After making history to reach their first major tournament as an independent nation, few people were expecting Georgia to make it to the knockout rounds of Euro 2024 but after stunning Portugal in their final match to win 2-0, Willy ’s side managed to do just that.

By Nathan Evans

Sagnol insisted before the tournament that his team weren’t there simply to make up the numbers and, in their performances so far, it’s clear to see that he wasn’t wrong in making that statement. 

Georgia have arguably been the most entertaining side to watch in this edition of the UEFA European Championship, their three games thus far witnessing eight goals in total and with their gifted, exciting attacking line in particular, they’ve already received the plaudits of fans and pundits around the continent. 

Headlined by Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – who scored in their final group stage match – their counter-attacking system has helped them to catch their opposition off-guard and has seen them remain a threat in matches right up until the final whistle, as witnessed in their dramatic 3-1 defeat to Türkiye. 

That approach has aided striker Georges Mikautadze to net three goals to date, the most of any player in the competition heading into the knockout rounds. In him, Georgia have a real focal point, a player who is as comfortable with finishing his chances as he is at holding up the ball in order to help his side advance up the field. 

But at the Round of 16 stage, he’s set for his hardest assignment yet as he and his team face Spain, the only side who are still yet to concede at Euro 2024 and the only side to have ever scored seven goals past them in an international fixture. 

Much like hosts Germany, the Spaniards entered this tournament in the conversation as ‘the best of the rest’ with many feeling that their overall squad lacked the experience needed to win the title this time around. In spite of that, their performances in the group stage have done plenty to see them rise in many people’s expectations and it’s fair to say that they are now one of the favourites to take home the title.

Luis de la Fuente’s side eased through this edition’s ‘group of death’, beating Croatia, Italy, and Albania along the way while scoring five goals in the process and keeping three clean sheets. That also gave him the ability to rest key players in their final group match which could be key in this encounter, including 16-year-old Lamine Yamal who has continued his meteoric rise with a couple of stand-out appearances to date. 

He’ll be thrust into the spotlight again in this intriguing encounter that sees Spain enter as heavy favourites, but they’ll need to be extremely wary of this Georgia team who pack a punch, and have already won the hearts of many football fans at Euro 2024. 

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

During a tournament that has delivered plenty of action and drama in equal measure throughout, Group C very much failed to live up to its end of the bargain. With just seven goals scored in total, two sides who failed to even win a game progressing to the knockout stages and alongside them, the pre-tournament favourites England seriously under delivered in comparison to their obvious quality on paper.

By Nathan Evans

Amongst their ranks this time around is the LaLiga Player of the Year, Premier League Player of the Year and the Bundesliga’s top scorer but so far, the Three Lions have failed to find their form in Germany. 

A lacklustre 1-0 win in their opener against Serbia could be forgiven with the capture of three vital points to kick off their campaign, but two drab draws against Denmark and Slovenia in their subsequent outings have done plenty to tamper expectations back home in terms of potentially winning the competition. 

Under manager Gareth Southgate, England have performed well at major tournaments previously, reaching at least the quarter-final stage in each of the competitions played during his tenure but this time around, the entertainment value has been minimal, and it’s done little to quell the concern from fans and pundits alike. 

Problems first arose with England’s squad selection, in which no healthy, recognised left back was picked by Southgate and it’s that decision that has caused much of the problem for the Three Lions. In their 4-2-3-1 set up, Kieran Trippier has featured at left back but with Phil Foden playing on the same wing and out of his favoured position, no width has been created down that flank.

That has left England unbalanced, making life easy for the nations that they’ve faced so far as they’ve been able to focus their defensive actions down the centre of the pitch as the Three Lions’ attacking midfield area has become oversubscribed with players drawn towards the ball. 

Slovakia will be the latest side to try and keep England off the scoresheet at the Round of 16 stage. They finished third behind Romania and Belgium in Group E and highlighted their ability to perform against the biggest nations with a 1-0 victory over Belgium in their opening fixture. 

Even though, on paper, they represent one of the weaker sides left in the competition, expect them to frustrate Southgate’s side from the off as they look to claim a priceless victory en route to a potential first ever quarter-final appearance at the Euros as an independent country.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Already qualified for the quarter-finals and group winners with just one point against Peru, Argentina head into their final match set to field an alternate squad. 

