The Euro 2024 has reached its climax as Spain, France, England and the Netherlands battle for final spots.
There is anxiety among the four teams as they prepare for their semifinals fixtures on Tuesday and Wednesday in a bid to make it to the Euro 2024 final.
The Euro 2024 final will take place at Olympiastadion Berlin, Germany, on Sunday, 14 July.
Spain vs France:
The first semi-final match will take place today, Tuesday, by 8pm, Nigerian time.
Spain progressed to the last-4 after eliminating the host nation Germany from the competition.
La Roja won 2-1 against Germany in the quarter-final encounter to book their place in the semi-final.
France, on the other hand, qualified for the semi-final stage after beating Portugal.
The Les Blues won the quarter-final tie against Portugal 5-3 on penalties after the match ended in a 0-0 draw after 120 minutes.
Speaking with DAILY POST ahead of the Euro 2024 semi-final fixtures, a sports analyst, Stanley Smart, said:
“Well, I expect a very tough and close encounter between these two European giants.
“Spain is the only team that have won all their matches in the competition so far. They are obviously the favourite to win the competition due to their performances.
“But you cannot write off the French team. France have not been convincing with their performances so far, but they have world-class players and individual talents like Mbappe and Dembele who on a good day can break any defense.
“They also have a solid midfield and defense, so I don’t expect many goals in this encounter.
“I think the team that takes good chances in front of goal by converting it will win the match.”
Netherlands vs England:
The second semi-final match will take place on Wednesday by 8pm, Nigerian time.
Netherlands progressed to the last-4 after eliminating Turkey from the tournament.
The Dutch team won 2-1 against Turkey in the quarter-final encounter to book their place in the semi-final.
England, meanwhile, qualified for the semi-final stage after beating Switzerland.
The Three Lions won the quarter-final tie against Switzerland 5-3 on penalties after the match ended in a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes.
Making his prediction, Smart added: “Prior to the competition, England were tipped by many as the favourites to win the Euro 2024. But that has changed as Spain is now widely seen as the number one favourite because of their hundred percent winning record so far.
“They [England] will face Netherlands who a lot of people don’t expect to reach this stage of the competition. I call them the dark horse of this year’s Euros.
“Their coach [Ronald Koeman] is a well-known respected manager who has coached Barcelona before. So I expect them to give England a tough time.
“I think the match, just like Spain versus France, will be very tough and a close affair. Any lapses or little mistakes from any of the teams could lead to a goal.”
When asked to pick two teams that could play in the Euro 2024 final, Smart said: “This is a tough question. To be honest, at this stage of the competition, all the four teams deserve to play in the final. To reach the semi-final of any major tournament is not easy.
“At this stage, any little mistake can cost a team. However, based on performances so far in the competition, I tip Spain to edge France.”
“As for England and the Netherlands, well I see a very close contest. I give the Netherlands 55 percent winning chance and England 45 percent,” he further stated.
