Will Wales qualify for the quarters? Plus Italy v Austria, Belgium v Portugal, What Happens Next? and more

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Will Wales reach the quarters?

Wales v Denmark, Saturday 5pm BBC 1

Qualifying in second place from a difficult-looking group, it could certainly be argued that Wales will already have plenty of reasons to be proud and satisfied with reaching the knockout stages, especially considering the circumstances of their managerial situation prior to the tournament. After a hard-fought draw against Switzerland, an impressive defeat of Turkey, and a valiant defeat against Italy.

The Dragons now face another unenviable task against the rampant Danes, who qualified on the last group matchday with an emotionally charged and brilliant all-round team effort to destroy Russia 4-1. A tournament dark horse for many before the tournament kicked-off, the 1992 EURO winners looked to be derailed by the terrible circumstances around star man Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest in the opening match with Finland, but now seemingly playing with that as a motivation rather than a hindrance and will be full of confidence to make a real effort to repeat the heroics of 29 years ago.

The Welsh will need star men Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey to produce something special again, and anything less than a maximum-effort performance from the whole team will likely not be enough to stop the Danish momentum. Although In fantastic form of late – the ‘Dragons’ arrive here having lost just twice in their previous 16 competitive internationals (W10, D4) – there have only been 3 H2Hs between these two sides this century, and all of them ended with Wales on the losing side.

With everything considered, this promises to be a hugely difficult challenge for the Welsh – but they won’t be afraid or be overawed by the occasion. Having beaten Belgium to reach the semis at EURO 2016, they know they are capable of beating the best sides on the biggest stages. Spreadex make Denmark the favourites, though, with a Denmark/Wales Goal Supremacy spread of 0.6-0.8, with Total Goals at 2.05-2.25 and Total Goal Minutes at 105-115. On the fixed odds, Denmark are available at 17/20, with Wales at 17/4, and the Draw at 9/4 (all after 90mins result). Alternatively, The Danes are at 4/11 to qualify, with Wales at 15/8.

Further R16 Previews

Italy v Austria, Saturday 8pm BBC 1

The Italians were arguably the most impressive side in the group stages, winning all 3 group matches without conceding a goal against Turkey, Switzerland and Wales. Now on a 30-match unbeaten run, along with 11 straight wins without conceding a goal, it looks to be a tall order for the Austrian underdogs to manage to stop the Italian momentum.

Winning with another clean sheet here would also see Italy match their longest ever clean sheet run of 12 matches between 1972 and 1974. The Azzurri have only played two countries more often than Austria and have been unbeaten in the last 13 H2Hs since 1960 – with 10 of those matches being wins.

The Austrians have reached the knockout stages of the EUROs for the first time ever, although they have only taken part in 3 iterations of the tournament. After beating Ukraine in the final group game to secure their place in the knockouts, they might feel aggrieved that they have ended up with a much more difficult assignment and harder side of the draw (at least on paper).

In terms of goalscorers, Ciro Immobile may be a good bet. The Lazio frontman has scored in his last 3 appearances – and is available on the fixed odds at 14/5 to Score First. And remember, if you bet on a player to score first and he fails to do so, but does score last, you can claim a free bet of your losing stake (up to £25) with our First Goalscorer Insurance!

Spreadex are favouring the Italians to continue their form and have a pre-match Italy/Austria Goal Supremacy spread of 1.05-1.25, along with a Total Goals spread of 2.35-2.55 and Total Goal Minutes at 119-129. On the fixed odds, Italy are at 40/85 to win in 90mins or 1/5 to qualify outright, with Austria at 7/1 to win in 90minutes and 7/2 to qualify. The Draw is at 16/5.


Netherlands v Czech Republic, Sunday 5pm ITV 1

Another side who completed a near-perfect clean sweep in the groups, Holland’s only blip so far was the temporary collapse against Ukraine when they shipped two goals in a matter of minutes. Other than that, the Oranje have looked solid and have played some attractive attacking football, catching the eye of many with their pace and explosiveness through their wingbacks – especially Denzel Dumfries on the right-hand side.

The Czech Republic started well with a confident win over Scotland, followed by a solid draw against Croatia and a narrow defeat to England, but ended up as only one of the best third-placed teams to qualify. However, the Czechs will be pleased to reach the knockout stages, considering they have won only one of their last 7 games at the EUROs. With that being said, they have beaten the Dutch in 3 of the last 5 H2Hs – including both EURO 2016 qualifying matches, and a memorable 3-2 victory back in the group stages of EURO 2004.

Spreadex are favouring the Dutch to show their class this time around and continue their growing momentum and status as dark horses for a first EUROs since 1988. We have a Netherlands/Czech Republic Goal Supremacy spread of 0.75-0.95 available, along with a Total Goals spread of 2.6-2.8 and Total Goal Minutes at 132-142. On the fixed odds, Holland are 4/6 to finish the job within 90 mins, and 1/3 to qualify. The Czechs are underdogs at 17/4 to win in 90 mins, and 9/4 to qualify. The Draw is available at 14/5, while the Dutch star men of the tournament so far are available with Georginio Wijnaldum To Score First & Memphis Depay To Score Last at 16/1.


Belgium v Portugal, Sunday 8pm ITV 1

The final match of the weekend may well be the most dramatic so far, with defending champions Portugal facing the top-ranked nation in the world, and one of the key favourites for the competition, Roberto Martinez’s Belgium side. The Red Devils will be looking to finally win a major trophy this time around and will look to avoid an earlier-than-anticipated exit, as occurred in their loss to Wales in the EURO 2016 quarter finals.

With that being said, the Portuguese will likely embrace their status as underdogs, and will undoubtedly show the passion and determination which has kept them in the tournament after a bumpy ride in the ‘Group of Death’, and what led them to win the trophy 5 years ago. Talismanic striker Cristiano Ronaldo already has 5 goals in the tournament so far, and just one more will leave him with yet another incredible milestone in his storied career – he will overtake Iran’s Ali Daei as the outright leader in international goals scored.

It would be fair to expect an entertaining game full of goals here, with all three of Portugal’s matches so far producing over 2.5 goals, and the same for Belgium in 2/3 matches. With the amount of attacking talent on the pitch, this could well turn out to be the most entertaining match of the tournament so far.

Much will depend on the performances of the star men for both sides, with Portugal looking to be reliant on Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes – if he reclaims his spot in the starting XI, while Belgium will be looking for another world-class display from playmaker Kevin de Bruyne, winger Eden Hazard, and star striker Romelu Lukaku. Belgium have only lost 2 of 42 matches which Lukaku has scored, so they will look to this as an omen if the Inter striker gets on the scoresheet once more.

However, Portugal have not lost to Belgium since 1989, and will look to keep that historical run going here. Spreadex make them slight underdogs though, with a Belgium/Portugal Goal Supremacy of 0.05-0.25, along with a Total Goals spread of 2.3-2.5, and a Total Goal Mins spread of 119-129. On the fixed odds, Belgium are 6/4 to win in 90mins, with Portugal and the Draw both at 21/10. Alternatively, Belgium are 8/11 to qualify, and Portugal are 11/10.



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