Ian JohnI don’t think there has been quite as dramatic a Round of 16 set of games at any major tournament than those we have just experienced at Euro 2020. There have been shocks aplenty, as well as the winners of the last three Major international tournaments for European teams all being eliminated at this stage of the competition.
In addition to that, we have seen some fantastic goals scored, some defensive calamities, superb individual and team performances and some old scores finally settled after many, many years.
As such, we now know which eight teams will contest the quarterfinals, with the four games set to be played on Friday and Saturday evening of this coming weekend. In this article, we are going to take a closer look at each of those four big games and give you our top tips to back for each.
If the drama of the Round of 16 has given you the bug for more, then remember to take full
advantage of the wide range of betting markets available for all Euro 2020 games with bet365 Sport. The site offers a great range of bets, both pre-match and also In Play on all games at the tournament, as well as outstanding football betting all year round.
Don’t forget too that if you are based in the United States, you can enjoy some fantastic soccer betting all year round, including on the Euros, with BetRivers PA. The site is also available in other states too, meaning that if you are based in a state where sports betting is legal, then it is likely BetRivers will have their excellent service available for you.
Let’s quickly recap the results from the Round of 16 ties, which produced plenty of upsets.
Euros Round of 16 Results
- Wales 0-4 Denmark (Dollberg 27,48, Maehle 88, Braithwaite 90)
- Italy 2-1* Austria (Chiesa 95, Pessina 105) – (Kalajdzic 114)
- Netherlands 0-2 Czech Republic (Holes 68, Schick 80)
- Belgium 1-0 Portugal (T.Hazard 42)
- Croatia 3-5* Spain (Pedri og 20, Orsic 85, Pasalic 90) – (Sarabia 38, Azpilicueta 57, Torres 77, Morata 100, Oyarzabal 103)
- France 3-3* Switzerland (Benzema 57,59, Pogba 75) – (Seferovic 15,81, Gavranovic 90)
(Switzerland win 5-4 on penalties)
- England 2-0 Germany (Sterling 75, Kane 86)
- Sweden 1-2* Ukraine (Forsberg 43) – (Zinchenko 27, Dovbyk 120)
*denotes that extra time and/or penalties were used to decide the winner.
Euros Quarter Final Ties, Preview And Tips
The four quarter final ties will take place on Friday and Saturday evening (2nd and 3rd July) at four venues across Europe. All times shown are GMT.
Friday 2nd July
Switzerland v Spain
- Venue – Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg
- Kick Off – 5pm
- Referee – Michael Oliver (ENG)
- Head To Head – Played 23, Spain 16 wins, Switzerland 1 win, 6 draws.
- Last Result – Switzerland 1-1 Spain (Nations League, 13/11/2020)
After their incredible win over France, the team the Swiss probably didn’t want to face was Spain. They have beaten the Spanish just once previously, although that was in the 2010 World Cup Finals, the tournament that Spain did eventually go on to win.
Both teams were involved in very dramatic encounters in the Round of 16 and I can see both managers wanting a much tighter defensive performance in this game. As such, I can’t quite see this game having the drama of their last ties in this tournament.
The Swiss have been plucky and difficult to beat, but I think after scoring five in its past two games, this Spanish team has the qualities to land a narrow win here.
Our Tips
- Match Result – Spain to win – 4/6
- Correct Score – Switzerland 1-2 Spain – 17/2
- Anytime Goalscorer – Ferran Torres (Spain) – 7/4
Belgium v Italy
- Venue – Allianz Arena, Munich
- Kick Off – 8pm
- Referee – TBC
- Head To Head – Played 22, Belgium 4 wins, Italy 14 win, 4 draws.
- Last Result – Belgium 0-2 Italy (13/06/2016, Euro 2016 Group Stages)
If Belgium had a fully fit squad to pick from, I’d have probably backed them to win this game. However injuries to Castagne and more worryingly Eden Hazard and Kevin de Bruyne have really robbed them of some key players, especially against a team where they don’t enjoy the best of records.
Italy were superb in the group stages but laboured to a win over Austria in the Round of 16, with two substitutes coming off the bench to score the goals that put them through. Belgium will be a much sterner test for Italy here, but I think missing their key creative talents against a team unbeaten in 31 matches, Italy should be confident.
I can’t see their being too many goals here and I think it may be just a solitary strike that decides the game and if that is the case, I think it is more likely it will be Italy that land the win.
Our Tips
- Match Result – Italy to win (13/10 with bet365)
- Correct Score – Belgium 0-1 Italy – 6/1
- Anytime Goalscorer – Ciro Immobile (Italy) – 15/8
Saturday 3rd July
Czech Republic v Denmark
- Venue – Olympic Stadium, Baku
- Kick Off – 5pm
- Referee – TBC
- Head To Head – Played 11, Czech Republic 3 wins, Denmark 2 win, 6 draws.
- Last Result – Czech Republic 1-1 Denmark (15/11/2016, Friendly)
After Denmark’s terrifying start to these Championships, the fortitude they have shown to bounce back from two defeats to reach the quarter finals is astonishing and they fully deserved it after two big wins over Russia and Wales in their last two games.
However, the Czech’s have only lost once in the tournament, to England, and beat the Netherlands 2-0 in a shock result to reach this stage, albeit the sending off of Matthijs de Ligt in that game swung the tie massively in their favour, with both goals coming after the Juventus centre back had been given his marching orders following a deliberate handball.
That said, of the two teams, I have been impressed more by Denmark than the Czech’s, but history shows these games are always very close affairs and I think we may well see the same here on Saturday with perhaps extra time or penalties needed to decide the winner.
Our Tips
- Match Result – Draw – 11/5
- Correct Score – Czech Republic 1-1 Denmark – 11/2
- Anytime Goalscorer – Mikkel Damsgaard (Denmark) – 3/1
Ukraine v England
- Venue – Stadio Olimpico, Rome
- Kick Off – 8pm
- Referee – TBC
- Head To Head – Played 7, Ukraine 1 win, England 4 wins, 2 draws.
- Last Result – Ukraine 0-0 England (10/9/2013 – World Cup Qualifier)
England slayed a few more demons with their deserved 2-0 win over Germany in the last round, the first time since 1966 that they had beaten the Germans in the knockout stage of a major tournament and their first win against Germany at Wembley since 1975.
Ukraine battled hard to snatch a last gasp win over Sweden, scoring in injury time at the end of extra time to claim a 2-1 win. However, several players picked up knocks in that game and that extra 30 minutes of game time will have taken its toll on their players.
Recent games between the two have been close, with one win apiece and two draws in the last four, however I feel that England have by far the better quality in depth and even though they are away from Wembley, I am expecting them to get the job done here relatively comfortably.
Our Tips
- Match Result – England to win – 4/9
- Correct Score – Ukraine 0-3 England – 9/1
- Anytime Goalscorer – Raheem Sterling (England) – 13/8
*All odds shown were correct with bet365 Sport as of 10.25am on Wednesday 30th June 2021.
NoDepositPoker.co.uk is an affiliate of the brands we promote throughout this site. While we strive to maintain accuracy throughout our content, we do receive compensation for this promotion.