By Jon Arnold

Lionel Messi will not start after saying he felt discomfort in Argentina’s 1-0 victory over Chile in the second group contest, and Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said after that victory that he’d like to give number of young players minutes on Saturday – and allow Messi and other veterans to rest up for a July 4 quarter-final in Houston, where Argentina will play, unless they lose and Canada beat Chile heavily enough to make up a goal difference that currently sits at four.

With that potential an impracticality and Scaloni having a fair amount of depth at his disposal against currently winless Peru, it’s a chance for players to get a taste of the Copa América before games become elimination contests. That means even goalkeeper Dibu Martínez may make way with Gerónimo “Gero” Rulli hoping to play in his first ever senior tournament match. Other players who have been in a reserve role including Gonzalo Montiel and teenagers Alejandro Garnacho and Valentín Carboni may get an opportunity as well.

One figure who won’t be on the field or on the bench is Scaloni himself, with assistant coach Walter Samuel stepping in after Scaloni was served a one-match suspension for being late to the pitch for the second half in both the opening match against Canada and the contest against Chile. 

Peru must get its first win in an official match since a March 2022 triumph over Paraguay in World Cup qualification if it has any chance to advance – and even that wouldn’t be enough to get into the last eight if Canada beat Chile. Still, with Peru now likely looking ahead to World Cup qualification, in which they haven’t won in six attempts so far, there is plenty to build on. 

On the second matchday, a red card for Miguel Araujo put Peru down to 10 men, and Canada took full advantage for a 1-0 win. 

Peru boss Jorge Fossati now must replace the suspended Araujo, choosing between veteran defenders Aldo Corzo or Anderson Santamaria. Bryan Reyna may also be given a chance in attack, with Peru still seeking its first goal of the tournament after 180 minutes played. 

While many in the Miami crowd may have hoped to see Lionel Messi in the blue-and-white of the national team rather than the electric pink of his club in the same city, they may still get a good match in his absence with Argentina looking at the next generation, and Peru hoping to get a result to be proud of before likely heading home.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Copa America live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

After failing to progress from their group at the 2022 FIFA World Cup at the expense of Spain and surprise package Japan, Germany went through a period of misfiring on the international stage.

By Nathan Evans

Following their 4-2 victory against Costa Rica in their final group stage outing at that tournament, a 2-0 friendly success over Peru quickly followed but a run of five matches without victory soon after cost former manager Hansi Flick his job.

In his place, Julian Nagelsmann took the reigns and ever since, he’s been able to help Die Mannschaft get their mojo back. 

A four-match unbeaten run prior to this tournament saw Germany enter as outsiders with the bookmakers, though ones who were perhaps unlikely to really challenge for the crown on this occasion, even if they were also hosting the event. A 5-1 demolition of Scotland in their opening Euro 2024 group stage outing quickly changed expectations though, before their performances in a 2-0 victory over Hungary, and 1-1 draw with Switzerland really cemented their place as one of the favourites to win this competition after finishing top of Group A.

Next up is a Round of 16 clash with Denmark, a repeat of the Euro 1992 final which saw the Danes shock the world to win 2-0 on the night and claim their first and, so far, only major tournament title. 

Germany have struggled in their head-to-head matches against their neighbours from the north ever since, winning just one of six meetings between the pair played since the turn of the century. But in this latest match up, Nagelsmann’s side enter with renewed confidence and more than enough quality to progress to the quarter finals. 

With home advantage on their side in Dortmund on Saturday, the hosts are likely to stick with their 4-2-3-1 system that has treated them well so far. Alongside youngster Jamal Musiala who has impressed out wide and forward Niclas Füllkrug who continues to find the back of the net on a regular basis, it’s been midfielder Toni Kroos who has stolen the headlines at this tournament so far, both from a German perspective and overall. 

After announcing his retirement ahead of this competition, both internationally and at club level, the 34-year-old has produced some scintillating form to aid his side’s progression from the group stage. Starting each game so far, Kroos has recorded an average rating of 8.2 with FotMob – the second-highest of all players behind only Spain’s Fabian Ruiz – with his 112.2 accurate passes per 90 highlighting him as the strongest playmaker at this tournament.

