Euro 2024: A quick guide to the form of the teams through to the round of 16

28 June 2024 - 09:00 By Nick Said
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Slovenia players celebrate with their fans after their UEFA Eeuro 2024 Group C match against England at Cologne Stadium in Cologne, Germany on June 25 2024.
Slovenia players celebrate with their fans after their UEFA Eeuro 2024 Group C match against England at Cologne Stadium in Cologne, Germany on June 25 2024.
Image: Emin Sansar/Anadolu via Getty Images

The line-up for the round of 16 at the European Championship in Germany is complete.

Here is a quick guide to the eight games which get under way from Saturday.

Switzerland vs Italy (June 29, Berlin 6pm)

Switzerland impressed in the pool stages with their usual efficiency, while defending champions Italy stumbled into the last 16, though both teams were runners-up in their respective pools.

The Swiss ousted France via penalties at this stage after a thrilling 3-3 draw in 2021 and will be similarly difficult to beat.

Italy coach Luciano Spalletti feels his team are improving with each game.

Five of the last six meetings between the sides finished in draws and Switzerland’s last win over Italy was in 1993.

Germany vs Denmark (June 29, Dortmund 9pm)

Hosts Germany topped Group A with seven points while Denmark advanced in second place in Group C despite drawing all three games.

Germany have scored more goals (8), had more possession (64.3%) and the best passing accuracy (93%) of any side as they extended their unbeaten run to seven games.

Denmark will be underdogs but reached the semifinals three years ago, where they lost in extra time to England.

England vs Slovakia (June 30, Gelsenkirchen 6pm)

England limped through the pool stages, and bar a strong opening against Serbia in their first game, looked underwhelming despite the array of attacking talent at manager Gareth Southgate’s disposal.

They will view this as an excellent chance to advance but will find their fired-up opponents no pushovers.

England managed only 10 attempts on target in their three pool games, scoring twice.

That is not title-winning form.

The teams last met in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers where England claimed 2-1 and 1-0 wins.

Spain vs Georgia (June 30, Cologne 9pm)

Spain were the most impressive team in the group stage with three wins, five goals scored and none conceded.

They have reached the semifinals in three of the past four Euros finals, winning
the title in 2008 and 2012.

Debutants Georgia surprised Portugal 2-0 to seal their last-16 place.

Spain have won the last four meetings between the sides, all since 2021.

France vs Belgium (July 1, Duesseldorf 6pm)

Belgium’s search for a first major international trophy has led them to a clash with the French.

Coach Domenico Tedesco’s side have shown nothing in Germany to suggest this is a hurdle they can clear.

France have not hit top gear either, though both teams had two clean sheets in the pool stage, suggesting their issues lie with attacking potency.

That is surprising with Kylian Mbappe and Kevin De Bruyne in their ranks.

There have been 13 goals scored in the last three games between the teams.

Portugal vs Slovenia (July 1, Frankfurt 9pm)

Portugal’s loss to Georgia in their final pool game came out of nowhere, ending a run of 12 consecutive victories in competitive fixtures since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

They topped their pool and play a Slovenia team who advanced to the last 16 on the back of three draws.

No player in the tournament has had more attempts at goal than Cristiano Ronaldo (12) but he has yet to score.

Romania vs Netherlands (July 2, Munich 6pm)

There were contrasting emotions for these teams after the pool stages as Romania wildly celebrated a first place in the Euros knockouts since 2000 by topping Group E and Netherlands seethed as they slipped to a 3-2 defeat by Austria and finished third in their pool.

The Dutch will hope to avoid a second successive last-16 exit having lost 2-0 to Czech Republic three years ago.

They have won the last four meetings with Romania.

Austria vs Turkey (July 2, Leipzig 9pm)

Austria won 6-1 when these teams met in a friendly in March but a determined Turkey will be a different proposition this time.

The Austrians were among the most impressive sides in the pool stages, even if they lost their opener 1-0 to France, and have momentum going into the knockout rounds.

So do Turkey, but they were also soundly beaten 3-0 by Portugal five days ago.

Only Scotland (7), Croatia (6) and Poland (6) conceded more goals than Turkey (5) in the pool stages.


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