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#2 Czech Republic vs Denmark
In more ways than one, Czech Republic of Euro 2020 reminds me of the Republic of Ireland teams of yore. They don’t mess about, they play to their strengths, and they don’t conform to their opponents’ style of play. I thought the Netherlands were marginally better in the first half but Czech Republic did well to make them pay for that red card.
The Czech Republic have an element of grit about them and – let’s be honest – they should have scored against England as well. Patrik Schick is a good finisher and doesn’t get intimidated by defenders in the penalty area. Tomas Soucek is as good as anybody with his late runs into the box. Czech Republic have good players and provided a prime example of how teams can take advantage of the extra man with their victory against the Dutch.
Denmark got run ragged in the first ten minutes of their Euro 2020 Round of 16 clash and we all thought Wales were going to run away with the game. The Danes showed tremendous improvement after they put an extra man in that midfield and eventually ripped the Welsh to shreds.
Denmark have shown plenty of heart at Euro 2020 and hold a slight edge over the Czech Republic at the moment.
Player to Watch: Mikkel Damsgaard
Damsgaard was brilliant against Wales and was a lively presence throughout the game. The youngster has already scored some great goals and has really stepped up for his team at Euro 2020.
He wouldn’t have expected to be playing this much, but he’s taken his chances and – most importantly – he’s been ready. Mikkel Damsgaard has become Denmark’s main man and has goals in him, so keep an eye on this talent in the quarterfinals.
Prediction: Czech Republic 1-2 Denmark
Also read: Czech Republic vs Denmark prediction, preview, team news and more | UEFA Euro 2020
#1 Ukraine vs England
I think England should win this Euro 2020 quarterfinal quite comfortably, to be honest. The problem with Ukraine is that they’re quite unpredictable at times. There were times against Sweden when you’d watch Ukraine and think, “I hope we face these guys.” But they can come at you all of a sudden – Ukraine can pull off lethal counters and nearly scored against Sweden against the run of play.
If Ukraine sit back and defend against England for 90 minutes, I can’t see them succeeding. If they decide to play an open game and attack, they can really hurt us. England need to focus on their own game, however, and need to concentrate on the task on hand. It isn’t just false hope this time at Euro 2020 – we have a genuine shot at the trophy and our superior squad should be able to make it past Ukraine, Denmark, and Czech Republic.
Gareth Southgate has done a great job at Euro 2020 so far and hasn’t got enough credit for his decisions against Germany. Everybody’s forgotten who he started because we won the game, but there would have been an inquisition had we failed against Germany.
That being said, the game changed when Jack Grealish came on and England can count themselves lucky to have players of exceptional quality on the bench. Ukraine were undefeated in their Euro 2020 qualifying group so we can’t afford to underestimate them.
England need to avoid end-to-end situations and need to keep playing their way – the way that’s earned them four clean sheets so far at Euro 2020. England worked with lower expectations last week because a match against Germany could go either way, but a loss to Ukraine would come as a major shock.
Player to Watch: Raheem Sterling
You can’t not pick Raheem Sterling as your main man at Euro 2020. He’s scored almost all of our goals, he never hides and always seems to find good positions in the box. Sterling can miss a hat-trick of chances on a given day but will still get himself into that box and score.
I used to hear the same criticisms directed towards Gary Lineker in my playing days – things like, “Lineker only scores tap-ins from two yards out!” These comments conveniently ignore the fact that Lineker had the wherewithal to get himself into that position in the first place.
We’ve all seen Manchester City pass teams out of the park and walk the ball into the net, and it’s usually Sterling who finds himself in the right position to finish these moves.
He doesn’t push people out of the way to get the job done. He reads the game and the situation instead. More often than not, the simple chances are even harder to convert because they’re the ones that don’t usually come along.
Sterling found his own space and stepped up to break the deadlock against Croatia. With the winger in form, England should be able to get the better of Ukraine this weekend and make their way into the Euro 2020 semifinals
Prediction: Ukraine 0-2 England
