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UEFA Euro 2024: Predictions For Knockout Rounds

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

The image above shows the flags of the sixteen nations still in the running. The whole point of those 36 games of group play is to reduce the field of 24 to the 16 most worthy of advancing. After that, each round is a knockout match to pare down the field to the two to square off for the Euro Cup. The group play was quite interesting. A hat trick wasn’t scored but a lot of brilliant goals. There were four 0-0 games. I hate 0-0 games! There were a lot of controversial referee calls. Also a lot of shockers from teams one wouldn’t consider a favorite but made it through. For all the teams, none of the teams had a case of losing all three games. One group was a case of only a single win and the rest draws to decide. Another group was a case all four teams had a win, a loss and a draw. It must have been tough to decide the finishing order, which they eventually did.

On Saturday the 29th starts the knockout rounds. After all that group play to narrow the 24 to 16, the upcoming Round Of 16 is just a single game for each team to narrow the field of 16 to 8. The layout for the Round of 16 doesn’t make the same clear sense as the Round of 16 in a 32-team World Cup, but this is how UEFA arranges it. I just hope the tournament ends up with the right two in the final. In the meantime, here are my predictions for each match. Matches are in chronological order and my prediction for the winner will be bolded:

ROUND OF 16

Switzerland (Group A 2nd.) vs. Italy (Group B 2nd.): Switzerland finished 2nd in Group A without a loss. It all started with a 3-1 win to Hungary, then 1-1 draws to both Scotland and Germany. Italy opened well against Albania 2-1, lost to Spain 1-0 thanks to an own-goal and drew 1-1 against Croatia in the stoppage time at the end. For this match, I predict Switzerland to win on penalty kicks. The last time Switzerland lost to Italy was 1993.

Germany (Group A 1st.) vs. Denmark (Group C 2nd.): Being the host nation, Germany knew they had to deliver, and deliver well! They did just that opening the Euro with a 5-1 win over Scotland and a 2-0 win over Hungary. Their qualification guaranteed, they could afford to draw 1-1 against Switzerland. Denmark had the good fortune of drawing all three games in their group: 1-1 draws to Slovenia and England and ending with a scoreless draw to Serbia. For this game, I predict Germany to win because they’ve been better at delivering this tournament and making wins happen.

England (Group C 1st.) vs. Slovakia (Group D/E/F 3rd.) Group C was the group where five of the six games were draws. England delivered the only win: 1-0 against Serbia. With their scoreless draw to Slovenia and 1-1 draw to Denmark, that was enough to make them top Group C. Slovakia was in a group that was just as tight. All four Group E teams had a win, a draw and a loss. Slovakia’s win was to Belgium 1-0, their loss to Ukraine 2-1, and their draw to Romania 1-1. For this game I predict England. England has never lost to Slovakia in the six times they played. A single draw at Euro 2016 but never lost.

Spain (Group B 1st.) vs. Georgia (Group D/E/F 3rd.): Spain had it’s win of Group B guaranteed after the second game! They opened 3-1 against Croatia and did 2-1 against Italy. Their 1-0 win over Albania just was a bonus for straight wins. Georgia went from the surprise of qualifying to the surprise of this tournament. They lost their opener to Turkey 3-1, came back to draw against Czechia 1-1 and then win to Portugal 2-0. For this match, I predict Spain. The two have met head-to-head seven times and Spain only lost to Georgia once. Spain won the rest of the times..

France (Group D 2nd.) vs. Belgium (Group E 2nd.): A classic match! France finished second in Group D starting with a 1-0 win over Austria, the only Group F team to beat Austria, a scoreless draw to the Netherlands and a 1-1 draw to Poland. Belgium started their Group E play with a surprise 1-0 loss to Slovakia, then came back with a 2-0 win to Romania and ended with a scoreless draw to Ukraine. For this, I think this will go to a draw with France winning on penalty kicks.

Portugal (Group F 1st.) vs. Slovenia (Group A/B/C 3rd.): Portugal not only clinched qualification after their first two games, but they also clinched first place in Group F in the process! A 2-1 win over Czechia and a 3-0 win over Turkey is all it took. They could afford to lose to Georgia 2-0 and still top Group F! Slovenia was straight draws with 1-1 to Denmark, 1-1 to Serbia and ended with scoreless against Denmark. Despite the same goal differentials as Denmark, their extra yellow card caused them to finish third in the group. Portugal look on target but I think the game will go to Slovenia. Why? In the one time they ever met, a friendly just three months ago, Slovenia won 2-0.

