Euro 2016 Bracket: Semi-Finals Format, Fixtures, Odds and Predictions
The final four teams have been decided, so it's time for the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2016 to take place as the competition nears its thrilling climax.
On Wednesday, Wales will take on a Portugal side yet to win a game in 90 minutes as the Dragons continue to make history, while the following day will pit hosts France against Germany in a classic encounter.
Read on for a closer look at both games, but first, see below for the schedule and the latest odds:
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| Wednesday, July 6 | 8 p.m./3 p.m. | Portugal (16-13) | 21-10 | Wales (16-5) |
| Thursday, July 7 | 8 p.m./3 p.m. | Germany (2-1) | 39-19 | France (24-13) |
Portugal vs. Wales
Portugal's clash with Wales will see Real Madrid team-mates Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale against each other, and the two have had highly contrasting tournaments.
Bale has enjoyed an excellent campaign with the Dragons, scoring three times to help them top Group B and then reach the semi-finals.
Former England manager Steve McClaren hailed the impact he's had on the squad and believes Wales have built impressive momentum at the tournament, per Sky Sports News HQ:
Meanwhile, Ronaldo's Portugal scraped through Group F in third place, and aside from a brace against Hungary, his performances have left much to be desired.
His showing against Poland in the quarter-final was particularly poor, as Squawka Football revealed:
Indeed, he has been unusually profligate thus far, failing to score in four of his five games. WhoScored.com offered some insight as to why:
Per the Mirror's James Nursey, Wales boss Chris Coleman gave his take on the showdown between the pair: "They are two of the best players on the planet who know each other very well but there won’t be any love lost on the evening. They know what’s at stake, so any friendship will have to wait until after the game."
Wales seem to be building a bigger head of steam than their rivals and have shown great resilience thus far, while Portugal's only win came in extra time against Croatia.
There are other players capable of dragging their side through the game—such as Renato Sanches for Portugal or Hal Robson-Kanu for Wales—but if one of Bale or Ronaldo plays to the best of their ability, it seems likely their side will be the one to make it through.
Bale has been far better so far, so unless Ronaldo can make a serious improvement—which is hardly beyond the realms of possibility given his ability—Wales should come out on top.
Prediction: Wales
Germany vs. France
France come into the game as the tournament's top scorers with 11 goals, four more than their opponents—albeit five of them came in their quarter-final with Iceland.
Les Bleus undoubtedly possess two of the players of the tournament in Antoine Griezmann and Dimitri Payet, as Squawka Football demonstrated:
It will be up to Germany to contain France's attacking threat, and there is perhaps no team better placed to do so in the final four.
Die Mannschaft have conceded just one goal at the tournament so far, and that was from an Italy penalty in the last round.
As football expert Sergi Dominguez noted, France were freed up by N'Golo Kante's suspension against Iceland:
That said, he will return for the Germany game, and it seems likely he'll play in order to give the French a better foothold in midfield and break up the Germans' play, so France's attack may not be quite as free-flowing.
Germany may not be as potent up front either, as manager Joachim Low confirmed Mario Gomez will miss the game, per the team's official Twitter feed.
Nevertheless, he is eagerly anticipating the match and believes it will be a close contest:
Indeed, the two sides do seem fairly evenly matched, with Germany consistent if unspectacular throughout and France hitting their best form at the right time.
Aside from their 3-0 win over Slovakia, Germany have slightly struggled up front, though, which will be compounded by Gomez's absence—it could just give the hosts a slight edge in what will be a hard-fought game.
Prediction: France
