There is a common soccer phrase in the UK to describe heading into the late stages of a match or tournament; SQUEAKY BUM TIME.
Soccer fans, we are now in squeaky bum time of the Euro 2024 tournament and we have some incredible games to devour this weekend.
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Portugal (+240) vs France (+135)
Portugal and France meet in the quarterfinals on Friday July 5th and the match features a head-to-head between two of soccer’s biggest stars: Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappé.
Pre-tournament both teams were among the favorites to win it but neither have shown convincing performances. Portugal hasn’t scored a goal in the last two matches — a 2-0 loss to Georgia and a 0-0 with Slovenia before winning a penalty shootout.
The media had a field day with Ronaldo bursting into tears after having a penalty saved in extra time against Slovenia. Appearing in his record sixth European Championship, he has yet to score a goal, which sounds crazy to say, this is Ronaldo we are talking about — if he does, the 39-year-old striker would be the oldest-ever scorer at the tournament.
France were the joint favorite to lift the trophy along with England, however, no France player has scored from open play at Euro 2024. The French team have had two own-goals and a solitary penalty from Mbappé, so far.
Spain (+165) vs Germany (+180)
Next up is a blockbuster, Spain vs Germany. Spain has displayed the best soccer of the tournament, by some distance. With the in-form Spanish side now firm favorites to go all the way in Germany, coming up against the host nation in the quarterfinals is a major acid test for Luis de la Fuente and his players. One goal short of double figures this summer after thumping Georgia, La Roja are also the only team with a 100% win rate over 90 minutes.
Germany are not just the hosts, though, they have got a bit of bite about them as well. Germany are a very well-balanced team and have several star players to call upon, including joint-top scorer Jamal Musiala.
Netherlands (-175) vs Turkiye (+475)
Our third quarter-final clash is Netherlands vs. Turkiye. The Dutch enter the match as strong favorites. Despite a challenging group stage, they qualified as the best third-place team and showcased their prowess with a 3-0 victory over Romania in the Round of 16. Ronald Koeman’s squad demonstrated excellent teamwork and tactical discipline in that win.
Turkiye secured second place in their group behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Austria 2-1. Now Austria is out of the tournament, Turkey have replaced them as the under-dogs to go all the way. A win over the Netherlands could potentially see them in them in the semi-final against England.
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England (+125) vs Switzerland (+280)
Speaking of the most underwhelming team of Euro 2024, England face a ferocious Switzerland on Saturday July 6th. The Three Lions left it dangerously late before Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane’s double act turned things in favor of Gareth Southgate’s side against Slovakia in the round of 16.
The Swiss continue to be dismissed as outsiders despite their impressive track record at the international level in recent tournaments. Murat Yakin’s squad are tough opponents and have shown that all tournament and almost finished top of Group A ahead of Germany.
There are rumors from the England camp that Gareth Southgate is preparing to rip up the plans he has used so far at Euro 2024 and radically change the painfully stale formation he has been glued to in an attempt to get more width from his side and put more of his best players in their best positions.
Is this the wake-up that England needs or a sign that there could be an upset on the cards in terms of the final four heading to the semi-final?
