Who will make it through to the Quarter Finals?
Tuesday’s fixtures will mark the end of the Round of 16 matches, with two surprise group winners, Romania and Austria, returning to action. Group E winners Romania will face the Netherlands at the Munich Football Arena in what could be a tense battle for the Dutch, who are coming off a defeat in their final group game.
Meanwhile, Group D winners Austria will take on Türkiye at the Leipzig Stadium later on in the evening, with Ralf Rangnick’s side confident after finishing ahead of France and the Netherlands in their section.
Dutch seek to maintain their dominance over Romania
Both sides finished the group stages with four points, with the Netherlands finishing third in their group and Romania surprisingly topping theirs.
Edward Iordănescu’s team had a strong start to the campaign with a 3-0 win over Ukraine in Round 1. They suffered a 2-0 defeat to Belgium in the next match, but a 1-1 draw with Slovakia in their final group game ensured their qualification from the group stage – only the second time in their history. Romania have demonstrated resilience and determination from the outset and will rely on team effort when they take the field again on Tuesday.
The Netherlands also had a promising start, beginning their campaign with a 2-1 comeback win over Poland in their opening match, followed by a 0-0 draw with France, a result which secured their place in the Round of 16. In their final group stage match, Koeman’s team were narrowly defeated by a resilient Austria in a five-goal thriller at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, a result which meant they finished third in Group D.
With Romania’s unexpected emergence as group winners, the Netherlands have a more favourable path to the next round and will aim to capitalize on it, leaving their previous defeat behind. They have won ten of their fourteen games against Romania, scoring an impressive twenty-nine goals, whilst conceding only three. The Dutch forwards, led by Cody Gakpo and Memphis Depay, will seek to maintain this winning record they have over the Romanian side.
Dark Horse Austria set to progress further
There are many interesting names that could make it to the final from this half of the Euro 2024 knockout bracket. Although Austria are an unexpected entrant as group toppers, that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve a spot here.
Few anticipated Austria would win Group D ahead of France and the Netherlands, but their six points were well deserved. Despite an unlucky own goal leading to a loss against France in their first match, they bounced back with consecutive wins against Poland and the Netherlands to secure the top spot in their group.
Former Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick has had a significant impact since taking over the Austria national team, and has instilled a winning mentality in the squad. They now look like a formidable force going forward in the tournament, starting with their match against Türkiye, against whom they scored six goals when the two sides last met in March.
Türkiye also finished their group with six points, level with group leaders Portugal, but an inferior head-to-head record meant Vincenzo Montella’s side ended up in second place. Nevertheless, they have demonstrated their capability with victories over Georgia and Czechia. The absence of their influential captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu and centre-back Samet Akaydin could pose additional challenges for Türkiye.
Marcel Sabitzer, Marko Arnautović, and Christoph Baumgartner, who have all found the back of the net during the group stages, could once again prove to be too strong for their opponents.