Euro 2016 Quarter Final Preview

We've only 7 matches remaining in a thrilling Euro 2016 and the pressure has been cranked up a notch in the quarter finals. We had some shocks in the round of 16 that has set up some very interesting matches that are difficult to predict.

Poland v Portugal

Poland were expected to defeat Switzerland in previous round but did so unconvincingly and needed a penalty shoot out to progress. The strike duo of Robert Lewandowski and Arkadiusz Milik is yet to find form and with the competition gradually getting tougher, Poland will need their stars at their peak.  Milik has only one goal to his name in the tournament so far, but has had a handful of chances, he has to start converting them if they are to launch any meaningful assault in the tournament. Jakub Blaszczykowski grabbed the goal against Switzerland and has been a threat down the right wing all tournament, linking up well with Lukasz Piscczek. These pair will be critical against Portugal.

While they had no 'big' nations in their group, Portugal struggled to get results, with Cristiano Ronaldo becoming increasingly outspoken. Portugal are the only team left in the tournament yet to win a game within 90 minutes. The introduction of Renato Sanches in the second half against Croatia gave the side a creative outlet, starting off the move which resulted in the goal for Ricardo Quaresma Neither side has been entirely convincing in this year's tournament despite both being potential dark horses. Poland will be favourites for the tie with a lethal strike force up against a suspect Portuguese defence while the Portuguese have largely rode their luck to get to this stage in the tournament but will continue to look to Cristiano Ronaldo for their inspiration. Poland to advance.

Wales v Belgium

The last British team in the tournament, take on Belgium whom they met in qualifying for the tournament. Belgium, largely regarded as one of the favourites for the tournament from the outset were shocked in their opening match against Italy but have pulled themselves together and a 3-0 win over Republic of Ireland and a 1-0 win over Sweden secured a runners up spot. Against Hungary in the previous round, they were exceptional and romped to a 4-0 win. Eden Hazard showed what ihe is capable of as he scored once and created four chances, one of which was an assist for Michy Batshuayi. Belgium are very good on the counter attack, and punished Hungary who gave them too much space, however the loss of Jan Vertonghen will be a major set back for the Red Devils. 

Wales took four points off the Belgians in qualifying, with the victory coming thanks to a winner from Gareth Bale. Wales showed that they can play football in the final group game against Russia in which they won 3-0. Joe Allen and Aaron Ramsey were very good on the ball the ball with the former sliding the latter through for the opening goal. Crucially, Wales have showed that they don't totally rely on Gareth Bale, with the aforementioned Allen and Ramsey stepping up to the plate. Against Northern Ireland, they weren't convincing, and it took a wicked ball flashed into the box from Bale to deflect off Gareth McAuley past Michael McGovern in goal. Wales will put up a fight, but with Belgium beginning to reach the heights expected of them, I tip them to progress.

Germany v Italy

Dubbed the glamour tie of the round, Germany are yet to concede a goal in the tournament having defeated Northern Ireland and Ukraine 1-0 and 2-0 in the group stage, goalless draw with Poland and a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Slovakia in the round of 16. Only selecting 1 striker in Mario Gomez could prove a tricky issue particularly against the Italians as Joachim Low has experimented with Mario Gotze up front in a false nine position with minimal success. The introduction of Gomez up top against Northern Ireland gave Germany a cutting edge and the scoreline could have been anything, if it wasn't for the exploits of Michael McGovern in the Northern Irish goal.

Antonio Conte has proved the doubters wrong once again by masterminding a 2-0 victory over the holders, Spain. Another masterplan will need to be conceived if Italy are to defeat the World Champions. Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli have patrolled the backline orchestrated by Juve team mate, Gianluigi Buffon and another top performance will be required if Italy are to win. Italy's siege mentality has produced some memorable games and has neutralised sides who are perceived to play 'attractive football.' The rotations made by Conte in the final group match against Ireland could prove crucial, particularly if the game goes the full distance. The bookies tip Germany however this match has the makings of being settled on penalties, with the Germans coming out on top.

France v Iceland

Despite topping Group A and defeating the Republic of Ireland 2-1 in the round of 16, the hosts have not been convincing, but find themselves in a favourable quarter final tie against Iceland. Two goals from Antoine Griezmann overturned a 1-0 deficit in the second half against Ireland and the dismissal of Shane Duffy allowed them to consolidate their lead. Dimitri Payet's creativity has been a major positive, and will play a big part in the match against Iceland. Laurent Koscielny and Adil Rami looked nervy, particularly in the first half against the Irish and this will be highlighted by the Icelandic side as a possible area to exploit. 

Iceland, like Wales, are exceeding all expectations. Armed with Aron Gunnarsson's long throw, they posed plenty of problems for England who didn't have the answers. Many thought the 1-1 draw against Portugal would be the highlight of the trip, but Lars Largerback and Heimer Hallgrimsson have had other ideas, guiding their side to a quarter final in their first tournament. They are very hard to break down, just ask any of their group stage opponents and are adept on the counter. Against England they showed that they can play some football, but have a major strength at the set piece. France are a better side than England so I expect them to learn from the mistakes that England made and expect them to qualify. Iceland can be proud of their achievements of everything that they have achieved and have written a great story in the year of the underdog.

