Euro 2016 Schedule: TV Info, Times, Live Stream, Picks for Semi-Final Fixtures

Losing at the semi-final stage is often considered to be worse than falling short in a final, something that will be on the mind of the four teams remaining in the 2016 edition of the UEFA European Championship.

At least those who make it to the final on Sunday in Paris will enjoy the occasion and have closure at the end of the competition. Should Wales or Portugal, France or Germany fall short at the last four, it’ll forever be a case of wondering what could have been.

It’s what makes semi-finals such dramatic occasions and why these upcoming fixtures are unmissable.

Here are the key viewing details for the matches and a closer look at which teams will take their place in the competition climax in the capital.

Date	Time (BST)	Fixture	TV Info	Prediction
Wednesday, July 6	8 p.m.	Portugal vs. Wales	BBC One (UK), ESPN (U.S.)	1-0
Thursday, July 7	8 p.m.	Germany vs. France	ITV (UK), ESPN (U.S.)	1-2

Matches can be streamed via BBC iPlayer (UK), ITV Hub (UK) and Watch ESPN (U.S.).

Portugal vs. Wales

Clive Rose/Getty Images

While the narrative leading into this one will be centred around Real Madrid team-mates Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo going toe-to-toe, there’s plenty of potentially decisive factors to consider as Wales get set to face Portugal.

Wales certainly have the spirit to get through this tie. Chris Coleman’s men have faced setbacks in this tournament, most notably the last-minute loss to England, but have been able to come through them with distinction. It was a defiance they showed in spades in recovering from a goal down to beat Belgium 3-1 in the quarter-finals.

Although outnumbered, that night the supporters were fantastic; Bale paid tribute to them on his Twitter account:

That will buoy Wales, and you sense they will need a lot of help heading into this one. After all, their key midfield man Aaron Ramsey is suspended, as is defender Ben Davies; Portugal have the talent to capitalise on these omissions too.

FRANCISCO LEONG/Getty Images

Ronaldo, obviously, will be a huge threat to the back four and after missing a lot of chances, he will surely find his shooting boots soon.

In midfield, Bayern Munich tyro Renato Sanches has emerged as a key player; this graphic from OptaFranz sums up the 18-year-old’s influence:

Portugal haven’t won a game inside 90 minutes at this tournament yet, but they’ve shown an unbending resilience at key moments. Given Wales’ suspension problems in the spine of the team, expect the Selecao to grind out another win in an attritional affair.

Prediction: Portugal 1-0 Wales

Germany vs. France

Claudio Villa/Getty Images

Host nation France have momentum behind them after their 5-2 win against Iceland, although they’ll be well aware of the challenge world champions Germany pose to their chances.

Didier Deschamps’ Les Bleus side really turned on the style in the quarter-finals and as Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe noted in his best XI from the round, they had some star performers:

Olivier Giroud, Dimitri Payet and Antoine Griezmann are a front three to be feared. The latter’s shift inside to play as a split striker off the former has given the French a new attacking dimension and that’s an axis that’ll pose problems for Germany.

Especially a Germany side that’ll be without the suspended Mats Hummels. The centre-back has been brilliant alongside Jerome Boateng, and manager Joachim Low will be disappointed to see that dynamic skewed. It’s an area of vulnerability the French will surely look to target.

Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images

The world champions can at least comfort themselves in the knowledge that in Manuel Neuer, they have arguably the best goalkeeper in the game. As we can see courtesy of Adidas Football, when it came to the penalty shootout against Italy, the Bayern man produced a couple of excellent saves:

Germany may have Hummels missing and doubts over the fitness of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira, but there’s still plenty of quality to call upon. With the likes of Toni Kroos, Mesut Ozil and Julian Draxler in the side, they’ll keep the ball for long spells too, something that will frustrate an anxious French crowd.

It’s a ploy that could play into the hands of the hosts, though, especially if they exploit space on the counter through the likes of Griezmann and Payet. With a much easier passage to this point and a full squad to chose from, France will have enough to get by in a fascinating game.

Prediction: Germany 1-2 France