Euro '24: Battle lines drawn as 16 Teams vie for glory

After a frantic phase which saw it's fair share of upsets, giant killings and a grand finish, here is a quick guide to the eight games which get under way on Saturday.

SWITZERLAND v ITALY

June 29 – Berlin, 18:00

Switzerland impressed in the pool stages with their usual efficiency, while defending champions Italy stumbled into the last 16, though both teams were runners-up in their respective pools. The Swiss ousted France via penalties at this stage following a thrilling 3-3 draw in 2021 and will be similarly difficult to beat.

Italy coach Luciano Spalletti feels his team are improving with each game, though. Five of the last six meetings between the sides have finished in draws and Switzerland’s last win over Italy was in 1993.

GERMANY v DENMARK

June 29 – Dortmund, 21:00

Hosts Germany topped Group A with seven points while Denmark advanced in second place in Group C despite drawing all three games. Germany have scored more goals (8), had more possession (64.3%) and the best passing accuracy (93%) of any side as they extended their unbeaten run to seven games.

Denmark will be underdogs but reached the semi-finals three years ago, where they lost in extra time to England.

ENGLAND v SLOVAKIA

June 30 – Gelsenkirchen, 18:00

England limped through the pool stages and bar a strong opening against Serbia in their first game, looked underwhelming despite the array of attacking talent at manager Gareth Southgate’s disposal. They will view this as an excellent chance to advance but will find their fired-up opponents no pushovers.

England managed only 10 attempts on target in their three pool games, scoring twice. That is not title-winning form. The teams last met in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers where England claimed 2-1 and 1-0 wins.

SPAIN v GEORGIA

June 30 – Cologne, 21:00

Spain were the most impressive team in the group stage with three wins, five goals scored and none conceded. They have reached the semi-finals at least in three of the last four Euros finals, winning the title in 2008 and 2012. Debutants Georgia surprised Portugal 2-0 to seal their last-16 place. Spain have won the last four meetings between the sides, all since 2021, including 7-1 and 4-0 victories.

FRANCE v BELGIUM

July 1 – Dusseldorf, 18:00

Belgium’s search for a first major international trophy has led them to a clash with the powerful French and coach Domenico Tedesco’s side having shown nothing in Germany to suggest this is a hurdle they can clear. France have not hit top gear either, though both teams had two clean sheets in the pool stage, suggesting their issues lie with attacking potency. That is surprising with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Kevin De Bruyne in their ranks. There have been 13 goals scored in the last three games between the teams.

PORTUGAL v SLOVENIA

July 1 – Frankfurt, 21:00

Portugal’s loss to Georgia in their final pool game came out of nowhere, ending a run of 12 consecutive victories in competitive fixtures since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. They still topped their pool and play a Slovenia team who advanced to the last 16 on the back of three draws, and who beat Portugal 2-0 in a friendly in March. No player in the tournament has had more attempts at goal than Cristiano Ronaldo (12) but he has yet to score.

ROMANIA v NETHERLANDS

July 2 – Munich, 18:00

There were contrasting emotions for these teams following the pool stages as Romania wildly celebrated a first place in the Euros knockouts since 2000 by topping Group E and Netherlands seethed as they slipped to a 3-2 defeat by Austria and finished third in their pool. The Dutch will hope to avoid a second successive last-16 exit having lost 2-0 to Czech Republic three years ago. They have won the last four meetings with Romania.

AUSTRIA v TURKEY

July 2 – Leipzig, 21:00

Austria won 6-1 when these teams met in a friendly in March but a determined Turkey will be a different proposition this time round. The Austrians were among the most impressive sides in the pool stages, even if they lost their opener 1-0 to France, and have momentum going into the knockout rounds. So do Turkey, but they were also soundly beaten 3-0 by Portugal five days ago. Only Scotland (7), Croatia (6) and Poland (6) conceded more goals than Turkey (5) in the pool stages.