His next task is to breakthrough the Danish backline, who have so far proved stubborn after conceding just two goals in their three games, and his ability to do just that could be the difference between Germany reaching the last eight in this competition or not.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

It’s fair to say that heading into this summer’s 2024 UEFA European Championship, plenty of football fans were picking Hungary and/or Scotland to advance alongside hosts Germany from Group A.

By Nathan Evans

And maybe that was for good reason too, as both performed well during the qualification cycle but instead, Switzerland once again held their own at a major tournament to progress as runners-up and reach the knockout rounds for a sixth consecutive time.

In truth, they could and perhaps should have finished top at the expense of Die Mannschaft, who had to rely on a 92^nd minute equaliser from striker Niclas Füllkrug to snatch a point away from the plucky Swiss in Frankfurt on matchday three. That ultimately meant that instead of clashing with Denmark in the Round of 16, Murat Yakin’s side now face a showdown with neighbours Italy for a spot in the final eight. 

On the face of it, many will be expecting Italy to progress in this all-or-nothing tie even despite their shot-shy, and somewhat lacklustre, performances during the group stage. They enter as the higher ranked side out of the pair, and they currently hold an 11 match unbeaten head-to-head run against the Swiss which stretches all the way back to a 1-0 loss in a 1993 World Cup qualifying fixture. 

But this Switzerland team are perhaps the strongest that they’ve ever been in all departments across the park and in amongst the overall hard-working approach of their squad, there’s some real quality that could prove the difference as they look to progress past the Round of 16 stage for just the second time in this competition after 2020.

Captain Granit Xhaka remains the cornerstone of their side and his performances during the group stage highlighted his ability to lift his team through adversity. After a stunning season with Bayer Leverkusen who secured a famous double in Germany, he continued his form to produce an 8.1 rated performance in their opening 3-1 victory over Hungary and from there, he and his side haven’t really looked back. Forward Dan Ndoye (profiled by us – here) has additionally provided a bright spark for his nation as he continues to enjoy a breakout tournament. 

Of course, Italy can’t just be discounted in this tie though. At the end of the day, they remain the reigning champions following their Euro 2020 success and, in particular, their defence boasts some phenomenal quality. Alessandro Bastoni and Riccardo Calafiori have massively impressed – the latter seemingly being linked with another top club each passing day as a result – but they’ll have to be at their very best here if the Italians are to make it to the quarter final stage of this competition for a fifth consecutive European Championships.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Both Paraguay and Brazil look for their first win of the 2024 Copa América when they meet in a Group D contest at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. 

By Jon Arnold

That’s definitely a bigger surprise for Brazil, tipped by many as favorites to win a 10th Copa América crown, than for Paraguay. But the Seleção was held to a scoreless draw by a pesky Costa Rica team that limited opportunities, flustered Brazil’s biggest stars and earned a point.

Yet, even as fans have called for modifications, including the insertion of teenage striker sensation Endrick, Brazil manager Dorival Júnior looks unlikely to make changes – sticking not only with Raphinha in attack but also maintaining a scheme with both João Gomes and Bruno Guimarães in the midfield.

Those two midfielders played 83 minutes together against Costa Rica, with Dorival Júnior taking criticism for sticking with a balanced squad against a Ticos team that showed little interest in pushing forward for any sort of attack. The manager also was questioned for taking off Vinícius Júnior in the 71st minute as the squad continued to look for a goal, though many noted the Real Madrid mega-star’s international scoring record of three goals in 31 caps doesn’t exactly demand he stay on the field when the squad needs a goal.

Paraguay came into the tournament with their own issues scoring goals but were at least able to get one in a 2-1 loss to Colombia, though it came as they were chasing a 2-0 deficit. Still, it was a positive moment for the Albirroja, with promising 20-year-old forward Julio Enciso scoring what they hope will be the first of many goals in his international career. 

During World Cup qualification, it has been evident the Paraguay attack needs to find a punch beyond simply the creativity of Newcastle United’s Miguel Almirón with the Colombia loss extending their streak of scoring one goal or fewer to nine consecutive matches.

Costa Rica may have set out the blueprint for underdogs against Brazil, but whether or not Paraguay’s back line (which has a strong anchor in veteran Fabián Balbuena and could get more experience from Gustavo Gómez who stayed on the bench in the opener) will be able to once again fluster, frustrate and deny a talented Brazil team the goals they seek.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Copa America live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.