Euro 2016 Schedule: Live Stream, TV Info, Odds for Monday Round-of-16 Fixtures
The last two UEFA Euro 2016 quarter-final spots will be up for grabs on Monday, as Spain and Italy do battle in the most anticipated match of the round of 16 before Iceland look to continue their Cinderella run against England.
The Euro debutants beat Austria in their final group-stage match to set up a date with the Three Lions, who have looked far from their best and will have to be wary of the threat Iceland pose.
Italy and Spain met twice four years ago, including in the final, and the Azzurri will be out for revenge after their impressive showings in the group stages.
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Here's everything you need to know about Monday's fixtures:
| 5 p.m./noon | Italy | Spain | BBC One/ESPN 3 | BBC iPlayer/WatchESPN |
| 8 p.m./3 p.m. | England | Iceland | ITV/ESPN 2 | ITV Hub/WatchESPN |
Live-stream links: BBC iPlayer (UK), ITV Hub (UK), WatchESPN (U.S.).
The latest match odds, courtesy of Odds Shark:
| Italy win: 333-100 | Draw: 9-5 | Spain Win: 23-20 |
| England Win: 14-25 | Draw: 14-5 | Iceland Win: 153-20 |
Preview
Italy dropped their last group-stage match against the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday, but they fielded mostly backups for that game, as manager Antonio Conte's men had already secured the top spot in Group E.
In their first two matches—wins over Belgium and Sweden—the Azzurri played solid, inspired football, and they have every reason to fancy their chances against the defending champions.
Not all news coming from the Italian camp is good, however. The team announced Antonio Candreva won't be fit in time for the Spain clash and, as OptaPaolo shared, that is a huge loss:
Many fans and pundits feared Italy didn't have the necessary quality to compete for the title entering the tournament, but those worries have proved unfounded. The lack of depth is a concern following the poor showing against Ireland, however, so Candreva's replacement will be one to keep an eye on.
For Spain's Alvaro Morata, Monday's clash will be a special one. The former Juventus man will go up against several of his old team-mates, including the all-star defensive trio of Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini.
As reported by Marca (h/t Football Italia), the Real Madrid forward knows he and his team-mates will be in for a challenge:
"It is much more difficult to score goals in Italy, as they are experts at defending. In Spain you get seven clear-cut chances to finish off, but in Italy you only get a few and have to hit the mark with all of them.
[…]
(Gianluigi) Buffon is so strong in the one-on-one situations. Like Iker Casillas, he is a legend of world football. The BBC guys are the best defenders in the world and opposition teams don’t want to play against them.
When those three and Buffon are back there, it is almost impossible to score past them.
"
Spain's defence made a strong impression until the 2-1 loss against Croatia last Tuesday, but the Italians don't have the same star options up front that the Croatians do. Combined with Italy's tremendous defensive fortitude, this match has the look of a defensive struggle that a single mistake could decide.
Spain will likely dominate possession, as the Azzurri are not afraid to give it up, and it will be up to La Roja's main creative forces to find a way through Italy's vaunted defence.
Monday's second match could play out in a similar approach, as Iceland are almost certain to cede possession to England and aim for the counter-attack to do damage. The Three Lions have so far struggled to break down compact, disciplined teams, so the underdogs are unlikely to change their approach.
To say Iceland have nothing to lose going into this match would do the squad an injustice―they've performed well in each of their matches so far and have proved they belong. But the players and coaching staff still seem overwhelmed just to be at this stage of the tournament, highlighted by this anecdote from John Cross of the Daily Mirror:
All of the pressure will be on England to advance from this match, and manager Roy Hodgson's relatively young side have struggled under the weight of expectations in the past.
Their wastefulness in front of goal is a major concern heading into this clash. Daniel Sturridge is expected to start, though, according to The Independent's Mark Ogden, and he should help in this department.
