Euro 2020 semi-final matches: predictions and expectations

The group phase is history. It’s starting to get tough, and above all, the most attractive part of Euro 2020 is about to begin. All the favourites have advanced to the eighth round, and the Czech team is among the top 16 teams to face the Netherlands. The fight for the quarter-finals will be full of interesting duels. How could these matches go and which teams will advance?

Wales – Denmark

Wales’ performance in the tournament is a slight surprise. Despite being pigeonholed as the underdog, they managed to advance from 2nd place. They beat Turkey, drew with Switzerland and only narrowly lost to Italy. In short, he got what he needed. The team doesn’t have a standout scorer, they play as a team and Bale in particular stands out in the offensive department. So this team will not be without a chance in the eighth round either.

They will face Denmark at home, who are having a crazy championship. In the opening game, their star player Eriksen suffered a heart attack and the whole football world was in awe of the horror. But in the end, thankfully, he was saved.

The game was eventually played later in the evening and the Danes unexpectedly lost to the Finns. They played much better against Belgium, but narrowly lost to them as well. Their stay in the tournament was decided by the final match, which they did very well. They destroyed Russia 4-1 and the promotion was secured. The Danes have a very interesting team with several stars. They should not be underestimated.

Denmark will be the favourite. They have a better team, more motivation, they are not dependent on one star team like Wales. But anything can happen, and even a promotion for Wales would not be a stunning surprise.

Prediction: Denmark

Italy – Austria

Italy have clearly dominated their group and are rightly among the biggest favourites of the tournament. They have clearly dominated all 3 matches and are in great form.

Coach Mancini has a well built team. The defence is orchestrated by Bonucci and Chiellini, who are still excellent for their age. The team is led by Immobile. The pace is set by the excellent Jorginho.

The Italian team is the perfect mix of experience and youthful predation. Every player is also fighting for the team, which has not always been the case with the Italians. This team will be hard to beat.

Austria has already done that. They’ve taken advantage of an easier group to advance to the eighth round. They beat both North Macedonia and Ukraine to finish 2nd in the group. The star of the team is Alaba, on whom Austria’s game is hugely dependent. The Austrians will try to surprise in the eighth round, but their chances are practically zero.

This semi-final should clearly end in Italy’s favour. The favourite is several levels better than Austria in quality, form and performance and should prove it. The Italians will dominate the match and wait patiently for their chances, their progression should be a mere formality.

Advancement tip: Italy

Netherlands – Czech Republic

Sunday’s semi-final programme will kick off with a duel between the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. Depay and co. have had a very good tournament so far. They have clearly dominated the group and advanced with ease. The team is mainly driven by the productive Depay and Wijnaldum.

At the back, they can rely on de Ligt and de Vrij to lead the defensive effort. Overall they have a very balanced team with quality at every position. Their disadvantage may be that they haven’t come up against any difficult opponents.

The Czech Republic did well against tough competition from England and Croatia and advanced from 3rd place. Our goal scorer Schick is the main influence on the progress of our national team, and the solid catching Vaclik saved the team several times.

While the Czechs played well in terms of results, it didn’t work out so well in terms of gameplay. Most of the players are playing below their potential, creativity is lacking and Schick doesn’t have the support he needs.

Moreover, coach Šilhavý has to figure out how to replace the sidelined Bořil. It will take an upswing in performance for the Czechs to think about promotion. The positive thing is that at least we were able to play balanced matches even against strong opponents.

The paper favourite is clearly the Netherlands. Form, better performance, more quality. But no team has tested them yet. The Czech Republic will go into the eight finals as the underdog, which suits us in the long run. The main goal was to get out of the group and we did that. Now we can only surprise.

If we want to beat our opponents, we will have to improve rapidly in terms of our game. We will also need to improve our overall creativity and play with confidence on defense. Historically, we are good against the Dutch, which can give us confidence. They will have a significant height advantage and could take advantage of that in standard situations.

Advancement Tip: Netherlands

Belgium-Portugal

The heavyweight clash promises to be a fantastic spectacle. Belgium are one of the biggest favourites of the tournament. They have an amazing generation, but they are getting older. This is one of the last opportunities for them to win the coveted title.

Belgium has clearly dominated its group and has moved up from first place. The team is led by the productive Lukaku and the brains of the game, De Bruyne. However, Belgium’s play has also shown weaknesses. There is a heavy reliance on the genius of the Citizens’ key midfielder and occasional defensive confusion.

