Things start to get more interesting with a lot more on the line as we head into the round of 16. It’s clear one side of the draw is harder than the other but I don’t think it should detract from the tournament as a whole. If anything it has created genuine opportunities for sides such as Wales & Croatia to go a little deeper and who knows how far really.

**Odds from Sportsbet as at 25th June

25th June 

Switzerland ($3.1) versus Poland ($2.7), Draw ($2.87)

Poland are yet to concede a goal in this tournament which makes it a difficult task for Switzerland who are coming off 3 low scoring matches themselves conceding just once. That’s a trend that should continue in this match given both sides will be focused on their defence first. It could make then for a bit of a scrap in midfield and perhaps a fairly slow game of football that may take more to decide than just the regular 90 minutes.

Predicted score: Draw 0-0 (Normal time)
Best Bet: Half-time Draw at $1.8 (85%)
Next Best: 0 or 1 goals at $2.27

26th June

Wales ($2) versus Northern Ireland ($4.75), Draw ($3.1)

Certainly no battle of the titans here but both sides deserve their place here. Northern Ireland may have lost 2 of their 3 matches, but did themselves no harm losing 1-0 to Germany and Poland whilst beating Ukraine 2-0 in-between. Those results show they have fight and are not easy to just roll over. That should provide an interesting test for a Wales side growing in confidence after a great tournament so far. The obvious star is Bale but Wales are more than just a one-man side. Ramsey is arguably just as important to this side and when you add in the serviceable types such as Williams, Davies, and Allen, they have a great foundation of a side. Northern Ireland will be right in this but I expect Wales to come out on top in this one.

Predicted score: Wales 2-1 (normal time)
Best Bet: Wales to win at $2 (85%)
Next Best: Wales to win either half at $1.58

Croatia ($2.7) versus Portugal ($3), Draw ($3)

Croatia have been really impressive which was shown by their final group match when they beat Spain 2-1 even without their best player in Modric. They should be able to continue their run here against Portugal as well. Portugal have yet to win at this tournament and even though they have arguably the best player in the world, they are struggling to get results. Croatia are playing as a team and shouldn’t have much trouble getting past Portugal here unless they have a drastic turnaround in form and teamwork. It’s not to say Portugal won’t have a sniff here but it’s difficult to go against what Croatia has produced thus far in this tournament and that should see them through.

Predicted score: Croatia 2-1 (Normal time)
Best Bet: Croatia Draw no bet at $1.72 (80%)
Next Best: Both teams to score – Yes at $2.1

France ($1.5) versus Ireland ($8.5), Draw ($4)

Yet to really hit top form, France have plenty of room for improvement as they head deeper into this tournament. Ireland are little bit of a surprise packet mainly due to their late 1-0 win over Italy in their final group game which gave them enough to finish as one of the best 3rd placed finishers. To cause another upset looks too difficult a task here and it mustn’t be forgotten that Italy rotated a number of their starting line-up which would have impacted their performance. With that said, Ireland really have nothing to lose and we may see them come out as the more positive side early on with France under some pressure to perform at home. As the game goes on though I’d expect France to take control and take a win.

Predicted score: France 2-0 (normal time)
Best Bet: France to win to Nil at $1.83 (85%)
Next Best: France -1 handicap at $2.5

27th June

Germany ($1.44) versus Slovakia ($9), Draw ($4.2)

For the most part Germany have quietly gone about their business but at the same time they haven’t really dominated on the scoreboard. They’ve comfortably dominated possession and had plenty of shots on goal but it hasn’t really come off scoring just the 3 goals. The flipside is that defensively they haven’t conceded yet and for Slovakia they may find it difficult to get chances as a result. Defensively it may end up looking like the England 0-0 draw at times for Slovakia as they parked a lot of players behind the ball which will make it difficult for Germany to score. The longer that goes though it may just be a matter of time before Germany get a winner.

Predicted score: Germany 1-0 (normal time)
Best Bet: Half-time Draw at $2 (75%)
Next Best: Under 2.5 goals at $1.56

Hungary ($6.5) versus Belgium ($1.67), Draw ($3.5)

Hungary surprisingly won their group and now face Belgium in their round of 16 match. Belgium finished 2nd in their group and at times have threatened to take games apart but it’s clear they have a lot of improvement in them. Hungary aren’t the most defensively strong side but it’s clear they have a lot of fight about them and they will create chances here. It’s just difficult to see them knocking over Belgium. They haven’t completely convinced in this tournament but wins over Ireland and Sweden without conceding a goal in their last 2 games gives them a great platform to build off. Belgium will be eager to push on here given they are on the easier side of the draw.

Predicted score: Belgium 2-0 (normal time)
Best Bet: Belgium to win at $1.67 (80%)
Next Best: Exactly 2 or 3 goals at $2

28th June

Italy ($4.2) versus Spain ($2.15), Draw ($3)

This looks a really evenly matched contest and one which neither side would have liked nor thought would have happened. A re-match of sorts of the 2012 final where Italy lost 4-0 though this does look a little more evenly matched. If anything I don’t expect there to be a lot of goals in this one. Italy have conceded just once in their last 5 matches which was a late one to Ireland and they’ll make it tough for Spain to break through their defences. The flipside is that Spain, apart from their 2-1 loss to Croatia, have also been difficult to score against. With the nature of this resulting in the winner progressing this could very well be a cagey affair and one that could very well end up being decided in stoppage time or on penalties.

Predicted score: Draw 0-0 (Normal time)
Best Bet: Half-Time Draw at $1.8 (85%)
Next Best: Both teams to score – No at $1.53)

England ($1.5) versus Iceland ($9), Draw ($3.85)

It’s fantastic to see a minnow such as Iceland through to this stage of a major tournament and they shouldn’t be written off about progressing further either. England are a side that always threatens to impress but always seem to find a way to stumble at major tournaments. Iceland will know that and as the underdog they know they have nothing to lose so expect them to come out pretty hard and with plenty of positivity early on. That should see them at least get on the scoresheet and if they score first that will make it very interesting. The problem for Iceland in the end is more about whether they can keep England’s attack quiet. They haven’t kept a clean sheet in this tournament and whilst England have only scored 3 times, they do have the firepower up front to cause problems. I’d love to see Iceland cause an upset but England should scrape through in this one.

Predicted score: England 2-1 (normal time)
Best Bet: Over 2.5 goals at $2.33 (90%)
Next Best: Both teams to score – Yes at $2.4