Switzerland and Italy square off on Sunday morning (AEST) in the first Round of 16 fixture.
Both sides finished second in their respective pools, Switzerland claimed five points in Group A, winning their opening fixture against Hungry (3-1), before drawing to both Scotland (1-1) and host nation Germany (1-1).
Meanwhile, Italy secured their place in the knockout phase with a injury time equaliser against Croatia in the final match, finishing with a just four points after losing to Spain, and defeating Albania.
Five of the last six meetings between this pair have ended in a stalemate, and with neither side playing their socks off at the moment, I can see this one going beyond regular time to find a result.
Group A winner and tournament hosts, Germany, take to the field in Dortmund against Group C runners up Denmark.
Germany cruised through to the round of 16, securing seven competition points, defeating both Scotland (5-1) and Hungary (2-0), before scoring late to snatch a draw against Switzerland (1-1).
Meanwhile, Denmark played out three draws against the likes of Slovenia, Serbia and England, claiming 2nd place in Group C on disciplinary record alone.
Germany’s leading goalscorer, Niclas Fullkrug leads the line for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga and should know his way to goal at Signal Iduna Park.
I’m backing the hosts to get up, combined with a goal from local boy Niclas.
Despite playing well below their best, the Three Lions managed to top Group C with five points and stumbled into a favourable round 16 matchup against minnows, Slovakia.
England have relied heavily on their defence this tournament, conceding just once across three group fixtures, while only managing to score twice.
The Three Lions are undefeated against Slovakia, winning five of the pairs’ six meetings (1D) and keeping three clean sheets across their last four matchups.
I’m backing England to scrape through here, while holding Slovakia to nil.
Spain meet Georgia in what could be the most one-sided Round of 16 contest ever, with the bookies pricing the La Roja at a $1.07 to progress.
The Spanish topped a tough Group B with a perfect record, winning against Croatia (3-0), Italy (1-0) and Albania (1-0), and are the only side yet to concede in the tournament.
Meanwhile, the lowest ranked side at the Euro 2024 finals, Georgia progressed through to the knockout phase thanks to a miraculous 2-0 victory over Portugal’s second string side, a game which saw them hold just 28% possession, the lowest for a winning side in the Euros ever.
Spanish Captain, Alvaro Morata will be licking his lips in anticipation for this match, the striker scored a hat trick in Spains 7-1 victory over Georgia in a qualifying fixture for this tournament.
I’m backing Spain to win comfortably, combined with a goal from their captain.
France and Belgium duke it out in the Round of 16 after both sides finished second in their respective pools.
Belgium have endured a disappointing start to their Euro 2024 campaign, claiming just four points despite being red-hot favourites to top Group E.
Meanwhile, France managed just one win from their three group fixtures (2D), and will now have to fight past Belgium, Spain, Germany and Portugal to reach the Final.
Belgium have been unlucky with VAR this tournament, with Lukaku hitting the back of the net on four occasions, with every strike ruled out.
I think this will be a cagey match, with both sides largely underperforming up until this point.
I’m taking the underdogs to get over the line in a penalty shoot-out, where Real Madrid shot stopper Thibault Courtois will shine.
Portugal head into their Round of 16 matchup against Slovenia as heavy favourites, despite losing to the minnows 2-0 in a recent friendly.
Cristano Ronaldo’s side topped Group F above Turkey on goal difference alone, after losing their final fixture 2-0 to Georgia.
Meanwhile Slovenia drew all three of their games in Group C, holding England to nil in their final fixture to qualify through to the knockout phase as the fourth best third-placed team!
Slovenia are currently riding a nine game undefeated streak (4W,5D), including a victory over Portugal.
Portugal haven’t looked crash hot this tournament, and I think they’ll need more than regulation time to get past this well organised Slovenia unit.
Romania’s reward for topping Group E is a matchup against third-placed Group D side the Netherlands.
The Dutch have won eight of their ten meetings against Romania (1D,1L), winning the pair’s last three outings by an aggregate of 11-1!
Despite topping their pool, Romania only picked up four points from they three games (1W,1D,1L), equal to that of the Netherlands, and less than every other group winner.
I’m looking forward to this fixture and will be backing the goals to flow at both ends of the park, with the Netherlands ultimately winning.
Austria and Turkey take the field on Wednesday morning (AEST) for the final round of 16 fixture.
Austria beat out both the Netherlands and France to top a stacked Group D, scoring six goals across their three pool fixtures (2W,1L).
Meanwhile, Turkey also claimed 6 competition points, though that was only enough to finish 2nd in Group F behind Portugal.
Austria will be super confident heading into this fixture, with eight wins across their last ten games, including a 6-1 spanking of Turkey!
I’m backing Austria’s phenomenal tournament to continue with a commanding victory here.