Euro 2016 Bracket: Round-of-16 Format, Fixtures, Odds and Predictions

An action-packed final day of group-stage action at Euro 2016 saw Republic of Ireland claim a shock win over Italy to book their last-16 spot, while Portugal scraped through to the first knockout round after a 3-3 draw with Hungary.

The knockout bracket is now set, with one side of the draw looking significantly tougher than the other, per Bleacher Report UK:

Italy's match with defending champions Spain is one of the headline clashes of the last 16, while in-form Croatia come up against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal.

Read on for a closer examination of the last-16 clashes, along with full scheduling details, odds and predictions.

Date	Time (BST/ET)	Fixture (Odds to advance)	Prediction
June 25	2 p.m./9 a.m.	Switzerland (6-5) vs. Poland (8-13)	0-1
June 25	5 p.m./noon	Wales (2-5) vs. Northern Ireland (7-4)	2-0
June 25	8 p.m./3 p.m.	Croatia (4-5) vs. Portugal (evens)	2-1 (aet)
June 26	2 p.m./9 a.m.	France (1-8) vs. Republic of Ireland (5-1)	3-1
June 26	5 p.m./noon	Germany (1-8) vs. Slovakia (5-1)	3-0
June 26	8 p.m./3 p.m.	Hungary (1-4) vs.Belgium (11-4)	1-2
June 27	5 p.m./noon	Italy (4-9) vs. Spain (13-8)	1-1 (Italy to advance on penalties)
June 27	8 p.m./3 p.m.	England (2-11) vs. Iceland (7-2)	1-0

Odds courtesy of Oddschecker.

Defending Champions Face Tough Task

Despite losing their final group game 1-0 to Ireland, Italy still topped Group E.

By contrast, Spain's defeat to Croatia saw them drop from Group D winners-elect and into a vicious half of the draw that starts with a clash against the Azzurri.

The current Italian squad is relatively poor, but they proved in their 2-0 win over Belgium in the opener that they can put in a good performance.

Also, perhaps more than any other side in the tournament, Italy have the tools to deal with Spain's excellent attack, as they boast three of the best defenders at the Euros—Juventus trio Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli.

Things will only get tougher for Spain if they get past Italy, though, as they are likely to play Germany in the quarter-finals and hosts France in the semi-finals.

The Germans have failed to get going just yet, but they should have more than enough to see off Slovakia in their last-16 matchup.

Slovakia put in an impressive defensive effort to hold England to a 0-0 draw in their final group game, but the world champions have far more quality in their attacking ranks and should be able to get the result they need to advance.

The Three Lions' inability to beat Slovakia and top Group B has seen them fall into the tricky side of the draw.

While their last-16 clash against minnows Iceland should return a routine victory for Roy Hodgson's side—although they are likely to again come up against a side with little interest in attacking and opening up space—their path to the final is likely to then see them face France and Spain.

By contrast, Wales could yet go some way in the tournament given the relative ease of their route to the final, which is their reward for their group-topping efforts, per the BBC's Dan Walker:

Wales will be wary not to underestimate an organised Northern Ireland side in their second-round clash, but the quality of Joe Allen, Aaron Ramsey and, of course, Gareth Bale should see them through to a likely last-eight match against Belgium.

Per Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe, Bale has risen to the challenge of being Wales' undisputed talisman and performed as well as anyone so far in Euro 2016:

His Real Madrid team-mate, Ronaldo, took a while to come to the party, but a brilliant brace against Hungary means he is crucially going into the clash with Croatia in goalscoring form.

However, Portugal will have to put in a brilliant performance to get past Croatia, who have looked the most impressive outfit so far at the tournament and could go all the way if they keep it up.

The pressure is on now in the knockout rounds, and the spectre of the dreaded penalty-shootout exit hangs over each of the 16 teams remaining.

With the way the draw has worked out, there will be some high-profile casualties in the last 16—not least two of Spain, Italy, Portugal and Croatia—and there could yet be more to add to the fairytale stories of Wales, Iceland, Hungary and Northern Ireland.