Euro 2016 Schedule: Live Stream, TV Coverage and Odds for Quarterfinal Fixtures
Following Italy and Iceland's triumphs on Monday, the quarter-finals of UEFA Euro 2016 have now been set.
Monday's victors will face Germany and France, respectively, while Wales will continue in their quest to make history when they take on Belgium and Poland play Portugal as the teams bid for a semi-final berth.
Here are the viewing details and latest odds for the quarter-finals, and read on for a closer look at some of the fixtures that await.
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| Thursday, June 30 | 8 p.m./3 p.m. | QF 1 | Poland (6-5) | Portugal (29-10) | ITV 1 (UK), ESPN2 (USA) |
| Friday, July 1 | 8 p.m./3 p.m. | QF 2 | Wales (49-10) | Belgium (3-4) | BBC One (UK), ESPN2 (USA) |
| Saturday, July 2 | 8 p.m./3 p.m. | QF 3 | Germany (5-4) | Italy (33-10) | BBC One (UK), ESPN2 (USA) |
| Sunday, July 3 | 8 p.m./3 p.m. | QF 4 | France (5-11) | Iceland (9-1) | ITV 1 (UK), ESPN2 (USA) |
Matches can be streamed live via BBC iPlayer, ITV Player and WatchESPN.
Poland vs. Portugal
Both Poland and Portugal scraped through the round of 16, with the former edging past Switzerland on penalties and the latter beating Croatia 1-0 in extra time.
Despite boasting the talents of Robert Lewandowski up front, Poland's campaign has thus far been based on their resolute defence—the only goal they've shipped was Xherdan Shaqiri's superb bicycle kick in their last match.
However, Lewandowski's struggles have left them somewhat toothless. Jakub Blaszczykowski has netted in their last two games, but with their star striker failing to replicate his club form, finishing has been a problem, as OptaJohan noted against Switzerland:
Meanwhile, Portugal haven't been overly impressive, either—they were comprehensively outplayed by Croatia virtually from start to finish, and they've reached this stage without winning a single game in 90 minutes.
They're not as strong defensively as Poland, but they seem to have more about them further forward—Cristiano Ronaldo played fairly well without scoring against Croatia, Nani has enjoyed a fine tournament and Renato Sanches announced his arrival on the international stage with a strong showing from the bench.
Portuguese football writer Jan Hagen hailed the youngster's impact:
The 18-year-old's efforts could see him start on Thursday, and his commitment and dynamism could cause Poland problems—the likes of which Ronaldo and Nani will be able to feed off going forward.
Unless Lewandowski can finally arrive at the tournament and bring with him the form that saw him net 42 goals in 2015/16, it seems Portugal will have the edge.
Wales vs. Belgium
Wales and Belgium will be highly familiar to one another having played each other twice in the qualifying rounds for the tournament, and in that regard, the Dragons have the advantage—they picked up four points from the two matches.
Chris Coleman's side are riding the crest of a wave after overcoming Northern Ireland in the round of 16. He conceded they were somewhat fortunate—the game was decided by a Gareth McAuley own goal—but nevertheless deserved winners, per Sky Sports News HQ:
Playing in their first major tournament since 1958, Wales have already defied all expectations by reaching the quarter-finals.
By contrast, while Belgium have yet to make a significant impact on the international stage, such is the quality of their squad that anything less than at least a semi-final appearance would seem highly disappointing.
They sailed through the first knockout round in style, thrashing Hungary 4-0. Bleacher Report UK's Sam Tighe was impressed, particularly by Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard:
Indeed, his praise was justified, as Squawka Football revealed:
The pair were at their creative best against Hungary, causing all manner of problems as they exposed the opposing defence and ruthlessly punished them.
Wales will need to be at their best to counter Belgium's attacking threats, and their greatest chance of victory is to sit behind the ball and then rely on Gareth Bale to produce some magic on the break.
The Red Devils should have too much quality for Wales, though, so in all likelihood, they'll be progressing on Friday.
