watch any game – especially with a bet on! These are two sides who wouldn’t have been aiming for the quarter finals, but they’re right on the edge. That does mean that they’re likely to be very closed up in this one.
Switzerland and Poland finished behind France and Germany respectively, the two favourites to lift the trophy. Both sides took a 0-0 off the group winners, so they can keep things tight when they need to. Both would probably be happy to let this one run into extra time and possibly penalties, as neither have manged to score too many.
If there is going to be a winner in 90 minutes, we fancy it’ll be a very narrow 1-0 either way. With that in mind, we’re backing under 1.5 goals in this one. It’s priced at 5/4 with Betfair, and it could see you profit if this game ends up as dull as it looks.
Wales v Northern Ireland (17:00) – Wales to win (Evens with Sky Bet)
The second game seems much more interesting, with two of the Home Nations going head to head. While there’s not likely to be goals in this game, it’s a very interesting match-up. Neither side would have dreamed of this when they were beginning their qualifying campaigns, but they’re 90 minutes away from the last eight, facing beatable opponents.
Given the nature of the draw for the tournament, the winner of this tie has a good chance of going further than the quarters as well. This could end up being a fantastic tournament for one of these two nations, but first they have this meeting in Paris to deal with.
Wales are heavy favourites, which is to be expected after they won their group. Northern Ireland will view just getting this far as a bonus, so they’ll have no expectations ahead of this match. You would have said the same about Wales, but now they need to win this clash.
With Gareth Bale in form and a side who seem to be clicking, they should have too much for this Northern Ireland side. After taking out Slovakia and Russia, confidence will be high for the Welsh, and they can add to that with a famous win at the Parc des Princes. We’re backing Chris Coleman’s side to win at evens with Sky Bet.
Croatia v Portugal (20:00) – Both teams to score (6/5 with Betfair)
Croatia weren’t mentioned much among the favourites early on, but they’re now in the mix for sure. They’ve come into 10/1 in the betting, and they’ll be expected to do well on this side of the draw. Their first clash is a tricky one, as they take on Portugal.
Cristiano Ronaldo just got back into form for his country in their last outing, so this might not be the best time to take on the Portuguese. Will Croatia be able to stop the Real Madrid superstar and book a place in the last eight? Well, they do have a Real superstar of their own.
Luca Modric has been in inspired form for his country so far until he got injured against the Czechs. He missed the game against Spain but they recovered to win that one 2-1. There’s certainly talent in this Croatia team, and they deserve to be favourites for this game.
Their only problem is a weakness at the back, which has seen them concede three in their last two games. Against Portugal that’s worrying, especially given Ronaldo’s recent brace. There will be chances for the Portuguese here, and we see them getting a goal. We’re backing both teams to score in this one, at 6/5 with Betfair.
Sunday 26th June 2016
France v Republic of Ireland (14:00) – Draw/France Half Time/Full Time (5/2 with Coral)
The Republic of Ireland are coming off the back of a dramatic win against Italy, and now they face the tournament favourites. There will be an element of revenge for the Irish here. Many of the squad will remember Thierry Henry’s handball against them in the play-offs for the 2010 World Cup.
While few expect the Irish to cause a shock here, the bookies wrote off their chances of making it through the group. Could they get something against a France side who have yet to really play well this summer? They seem perfectly set up to frustrate them.
Martin O’Neill has built a side who can park the bus. The French have found it very difficult to break sides down so far, with three of their four goals coming late in games. Their three matches so far have all been goalless at the break, with late pushes getting their two wins so far.
Those games weren’t against top quality opposition, either. You’d say that the Irish are better than Albania and Romania. Because of that, we’re backing the Republic to frustrate France in the first half, with a late push sending the hosts through.
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