The Dark Horses of the Euros

It feels very weird when I say that it's under three months until France kick off the 2016 edition of the European Championships against Romania. It seems like only yesterday when Mario Gotze was endeared to the German faithful with the extra time strike to crown the Germans World Champions. With the Euros closer than most people think, here is a few sides who I think could cause a few threats to the favourites.

Poland

Key Men

Robert Lewandowski struck 13 times including 4 against Gibraltar in their opening fixture, not to forget the fine form he has been in for Bayern throughout the last two seasons. Lewandowski will be man marked but will almost certainly still cause a threat. At the back, they also look decent with captain Kamil Glik steering the ship from centre-half.

Road to France

Poland finished second in their qualifying group, behind Germany, whom they recorded a 2-0 victory over in the second game. Lewandowski knocked six of his goals in the two games against Gibraltar winning them both 7-0 and 8-1 respectively while they had a combined aggregate score of 8 over the fifth placed side, Georgia. Poland received two 2-2 draws against Scotland, Lewandowski rescuing a point in the 4th minute of injury time in the away leg. Against the Republic of Ireland, they were unlucky to come away with a victory from the Aviva Stadium with Shane Long grabbing a very late equaliser but clinched a victory in the return leg in Warsaw.

Group C

Poland may have thought that the qualifying group was the last time they would see Germany, but the organisers had different ideas. Poland have a decent group with Ukraine and minnows, Northern Ireland occupying the other two spots. Germany and Poland will fight it out for the top spot and I fancy the former to pip them to the post. A second place finish in the group would leave the Poles with a match against the winner of Group A, most likely to be France. Poland were able to defeat Germany in the qualifying so they won't fear France, if that is who they are drawn against. A top place finish would be very beneficial for the Poles and would leave them with a match against the best third placed side of Groups A, B and F.

Croatia

Key Men

Once of Internazionale pastures, Mateo Kovacic received his big money move to Real Madrid last summer, even at the risk of not featuring as readily as he did at the San Siro. Nevertheless, Kovacic is a shrewd operator that has a great range of passing and can unlock defences with ease. Ivan Rakitic and Luka Modric are also key players in the middle of the park and the former has been in terrific form since he joined Barcelona at the start of last season. When on form, Croatia's midfield can rival the top sides in the world.

Road to France

Croatia lost just one match in a group consisting of 2006 World Cup winners, Italy, Bulgaria, Malta, Norway, Azerbaijan. They were expected to finish just behind Italy in qualifying and didn't disappoint even though they drew 1-1 on both occasions with the Italians. They did however record their only loss away to Norway 2-0 despite having scored 5 past the Scandinavians at an earlier stage. They also thumped Azerbaijan 6-0 at home with Ivan Perisic grabbing a brace but where unable to win away, with the hosts holding out to grab a point. Both Malta and Bulgaria were defeated home and away to seal their safe passage through.

Group D

Croatia have a nightmare group and they will be relying on achieving a first or second place finish to qualify from it. Spain, Czech Republic and Turkey are all also competing to get out, and while one would predict Spain to grab the top seed spot, this Croatian side will be definite contenders if they are able to navigate their way out of the group. The runner up spot secures a tie against the winner of Group E, likely to be either Belgium or Italy. Italy are an aging side on decline and Croatia did snatch a point courtesy of Mario Mandzukic in Euro 2012, the year that Italy got to the final. Croatia can be quietly confident.

Austria

Key Men

David Alaba is undoubtedly the key player in the Austrian side. The Bayern Munich wing back controls much of the play and has a decent scoring record also, scoring 4 times in qualifying. One of the more modern 'attacking' full backs, Alaba possesses all the weapons to trouble even the best defence, yet his technique at defending is often admired also. Joining him at the back, Alexsander Dragovic has also developed a bit of a reputation in Europe for being a technically gifted defender and, when on form, Austria can be confident of not conceding too many goals. Up front, Marko Arnautovic has been in fine form for Stoke this season and has developed into a fan favourite at the Britannia Stadium since his arrival a number of years back. 

Road to France

Austria were somewhat very efficient in the qualifiers, conceding just 5 goals and keeping 6 clean sheets, 5 of which were consecutive. They weren't as free-scoring as other teams but did put four past Sweden and five past Lichtenstein both away from home. Two one-nil victories helped Austria finish above Russia with Rubin Okotie and Marc Janko grabbing the goals. The four nil thumping preceded a 1-1 draw in the opening fixture against Sweden.

Group F

Unlike Croatia, Austria can be happy with the group they have received. Cristiano Ronaldo effectively carries Portugal. Hungary got through a poor qualifying group unconvincingly via the play off while Iceland compete in their very first European competition having shocked everyone to qualify first out of a tough qualifying group. I do expect Austria to qualify ahead of Portugal in first place and this would leave them with a last 16 draw against the runner up from Group E. I would predict it to be Italy with Belgium's youth giving them the upper hand over the Italians and, like Croatia, Austria have nothing to fear in an Italian side that is in tradition.

Do you agree with these predictions, or do you have any other sides that have the potential to cause an upset or two at the tournament in the summer?