EUROs Round of 16 Predictions
Imagine lifting the trophy at a tournament for your country.
The EUROs is a tournament where the best countries in the continent of Europe come together to play a tournament. They have to go through qualifying first, but eventually, they get to the big stage. There are 6 groups of 4 teams within each group. The first two get into the next round (round of 16), the 3rd place team might get in based on points and goal differential, while the last team gets eliminated and heads back home.
The group stage has been completed and the Round of 16 will be starting this Saturday (the 26th)! With the group stage ending the round of 16 games has been set and are as follows: Wales vs Denmark, Italy vs Austria, the Netherlands vs the Czech Republic, Belgium vs Portugal, Croatia vs Spain, France vs Switzerland, England vs Germany, and lastly Ukraine vs Sweden.
That’s a lot! Let’s start with Wales vs Denmark. It was a great story for Denmark to reach this stage in the tournament after Christian Eriksen collapsed on the field on Saturday, June 12. But through their bravery and wanting to play for him they finished their last group stage beating Russia 4–1 to advance. Do I think they can make it to the quarterfinals? Simply, yes. While Eriksen would have helped their creativity in the midfield they still have outstanding players like Yussuf Poulsen, Daniel Wass, and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. Kasper Schmeichel and Simon Kjaer’s leadership will have to continue if they want to keep playing in this tournament. Wales on the other hand is a bit of a different story. Many people including myself thought they would finish 3rd in the group, while they actually finished 2nd. However, they still don’t look as strong as other fans thought. In their game against Turkey in the group stage, they showed glimpses of the team that they could be because Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey were both playing at their best. If both those players show up against Denmark, it could be a great game, but if they fail to impact the game, they will be heading home. I predict Denmark 2 Wales 1.
For the second game, it will be Italy vs Austria. Italy has been at its best for the first 3 games through the group stage. Many reporters and fans from Europe knew that Italy would be good, but nobody thought they would be this good. They haven’t let a goal in, in over 1,000 minutes. With the likes of Immobile and Insigne leading the attack, they have gotten 4+ goals already, and the compliments of Jorginho and Veratti in the middle helps them get forward while also having the balance of staying back. A concern for Italy would be that in their second group stage game Chillieni their captain got injured and is not expected to start vs Austria. This could lead to openings in the backline which could help in Austria’s favor. Austria doesn’t have very many star players on their team but they have enough that they are going through to the round of 16. One major standout from their past 3 games was David Alaba. He had some trouble in the 2nd game where he made an error leading to a goal, but his presence, as well as his precision from setpieces, have made the team and him a threat. I predict Italy 2 Austria 0.
The Netherlands vs the Czech Republic is the next game and it should be an interesting one. The depth in the Netherlands squad gives them more “room” compared to other teams since no matter who they put on the pitch it is a good team. Memphis Depay, WInjaldum, and Dumfries have shown up so far in this group stage scoring over 4 goals combined. Frenkie De Jong and De Ligt are an attacking force but are also consistent in the back and making sure they get clean sheets. On the other side, Czech Republic was a surprise for me. I didn’t think they would be able to get into the round of 16, and definitely not finish 2nd in the group. However, they have and they may also have gotten the goal of the tournament while they were doing it by Patrik Schick. They don’t have as much depth as the Netherlands do but you can’t count them out just yet. I predict Netherlands 2 Czech Republic 0.
This next game is the game of the tournament so far and that is Belgium vs Portugal. This should be a final game but the fact that we got it in the round of 16 is crazy! Belgium is the team I want to win it all so I am going to be a little biased but there are some facts such as that Romelo Lukaku has been at his best ever since he joined Italy for his club team. So far in this tournament, we have seen that it has carried over to his country scoring 3 goals already. While they do have enough creativity in the midfield through Telemans, getting Kevin De Bryune and Axel Witsel both backs from injury has helped them a lot for their last two games in the group stage. Portugal on the other hand has Cristiano Ronaldo. There’s not much to say about him except the fact that whenever he plays for his country you know he’s going to bag a goal. Concerns that have arisen from their group stage games are their backline. Pepe and Ruben Dias have had some trouble playing together which has led to most of their goals. If they can tighten that relationship up they could win this game. I predict Belgium 2 Portugal 1.
Croatia vs Spain is the next game and it’s a hard one to call. Many fans that I have spoken to say that this is not a team that can go far in the tournament. However, I disagree; they have top-class players and if the coach Luis Enrique can come out with a good lineup on the day I see them winning this game. Croatia on the other hand also has some top-class players but not as much depth. They took an older squad to this tournament which could hurt them in this game through fatigue and tiredness. Though Luke Modric scored a great goal against Scotland in their last group stage game the team itself hasn’t looked at its best. I predict Spain 2 Croatia 1.
France vs Switzerland is next. France is just coming off a 2018 World Cup win but so far in this tournament, they aren’t showing that they just won the World Cup. They have been lacking in their finishing and had to settle for 2 draws. Throughout the games, there are glimpses of that World Cup team so if they play like that for the full 90 minutes they could get to the finals. Switzerland has been a surprise for me. I knew that they would get to the round of 16, but I didn’t expect them to score as many goals as they have so far. Shaqiri has been the main reason for that, after coming off not the best season for Liverpool (club team) he has played exceptionally well in all his group stage games. If he can keep that up while other players are also stepping up like Grant Xhaka they could win. I predict France 3 Switzerland 1.
England vs Germany. That’s it. I predict England 1 Germany 0. Just kidding! That is my score prediction but first I have to ask — is it coming home? Fans all over England have started singing that England will win the EUROs and that it is coming home. I have some doubts. First off, they are playing a very good German side and their own games on the group stage haven’t been convincing enough for me. In their second group stage game against Scotland, their coach Gareth Southgate got so much backlash about not having enough creativity in the midfield so for his last group stage game has started Grealish and Saka which I think definitely helped the game. However, I think there are still more goals that need to be scored and that’s where Harry Kane needs to step up and Jadon Sancho needs to start getting more minutes. Germany is a team that could have gotten kicked out of this tournament in their last group stage game but they held on and are now playing England. In their last game, until the subs came on they lacked urgency they kept just trying to stay with possession instead of playing that long diagonal ball that worked for them in their 2nd group stage game. If they have the urgency they can get through the England backline. I predict England 1 Germany 0.
The last game in the round of 16 is Sweden vs Ukraine. Sweden had a slow start to this tournament drawing Spain 0–0 in their first game. Since then, they have won their last two games and have shown great promise. Ukraine had a bit of a rocky group stage, after a thrilling loss 2–3 to the Netherlands in their first game many fans were encouraged but disappointed. They barely got into the round of 16 and I’m not sure they can get any further. I predict Ukraine 1 Sweden 0.
