The group stage has officially ended for Euro 2016 with the list of countries reducing from 24 to 16. The round of 16 will be sure to entertain as much as the group stages did with as the knockout stage begins.
Here is how we predict the round of 16 to go down as Euro 2016 gets one stage closer to crowning the next European champion.
Switzerland vs Poland
The first match of the round of 16 sees two of the tournaments most recent hosts square off against each other. Poland co-hosted with Ukraine for Euro 2012 while Switzerland co-hosted with Austria for Euro 2008. The Swiss advanced to the knockout stage by finishing second in group A with a 1-2-0 record after beating Albania and tying with France and Romania. Meanwhile Poland advanced by finishing second in group C with a 2-1-0 record, beating Ukraine and Northern Ireland and tying with Germany.
Despite both teams playing solid soccer during their group matches they’ve had difficulty finding the back of the net. Both teams have only scored two goals in three matches so far in the tournament. Of the two Poland has more firepower lead by Jakub Blaszczykowski and Arkadiusz Milik with one goal each and a hungry Robert Lewandowski looking to get his first goal in France. Threy have yet to fully clique together as a scoring unit, but the team hasn’t allowed a goal in three matches so far. The Swiss are still looking for Xherdan Shaqiri to create an offensive spark for his team to help them build on their first appearance outside of the group stages.
This should be a close match between to similar teams. But in the end it will be Poland making their way to the quarterfinals. WINNER: Poland
Wales vs Northern Ireland
Two of Euro 2016’s surprise teams square off in Wales and Northern Ireland. Once considered afterthoughts in previous tournament qualifiers, the U.K. rivals look to prove to everyone that their place in the round of 16 wasn’t a fluke. Wales managed to surprise many by winning group B over England with a 2-0-1 record with wins over Slovakia and Russia, despite losing to England. Northern Ireland advanced to the knockout stage as one of the best third place teams thanks to the expanded tournament format. They finished third in group C with a 1-0-2 record with a victory against Ukraine and two losses to Germany and Poland.
Scoring goals have not been an issue for the Welsh as they are currently tied with Hungary for most goals scored with six. Star forward Gareth Bale has so far lived up to the hype as he is tied for the tournament lead in goals scored with three, scoring in each of Wales’ three matches. The Irish meanwhile, despite losing to Germany and Poland, held their opponents to one goal each. Their 2-0 victory against Ukraine ensured their place thanks to goal difference. It has been an all hands on deck approach for Northern Ireland in order to get this far, and it won’t be any different against Wales.
The fire power of the Dragons will be too much for Northern Ireland to handle in the battle of the underdogs and Wales will advance to the quarter-finals. WINNER: Wales
Croatia vs Portugal
Croatia vs Portugal has a lot going for it to be one of the most entertaining matches in the round of 16. Croatia has been riding a huge wave of success so far after winning group B over the two-time reigning champions Spain. Croatia finished the group stage with a 2-0-1 record with wins over Spain and Turkey and a draw against the Czech Republic. Portugal on the other hand couldn’t seem to catch a break as they finished third in group F with 0-3-0 record with three draws against Iceland, Austria, and a 3-3 barn-burner against Hungary.
Croatia’s stacked midfield has lead them to their success with four of their five goals coming from midfielders; two goals from Ivan Perisic, and one goal each from Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic. They are proving to be a dark horse contender that has what it takes to challenge for the championship. No one knows for sure if the bounces will go in favour of Portugal during this match, but the one that’s for sure is any success Portugal has will come from Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo has two goals in the tournament and could’ve had three had he not missed a penalty kick. Portugal are never out a match as long as CR7 is on the pitch.
Portugal will once again be a tournament disappointment as Croatia will find a way to contain Ronaldo and the Portuguese attack thanks to their midfield and overall depth. They are a more complete team compared to Portugal who have a group of talented individuals. WINNER: Croatia
France vs Republic of Ireland
France will look to continue their quest of winning on home soil as they take on the Republic of Ireland. The French didn’t disappoint the home crowd in the group stage as they won group A with a 2-1-0 record. They managed to beat Romania and Albania while drawing with Switzerland in their last match. On the other side the Irish advanced as one of the other top third place teams with a 1-1-1 record in group E thanks to a shocking victory against Italy in their last match. They also drew to Sweden and lost to Belgium.
France has one of the deepest rosters in the tournament with star power in net (Hugo Lloris), defence (Patrice Evra, Bacary Sagna, Laurent Koscielny), midfield (Paul Pogba, Dimitri Payet), and up front (Olivier Giroud). Like their Northern counterparts, the Republic of Ireland has been successful thanks to a full team effort from the boys in green. With no major scoring threat it’s a guessing game as to who could be the next Irish hero, as seen with Robbie Brady’s 85th minute goal against Italy.
