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The group stages of the Euros can be considered ‘the appetizer.’ After all, while there’s a life-and-death feeling to the games, the reality is a bit different.
Only 10 teams are actually knocked out following the competition of the group games. The real action will take place — and was always destined to take place — during the knockout rounds of the tournament.
So what are we likely to see during this phase of the tournament? International football tournaments are famously hard to predict, but that won’t stop us from trying. Let’s take a look at some bold and not-so-bold predictions for the later rounds of Euro 2024.
England to Start Playing
Before the tournament got underway, there was a lot of hype about England’s chances of winning their first international trophy since 1966. The first two games, however, dampened some of that enthusiasm.
An uninspiring 1 - 0 victory over Serbia and a 1 - 1 draw with Denmark was enough for some fans and pundits to discount Southgate’s chances of finally bringing football home. But, of course, the opening games of a football tournament count for little.
England are still among the favourites on Euro 2024 betting websites to lift the trophy, and that’s for one simple reason: they have an abundance of world-class talent. Don’t be surprised if the team’s leading stars finally wake up and start performing. If they do, then the pre-tournament hype might just prove to be justified.
Mbappe to Start Scoring
Mbappe didn’t have the best of starts to Euro 2024. Breaking your nose is never ideal, but it’s even less ideal when you’re the main player for a team that most definitely has its eyes on the main prize. Thankfully, the break wasn’t bad enough to rule him out of the tournament, and he even scored a goal (a penalty) on his return to the team.
It’ll be in the later rounds of the tournament that Mbappe really shows his worth. He hasn’t lit up the tournament yet, but there’s no doubt that he will at some stage or another. And France will need him to. Having finished second in their group, they have a few tricky games to overcome if they’re going to make it to the final, where they could face England. With such fine margins in place, they’ll need their talisman to be in top form.
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Spain to Reach the Final
France will be confident that they can go all the way to the final. But the smart money might be on backing Spain to reach the final. They’ve been the most impressive team at the tournament so far, winning all their games without conceding a goal.
They’ll go into the knockout rounds full of confidence that they can overcome any team that’s put in their way. At some point, they’re likely to meet France, most likely in the semi-final. If France can get Mbappe scoring, then you’d have to back Les Bleus. Still, that hasn’t happened yet, and for that reason, no one should be surprised if Spain have enough in the locker to go all the way.
Surprise Players to Show Their Worth
International football is mostly about the team, but part of the fun is watching emerging talents grab attention and show the world they belong at the highest level. So far in the tournament, we’ve seen some outstanding performances from players who were relatively under the radar beforehand. Moving forward, we’ll get to see just how much potential these players have. Some footballers to watch include Nico Williams of Spain, Ferdi Kadioglu of Turkey, and Riccardo Calafiori of Italy, all of whom are having outstanding tournaments so far.
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