Portugal will rely on their great attack – Ronaldo, Jota, Silva. That’s a formidable strength. The clear driving force is still the great Ronaldo. But there are some weaknesses in the defence. Defensive mistakes must be avoided against Belgium. The defending champions have a great transition phase and will threaten mainly from dangerous breaks. Their historical record also speaks for them. The last time they lost to Belgium was in 1989!

Belgium will be slight favourites, relying on De Bruyne and cannonballer Lukaku. They can be expected to hold the ball more and patiently look for loopholes in their opponents’ defences. The Portuguese, on the other hand, will play direct, fast and will try to punish any hesitation by Belgium.

Prediction: Portugal

Croatia – Spain

The 2018 World Cup runner-up is really looking to qualify. They earned it by beating the Scots in the last group match. The pride of the Croats is their star midfield, which is absolutely crucial for them. However, the Balkans lack a goal scorer and are not very confident in defence either. This generation is getting older and no longer dominates as it did in the past. They are not expected to be very successful at this championship.

However, it is not ideal from the Spanish side either. They drew unexpectedly with the Poles and the Swedes in the group. They only secured qualification with a crushing win over the Slovaks. They are very dominant in the game, they are also very good defensively. But the offense.

First of all, they lack a goal scorer. The time when the team had cannonballers like Villa and Torres is long gone. Morata and Moreno are far behind the performances of the two legends mentioned above. They need a lot of chances to score, their efficiency is pathetic. If anything can break Spain’s neck in this tournament, it will be the attack.

This match has no clear favourite. It will be more about how both teams time their form. The game will be 99% dominated by the Spaniards. The question is whether it will do them any good. Whoever makes the best of their chances will advance to the quarterfinals.

Prediction: Croatia

France – Switzerland

France advanced out of the “group of death” from 1st place. But it was not easy. They unexpectedly drew with Hungary and Portugal. But it was enough to qualify and that’s the key. The biggest favourite of the tournament is playing quite conservatively. It relies on a solid defence, an excellent midfield and the famous Mbappé. France are not impressing with their performances, but that can still change.

The Swiss also played the role of favourites and advanced from the unpredictable Group A. Their game is based on teamwork, combativeness and solid offensive quality. Shaqiri and Seferovic in particular stand out. Overall, the Swiss have built a very interesting squad!

But here the favourite is clear. There should be no surprises here. But it may not be as clear-cut as it first appears. The Swiss can resist for quite a long time and they certainly won’t sell their skin cheap. However, the biggest favourite of the tournament should make it through and advance to the top 8 teams.

France

England – Germany

Another big draw. A clash of two favourites who have been struggling quite a bit in the tournament. Yes, England won Group D and advanced from 1st place. But would they convince? Absolutely not. They have scored just 2 goals in 3 games and are the first team to win a group at the European Championships with that number of goals.

The invisible Kane is languishing at the top as coach Southgate fails to harness the potential of his potent offense at all. It didn’t matter so much in the group stage, but in the eighth round it could be a problem. On the other hand, Albion are excellent defensively.

Germany have been one of the biggest disappointments of the tournament so far. It simply doesn’t work under coach Löw and it is right that he will be replaced after the tournament.

They were outclassed by France in the group stage. Then the Germans beat Portugal in a great game. In the last game against Hungary they were even minutes away from a shocking elimination. However, the Hungarians did not hold the lead and our western neighbours won at least a point, which was enough to advance. This team is certainly not scary.

Favourites will be the home English. After all, they play better, they just need to wake up their attacking stars. If they can do that, they should advance. In any case, it will be a very interesting match, which should be the highlight of the eight-final programme.

Prediction: England

Sweden – Ukraine

The Swedes have unexpectedly dominated their group, beating both Poland and Slovakia, and earning a point against the Spaniards. They advanced to the eighth round from 1st place. The main drivers are the offensive duo Forsberg – Isak. They are backed by a tough defence led by Lindelöf. Maybe it’s a good thing Ibrahimovic is not in the team. Sweden is much more team-oriented and compact.

On the other hand, more was expected from Ukraine. The team from Eastern Europe did advance, but only just. Luck also played a role. They advanced with only 3 points. Their football is nothing interesting and will not impress. Ukraine is certainly not showing what it is capable of. But maybe that will change in the eighth round.

A great opportunity for both teams. For both the Swedes and Ukraine this draw is definitely playable. The Swedes have the better performance and form and will be the favourites. The question is whether they can prove it on the field. However, the chances of reaching the quarter-finals are huge.

Prediction: Sweden

Source: UEFA