The French will be one step closer to playing for the championship on home soil with a victory against the Republic of Ireland. There is too much talent on France to suggest the possibility of an Irish upset. WINNER: France
Germany vs Slovakia
Germany takes on Slovakia as Die Mannschaft looks to add an European championship in their trophy case next to their 2014 World Cup. Germany finished the group stage with a 2-1-0 record, good for first place in group C. Their two victories came against Ukraine and Northern Ireland while they drew against Poland. They haven’t allowed a single goal so far in the tournament. Slovakia managed to advance as one of the top four third placed teams in the tournament. They finished third in group B with a 1-1-1 record behind England and Wales. Their victory against Russia was crucial as they tied against England and lost to Wales.
Germany have brought a younger roster deep with talent to Euro 2016 and have tinkering with the lineup by experimenting with Mario Gomez instead of Mario Goetze for their final group match against Northern Ireland. Despite the adjustments they have still looked like one of the favourites to win the tournament. Slovakia are playing with nothing to lose since this their first time participating in the Euro tournament.
The Germans shouldn’t have any issues in dealing with Slovakia, barring a monumental upset, as they advance to their third straight quarterfinals appearance. WINNER: Germany
Hungary vs Belgium
Hungary will look to continue its remarkably strong performance in Euro 2016 while Belgium looks to solidify itself as an emerging soccer powerhouse. Hungary managed to prove their doubters wrong by finishing first in group F with a 1-2-0 record. The Hungarians defeated Austria while drawing with Iceland and Portugal. Belgium finished second to Italy in Group E with a 2-0-1 record with victories against Sweden and the Republic of Ireland while losing to the Italians.
Hungary defied all expectations during the group stages by not only winning their group but also by being tied for the tournament lead in goals, alongside Wales, with six. Captain Balazs Dzsudzsak has done everything in his power to lead his team to success by scoring two goals. Defence is an issue for the Hungarians as they are the group winner that has allowed the most goals with four. For the past few years Belgium has been considered a sleeping giant in European soccer with a core of young players in the midst of their prime (Thibaut Courtois, Romelu Lukaku, Christian Benteke, and Eden Hazard) and have shown flashes of that potential so far.
Belgium will look to make a statement as a team to be respected by beating Hungary and making it to the semi-finals with ease. While Hungary’s surprising run will come to an end. WINNER: Belgium
Italy vs Spain
It’s a rematch of the Euro 2012 as Italy looks to exact revenge against the two-time reigning champions Spain. It has the billing to be the most entertaining match alongside Croatia vs Portugal. Italy came out on top of group E thanks to a 2-0-1 record with wins against Belgium and Sweden while losing to the Republic of Ireland. Spain began their title defense with a 2-0-1 record of their own by finishing second in group D. The Spanish came away with victories against Turkey and they Czech Republic while losing to group winners Croatia.
Italy has been playing a more structured game under the management of Antonio Conte and it has been paying dividends so far. The back end has been the back bone of Italy lead by keeper Gianluigi Buffon and defenders Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, and Giorgio Chiellini. Strong tactics has been the name of the game for Italy in this year’s tournament. Meanwhile the Spanish are finding their flair that appeared to be snuffed out during the 2014 World Cup. They have come out firing with five goals in three matches so far while only conceding two goals. Andres Iniesta is once again playing at an elite level while Alvaro Morata is tied for the tournament lead in goals scored with three.
This battle of soccer heavyweights will be a fun one to watch for fans across the board. The clash of styles will be interesting to watch as the rejuvenated Spanish will come out on top against the stingy Italians. WINNER: Spain
England vs Iceland
England will look to exorcise its tournament demons and make it out of the Euro quarterfinals for the first time since 1996. Meanwhile Iceland looks to continue its storybook run as the smallest country to ever compete at a Euro tournament. England let their group B lead slip away and finished in second place to Wales with a 1-2-0 record with a win against Wales and draws against Russia and Slovakia. Iceland came out strong in their first Euro tournament with a second place finish in group F thanks to a 1-2-0 record with a win against Austria and draws against Hungary and Portugal.
England on paper have the ability to handle themselves against Iceland but seem to always fall short when it matters most, as seen when they blew their lead against Russia in their opening match. Iceland has been the cinderella story of the tournament as the small country of 323,002 looks to send shockwaves across Europe. Their success comes from an experienced roster that has stayed mostly intact since the beginning of qualifiers.
While England shouldn’t have a problem against Iceland on paper…they will fail to live up to expectations on the field. It will be Iceland that pulls of the upset and continues their inspiring run to the semi-finals. WINNER: Iceland