Portugal, France in mouth-watering Euro contest

The Euro 2024 quarter-finals are set to light up Germany today and tomorrow as the big guns come face to face against each other. Firstly, preseason favourites Portugal and France go head-to-head in a mouth-watering clash today, Friday, July 5. Then on Saturday, July 6, England and one of the surprise teams of the tournament, Switzerland, will do battle and the Swiss will aim to upset the English applecart.Event # 1 – Euro 2024 – Portugal vs France – 2:00 PMPortugal vs France, Cristiano Ronaldo vs Kylian Mbappe. It’s a repeat of the 2016 final when both teams square off today, in an eagerly anticipated clash for what promises to be an absorbing affair – Portugal won that final 1-0 back in 2016. Both teams scored unconvincing wins to set up this tasty clash, with Portugal beating a plucky Slovenia in penalties while France were far from convincing in their 1-0 win over Belgium. With that said, Portugal had qualified top of their group after winning their first two matches but were beaten by Georgia 2-0 in their final group game. Despite the lost to Georgia, Portugal had looked dangerous in front of goal, scoring five times in their opening two games, but they met a well-organised Slovenia side that produced a dogged display to blunt Portugal’s attacking prowess, forcing extra time and then penalties in which the Portuguese side prevailed.France started their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign in excellent fashion as they made easy work of the group stage, topping a group that included Netherlands. Indeed, over the last two years, only Germany have managed to beat the French (doing so twice). With that said, the tournament host have not ben impressive as most fans though they would be, and they have struggled to justify their favourite tag so far as they opened their Euro campaign with a 1-0 win over Austria, via an own goal, a drab 0-0 draw with the Netherlands, and a 1-1 draw with Poland. Indeed, Germany also struggled in front of goal against Belgium in their round of 16 clash and, after 85 minutes, they finally got the breakthrough via a deflected Jan Vertonghen goal to edge past the Belgians for the win.Key Stats• Portugal – Portugal are undefeated in 16 of their last 19 Euro matches but have kept just two clean sheets in their last eight overall matches.• France – France are undefeated in their last 15 Euro matches but they have drawn six of their last nine Euro matches.• Both sides – Portugal have drawn three of their last four matches against France with four of the last five meetings ending with less than two goals. However, Portugal haven’t beaten France in regulation time since 1975, a run of 14-straight games.The betting tip: France win & under 3.5 goals.Event # 2 Euro 2024 – England vs Switzerland – 11:00 AMA place in the semi-finals of the Euro 2024 is up for grabs as the unimpressive England faces the impressive Switzerland on Saturday. With that said, England are extremely lucky to be where they are as they were saved from a humiliating round of 16 exit to Slovakia thanks to a moment of magic from their talisman Jude Bellingham, who scored a last-gasp winner in added time. England, touted as pre-tournament favourites by most analysts, have been uninspiring so far, as they were poor against the likes of Slovenia and Denmark and were also unconvincing against Slovakia. Against Switzerland, England will have to be at their best to progress to the semi-final as they have not been convincing in any of their games at the tournament so far, and they have not won a match in 90-minutes since edging out Serbia in their opening game. As England prepares for this mouth-watering quarterfinal clash against Switzerland, their journey through the group stage has been anything but smooth, despite finishing top of their group. With their performances leaving a lot to be desired, they will be aiming to get it right when it really matters against one of the most impressive teams at the Euro 2024.Switzerland, on the other hand, were far more impressive in their round of 16 clash as they brushed aside the defending champions, Italy, 2-0 to book their spot in the quarter-finals. That performance came after an impressive group phase performances, which saw them securing five points from their three games against Hungary, Scotland and Germany. Indeed, the Swiss side will be high on confidence heading into this vital quarterfinal clash against England, having gone unbeaten in 17 of their last 18 overall matches since March 2023. They will surely fancy their chances against an English side that is yet to impress at these finals. In stark contrast to their upcoming opponents, Switzerland have emerged as one of the more impressive teams in Euro 2024 and, despite being considered as underdogs by the bookies for this clash, they will be confident of their chances to beat England as the prospect of reaching the semi-final of a major tournament for the first time in their history is a significant motivator. Their current form suggest they have the capability to achieve this milestone.Key Stats• England – England are unbeaten in 21 of their last 22 Euro matches but they have drawn their last 3 Euro matches.• Switzerland – Switzerland are unbeaten in their last eight games and are unbeaten in 13 of their last 14 Euro matches.• Both sides – England have been the dominant force in this matchup, having won all of the last five meetings against Switzerland, with the Swiss managing just one win in their history against England, a 2-1 win in a World Cup qualifier back in 1981.The betting tip: Switzerland win.