Romania (Group E 1st.) vs. The Netherlands (Group A/C/D 3rd.): Romania began Group E with a 3-0 win over Ukraine, then endured a 2-0 loss to Belgium and ended it with a 1-1 draw to Slovakia. The Netherlands also had their own win, loss and draw in Group D. They began with a 2-1 win over Poland, a scoreless draw to France and a surprise 3-2 loss to Austria. The two have met 13 times and Netherlands have won nine times. I predict Netherlands to win again.

Austria (Group D 1st.) vs. Turkey (Group F 2nd.): Nobody expected Austria to go too far at Euro 2024. Even their 1-0 to France thanks to an own-goal didn’t help. Then came their 3-1 win over Poland and their 3-2 win over the Netherlands en route to topping Group D. Maybe Austria is a stronger team than we thought! Turkey began Euro 2024 with a 3-1 win over Georgia, endured a 3-0 loss to Portugal and came back to a 2-1 win over Czechia. The last time Austria and Turkey met was three months ago and Austria won 6-1. I expect Austria to win again.

QUARTERFINALS

Why do I predict quarterfinals before I even know who the quarterfinalists are? Do you know how tiring writing is? Anyways as in past years, I plan to take a short break and not publish my next Euro blog until just before the semifinals. With that in mind, I’ll go as if my predictions for the Round of 16 matches actually came true. So here are my thoughts:

Spain vs. Germany – They frequently meet and the results alternate: 26 previous meetings; 8 Spain wins; 9 Germany wins; 9 draws. I think this will be a tight match leading into a penalty kick round which Germany will win.

Slovenia vs. France – They’ve met three times in the past and France has won each time. Even though their last previous meeting was over 20 years ago, I don’t think much has changed. I expect France to win again.

Netherlands vs. Austria – It’s possible two teams that clashed in the Group stage could meet again this soon. If they do meet again, I anticipate a draw game with Netherlands to win on penalties.

England vs. Switzerland – They’ve met 27 times before but England has won nineteen times. I’m not expecting much to change this time so I think it will be a win for England again.

And there you have it. Those are predictions for the Round of 16 matches and my ‘estimates’ for the quarterfinals. All we have to do is wait for the games to play to see who really wins. In the meantime, you’ll get my next blog where I predict the semifinals.

UEFA Euro 2024: Group F Focus

Jon The Blogcentric2 Comments

It’s interesting there have been 22 World Cups contested but only eight nations have won the Cup. The Euro has been contested sixteen previous times and ten nations have won the Championship at least once. It’s a wonder who the winner will be this year. A lot of nations look poised to win but there can only be one winner.

For this my last blog before the start of Euro 2024, I will be focusing on the Group F teams as well as additional things about the upcoming tournament. So without further ado, here’s my focus on the teams of Group F:

-Turkey (40): It sometimes seems fair to assume the Ay-Yıldızlılar, or the ‘Crescent-Stars,’ are an on-again off-again team. They’ve only played in two World Cup and finished third in 2002, but never qualified again. Euro has seen better success as they’ve qualified for six tournaments, with this being their third straight Euro, and finished third back in 2008. Turkey do know how to come alive.

Turkey has been coached by Italian Vincenzo Montella, a 2002 World Cup player, after coaching a team in Turkey’s Adana League. Top players include defender Zeki Celik, midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu and forward Cerik Tosun. The squad for Euro has eight members under 25 so it’s a very young team. They’ve had wins against Latvia and Germany. They’ve had a win and a draw against both Armenia and Wales. They’ve also had a win and a loss to Croatia and losses to Hungary, Poland and Austria. Euro 2024 is a chance for Turkey’s current team to prove itself and possibly go further than expected.

-Georgia (75): Here at Euro 2024, the Jvarosnebi will be the one debut team. How did they do it? Despite finishing fourth in Group A which saw Spain and Scotland qualify automatically, Georgia had enough Nations League points to be among the twelve teams in the playoffs for the last three berths. Georgia was drawn into Path C where they would have to face Luxembourg in the semifinal and Greece in the final. In the semi, Georgia defeated Luxembourg 2-0. In the final against Greece held in Georgia’s capital Tblisi, it went scoreless in added extra time. On penalty kicks, Georgia won 4-2 and became the first-ever nation from the Caucasus to qualify for a Euro!

