Euro 2012 Bracket: Best Quarterfinal Matches Football Fans Want to See

As the intensity of group stage play at Euro 2012 gets stronger leading into the weekend, it's not too early to look ahead to some possible matchups of the quarterfinal round.

France and England are two talented teams that will be very difficult to defeat in the quarterfinal, and could provide some amazing matches against Group C opponents in the knockout stage.

Let's look at three quarterfinal matches that football fans want to see the most.

France vs. Italy

A rematch of the 2006 World Cup final between France (projected winner of Group D) and Italy (projected runner-up of Group C) would be a remarkable quarterfinal game.

Both teams have world-class goalkeepers who would have to keep top attacking players such as France winger Franck Ribery and Italy striker Mario Balotelli off the score sheet.

If you want to see a match between two rivals with exciting young squads, then you cannot afford to miss this match.

England vs. Spain

England's defense would be put to the test against a Spain side that has been bolstered by the return of Fernando Torres, who scored two goals in the team's win over Ireland on Thursday.

This matchup would take place if Spain wins Group C and England is the runner-up of Group D.

The Three Lions would have Wayne Rooney back from suspension in this match, which could be a problem for the Spanish defense. This would be a match with plenty of goals and exciting moments.

Netherlands vs. Russia

If you love attacking football, then this would be the match to watch in the quarterfinal. If the Netherlands can find a way to qualify for the knockout stage, they would likely play the winner of Group A, which will probably be Russia.

Both these teams feature strong attacking players and subpar defenders, so goal scoring could be the central theme of this match.

Watching Robin van Persie, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben take on the Russian defense would be worth skipping school or work.