FRIDAY:
SWITZERLAND V SPAIN
Switzerland showed incredible character to take their game against France into extra time and I'm not sure anyone saw that kind of performance coming. They were minutes away from going out when they went into stoppage time and for them to score twice in the final ten minutes of the game was incredible. They were the better team in the first half and they upped their game at a time when the French backed off.
They'll need to show the character they showed on Monday in this one as they're up against another tough opponent in Spain. It's going to be tough for them to repeat that for sure as they took that game to penalties which may make the players feel a bit tired despite having three days to recover. If they were to pull it off again they could be another Greece or Denmark.
Spain have finally come alive at this tournament after two improved performances against Slovakia in the group stages and Croatia in the last 16. They've moved the ball a lot quicker plus they've also been more positive with their passing which we didn't see enough of in their opening two games against Sweden and Poland. They're playing more like the Spain we've known over the years and they'll be full of confidence going into this one having scored 5 in each of their last two games.
They had both good and bad moments in their extra time last 16 win over Croatia on Monday. The good being that they played well for the majority of the game and scored some very good goals. The bad being Croatia's first goal when Pedri's back pass to keeper Unai Simon went straight into the net as Simon failed to get hold of the ball. Luis Enrique will want to see the positives in this game as his side look to reach the semi finals.
I'm going for a Spain win because they'll be feeling confident after two good performances and I can see them put in another good showing. Both sides may feel a bit tired having had both their last 16 ties go to extra time. But I think Spain will have just enough to go through.
PREDICTION: 0-2
BELGIUM V ITALY
The biggest game of the round without a doubt. I think whoever wins this game will go on and win the tournament.
Belgium had to dig deep to get their win against Portugal in the last round by being defensively solid and well organised which they needed to be with the chances Portugal had. It wasn't an ideal performance but in the end they got the job done which is all that matters at this stage of the tournament. Especially against the so called bigger teams.
The bad news for them going into this one is that they'll be without both Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard who are both out through injury. Their absences will be a massive blow to their chances in this game because of what they offer on the pitch and how important they are to the team itself. This one will be their biggest test of the tournament because they'll be without two of their best players.
Italy were given a good game by Austria in the last 16 as they were taken to extra time where they eventually got the win. Their performance over the 90 minutes was not at all convincing as they looked sloppy in midfield which is very unlike Italy from what we saw of them in the group stages. Luckily for them the substitutes came to their rescue and won them the game in extra time.
Roberto Mancini will want a better performance from his team in this one because of the quality of team they're facing in Belgium. The Belgians may be without a couple of key players in this one but the Italians should still be aware of the quality they possess. This game will be their biggest test of the tournament so far because of the team they're facing.
I'm going for an Italy win because I think Belgium will struggle without Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard in their side. The Italians are solid defensively and have quality players going forward which should be enough for them to win the game.
PREDICTION: 0-2
SATURDAY:
CZECH REPUBLIC V DENMARK
I did not think the Czech Republic would get to this stage of the tournament and they've gone on and surprised me. They got out of a difficult group where they qualified as one of the best 3rd placed teams and they knocked out Holland in the round of 16. They're my tip to do a Denmark or a Greece in winning the tournament as an underdog nation like those two teams did in 1992 and 2004 respectively.
Denmark completely blew Wales away in the last round as they put in a dominant display to win the game rather comfortably. They made Wales look average and to win the game the way they did without Christian Eriksen deserves massive credit. They showed that they're an all round good team who know their jobs and work well as a unit.
They've done their nation and Christian Eriksen proud in reaching the Quarter finals in difficult circumstances and they'll now be looking to reach the Semi finals with a win in this one. Could they even go all the way like they did in 1992?
This one should be a close game as they're both feeling confident following recent results and performances. But I'm going for a Denmark win because of their recent performances. They've been a great to watch and I can them once again play for Christian Eriksen like they have done since his collapse against Finland.
PREDICTION: 0-2
UKRAINE V ENGLAND
Ukraine are another team I've been surprised with at this tournament because I never saw them getting out the group never mind reach the Quarter Finals. They're a good all round team who have a great team spirit which they showed in their opening game defeat to Holland and in their last 16 win over Sweden. Andriy Shevchenko deserves credit for this because not many people saw Ukraine getting this far.
England's performance against Germany in the last 16 was easily our best performance of the tournament so far as it was a good and overall solid performance. Gareth Southgate deserves a lot of credit for it because he picked the right system in the three at the back to match up the Germans and he made substitutions at the right time during the game. I wouldn't be surprised if he kept that formation for this game against Ukraine.
They must be feeling confident that they can reach the final because of the performance they put in against Germany and the fact that they're on the favourable side of the draw. If they can play like they did against Germany in this one, they definitely have a chance.
I'm going for an England win because I think they'll have more than enough to win this game. They'll be confident after beating Germany in the last round and I can see them carry that confidence into this game.
PREDICTION: 0-2
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