The team is coached by Frenchman Willy Sagnol who played in the 2006 World Cup final. The team has various players who have played in various leagues around Europe and North America. Top players include Guram Kashia, midfielder Nika Kvekveskiri and goalkeeper Giorgi Loria. In the past year and a half, they’ve had wins to Cyprus, Thailand, Montenegro and Luxembourg. They’ve also had a draw and a loss to both Norway and Scotland and losses to Spain. Anything can happen in football and it’s possible Georgia can provide another big upset here in Germany.

-Portugal (6): Here in Germany, the Seleção das Quinas qualified for their eighth straight Euro and ninth in total. This has been an incredible time for Portuguese football as they achieved a win in 2016, a runner-up in 2004 as hosts and to third-places. Not all is smooth sailing. Portugal definitely wants to do better than their Round Of 16 finish from the last Euro where they really underplayed.

Since World Cup 2022 ended, the team is managed by Spain’s Roberto Martinez. This Euro looks to be the last you might see Cristiano Ronaldo play. There’s loads of talk of whether he’ll make this the sixth Euro he scores a goal in, extending the record he set in the last tournament. Portugal is more than Cristiano Ronaldo. There’s also goalkeeper Rui Patricio, defender Pepe and midfielder Bernardo Silva. Since the World Cup, they’ve had a 2023 of straight wins against Slovakia, Iceland, Luxembourg and Bosnia-Hercegovina. This year, they had wins against Sweden, Finland and Ireland but also losses to Croatia and Slovenia. Euro 2024 is another chance for Portugal to rise to the occasion and shine.

-Czechia (36): Back when they were part of Czechoslovakia, they only qualified for three Euros but won in 1976. Ever since the Czechs and Slovaks went their separate ways in 1992, Czechia has qualified for every Euro! They even finished runner-up in 1996 and third in 2004. The Narodak, which is not their official nickname, are known for strong play but they’re also known for inconsistency. The biggest notice is that since the Czechs split, they’ve only qualified for a single World Cup.

The team is coached by Ivan Hasek who was just hired this year and who played for the last-ever Czechoslovakia team in the World Cup back in 1990. Top players include midfielder Tomas Soucek, defender Vladimir Coufal and forward Patrik Schick. In the past year and a half, they’ve had wins against North Macedonia, Armenia and Norway. They’ve had a win and a draw against Moldova and Poland and a draw and a loss against Albania. Germany is the stage offering for Czechia to prove itself and again show how good they are.

My Predictions: This is easy to predict but there are no guarantees. I think Portugal and Czechia will qualify with Turkey qualifying via the wildcard.

EURO 2024 EXTRAS FOCUS

The Logo

The logo for Germany 2024 is a unique design. It’s an image of the trophy in a background full of a multitude of colors. The colors are not just arranged for fun but mixed together to show the unity of nations. If you look close enough, you’ll see many flags or flag colors in the arrangement. Bottom left is Germany, the three up above can be either Italy or Hungary, France or the Netherlands in the three after that, Belgium in the three after that. You get the idea. There are even colors in the pattern resembling flags of nations that didn’t make it like Estonia, Armenia and Ireland.

The Official Ball

Once again, Adidas is the maker of the official football of Euro. It was unveiled in November 2023 and its name is Fussballliebe, meaning ‘love of football.’ It’s pattern-designed with back wing shapes and shapes of red, orange, blue and green. The many colors are there to show the qualified nations’ vibrancy to the tournament. Technology also plays a part in this official ball. This is the first UEFA to feature ‘Connected Ball Technology,’ where it contains internal electronic sensors, detecting movements and assisting referees in making decisions.

The Official Song

“Fire” – Meduza, OneRepublic and Leony: The song is a collaboration of an Italian electronica group, an American pop-rock band and a German pop singer. The song is an upbeat melody. The lyrics make hardly any reference to football. Instead, the lyrics focus on unity and triumph.

And there you have it. That’s my look at UEFA Euro Group F. That also makes it my last look at the UEFA groups. Tournament starts on Friday June 14th. Who will win? Will it be a team that’s won before? Or will it be a new team? It will all be decided in a month’s time.

WORKS CITED:

WIKIPEDIA: UEFA Euro 2024 – Symbols. Wikipedia.com. 2024. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2024#Symbols>