European Championship Quarterfinals: Switzerland Vs. Spain & Belgium Vs. Italy
Published July 1, 2021 by Sol FH
Switzerland shocked the world as they ousted the World Champions, will they continue to the Semifinals. All the action starts Friday, July 2 at 17:00 GMT.
With only eight teams left in the 2021 European Championships, it is getting down to the nitty-gritty as virtually any team has the chance to make it to the final. Probably the biggest shocker of the tournament has been the Swiss team, who successfully knocked out the reigning world champions, France, after a penalty shootout in the Round of 16.
Now, the race is on to see if Switzerland will be able to overcome their next biggest test against Spain in the Semifinals.
Switzerland vs. Spain - July 2, 17:00 GMT
This will be the first meeting between Switzerland and Spain at the Euro. Lifetime, Spain and the Swiss have met thrice in world competition, with Spain winning the first two matches in 1966, and 1994, while Switzerland won the most recent matchup in 2010 at the World Cup in South Africa.
The odds are stacked against Switzerland in this match, as Spain has lost only one match in its last 22 meetings with the Swiss in all competitions (Won 16 - Drawn 5), but, the Swiss have shocked the world by ousting France in the Round of 16 and could pull it off once again against a Spanish team that has not yet been at world champion-level.
Spain's round of 16 tie against Croatia was undoubtedly one of the craziest ends to a match...ever. There were 4 goals from the 85th minute until the end of the match, with two coming from Croatia in the 85th and 90+2, which put them level with Spain 3-3 until Morata and Oyarzabal found the back of the Croatian net in the 100th and the 103rd minute to win 5-3.
Odds and Prediction
The Swiss team will need to pull off a miracle against Spain as the odds and the history is against them. bet365 Sports has Switzerland at 5.50, while Spain is at 1.66 for the win. A draw after 90-minutes is locked in at 3.75. The Swiss have a chance to win but it seems like their luck may run out against Spain. Expect Spain to advance after a close game.
Belgium vs. Italy - July 2, 20:00 GMT
Sometimes football can be a cruel sport. When the favorites lose it is quite a shocker, but, when two teams that are incredibly deserving of advancing meet, fans are sure to see a wild match. This is exactly the case with Italy and Belgium. They were the only two teams in the competition to win all three of their group stage matches, and
Belgium has the odds against them, but only slightly in this match. First of all, taking on Italy is never an easy task, but, this time they may need to do so without stars Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne, who are still dealing with injuries. The star duo has played but it is doubtful they’ll be at the level they need to be against a team like Italy.
Odds and Prediction
This match will come down to whether or not Hazard and De Bruyne are on their game. Belgium has needed to count on players like Lukaku a bit too much and he is only one, against a star-studded Italian squad. Expect a big win from Italy. bet365 Sports has the Italians at 2.30, while Belgium is at 3.40.
The odds in this article at the bookmaker mentioned above were accurate at the time of writing, June 30 at 8:00 GMT.
