Davis Cup Tennis 2016: Semi-Finals Dates, Schedule, Live Stream and Predictions

Great Britain will host Argentina in the semi-finals of the 2016 Davis Cup at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland, on Friday.

The defending champions will hope to stay on course for a second successive tournament win and face either France or Croatia, who will be taking each other on in their own crunch clash.

Read on for a closer look at the two semi-finals, but first, here is the complete schedule, viewing information and predictions for each match:

Date	Matchup	Day 1 Start	Day 2 Start	Day 3 Start	Prediction
September 16-18	Great Britain vs. Argentina	1 p.m. BST/8 a.m. ET	2 p.m. BST/9 a.m. ET	1 p.m. BST/8 a.m. ET	Great Britain
September 16-18	Croatia vs. France	1 p.m. BST/8 a.m. ET	2 p.m. BST/9 a.m. ET	1 p.m. BST/8 a.m. ET	France

The action can be streamed live via BBC iPlayer and Eurosport Player in the UK and via Tennis Channel Everywhere in the USA.

Great Britain vs. Argentina

Fresh from winning Wimbledon for a second time, Andy Murray did not compete for Great Britain in the Davis Cup quarter-finals in July.

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

Despite the world No. 2's absence, Leon Smith's side secured a 3-2 win over Serbia thanks to two singles rubbers from Kyle Edmund and the doubles rubber won by Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot.

Following his quarter-final defeat at the U.S. Open, the Scot will return to action for Great Britain. Per the Press Association (h/t the Daily Mail), Andy Murray said following his selection:

"

Obviously I'll look forward to the match. It should be a great, great atmosphere, a great occasion.

I would like a little bit more time off, which obviously I will get when the Davis Cup is done, but I just need to be smart in the next few days because I need a lot of energy for those ties.

Davis Cup does take a lot out of you over the weekend. It's tough, especially if you play all three days.

"

The 29-year-old will have had eight days to rest following his exertions at the U.S. Open, and as usual, he'll be the team's biggest hope for points.

As well as the two singles rubbers, he could also partner with his brother Jamie in the doubles. Jamie Murray is fresh from a more successful stint in New York, per the U.S. Open's official Twitter feed:

"

Take a bow, gents! #usopen @BrunoSoares82 @jamie_murray pic.twitter.com/PlKnvf6WXE

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 10, 2016"

The pair have amassed a remarkable collection of honours, per BBC Sport's Kheredine Idessane:

Their presence—and that of rising star Edmund—will be a huge boost for Great Britain, who have lost their last three meetings with Argentina. The last of those was way back in 2008, however, so with Great Britain on home soil, they should be able to see off the South Americans' challenge.

Croatia vs. France

France have suffered a blow in their pursuit of a final place in the competition after losing U.S. Open semi-finalist Gael Monfils to injury, as reported by the Associated Press (h/t Tennis.com).

The news is yet another setback for the French team after Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was also lost to injury, per the tournament's official Twitter feed:

He has been replaced by Richard Gasquet, who suffered a first-round U.S. Open exit at the hands of Great Britain's Edmund.

However, France boast two semi-finalists from Flushing Meadows. Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert reached that stage in the men's doubles, and the former reserved praise for France team captain Yannick Noah.

Per DavisCup.com, Mahut said: "He knows the way to win it. He has a lot of charisma, he won [the Davis Cup] two times as a captain. He gives us a lot of confidence because, well, he won it. We trust him, we believe in him. He helps us a lot."

MICHAL CIZEK/Getty Images

His experience will come in handy and perhaps give France an edge over their opponents.

In the singles, France are now expected to go with Lucas Pouille and the experienced Gasquet, according to the Associated Press. 

Pouille had an eventful U.S. Open himself, eliminating former world No. 1 Rafael Nadal on his way to the quarter-finals, where he was beaten by Monfils.

Croatia can't be written off, particularly as they're at home and boast the quality of Marin Cilic in their ranks, but France might just squeeze through.