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Golden Goals Euro 2024 Last 16: England Finally Find Their Groove

After an edge-of-your-seat, exciting, thrill-a-minute ride in Groups A, B, D, E and F – and the natural passing of time in Group C – we have our round of 16 contenders.

Can England finally click into gear and breeze past Slovakia on the ‘good side’ of the draw? Will Spain retain their status as the tournament’s most exciting team to watch? Can everyone’s favourite underdogs Austria add more bite to their bark?

We have picked out some more Euro 2024 predictions ahead of the first knockout round and, remember, you can win up to £1 million by predicting six correct scores with BetMGM Golden Goals.

If nobody manages all six, those who get the most correct will win a share of our £5,000 prizepool. Find out more about Golden Goals here.

ENGLAND VS SLOVAKIA

Sunday 30th June (17:00). Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen.

Where do we begin?

The Three Lions look solid at the back, conceding just one goal and 26 shots across their three matches in the group stage, but going forward there is an issue. A massive one.

Slow, lethargic, bereft of ideas, uninspired… the list goes on. This is not the swashbuckling football England fans had hoped to see from this group of very talented players.

They managed just 29 shots on goal throughout the group phase – ranking 20th out of 24 teams for this metric. With just 53 touches in the opposition box it is England’s second-worst performance ever at a Euros since this statistic was tracked. In 2012 they managed just 41 but in a considerably tougher group (France, Sweden and Ukraine).

In last-16 opponents Slovakia the Three Lions are facing experience: no XI had an older average age than Francesco Calzona’s men across the first three games (30 years and 218 days).

It cannot continue to be this bland. We are going with a 3-0 win for Gareth Southgate’s charges as they kick-start their summer a couple of weeks later than planned.

Prediction: England 3-0 Slovakia

SPAIN VS GEORGIA

Sunday 30th June (20:00). Cologne Stadium.

Nobody saw that Group F finale coming.

Georgia’s shock defeat of Portugal not only earned them a historic spot in the next round it also, reportedly, secured them a payday from ebullient billionaire and former prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili in the process.

But with Spain next up you sense the paydays, and the party, will stop for the Georgians despite the form of current competition top scorer Georges Mikautadze.

The three-time champions are purring at the moment. They were the only team to maintain a 100% record in the group stages while, in Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal, they possess two of Europe’s brightest prospects on the flanks.

Confidence is flowing through the team, they have won all six competitive meetings against Georgia by an aggregate score of 19-3 and the last time La Roja triumphed in all three group games, in 2008, they lifted the title.

The quarter-finals beckon.

Prediction: Spain 3-1 Georgia

FRANCE VS BELGIUM

Monday 1st July (17:00). Dusseldorf Arena.

It just isn’t clicking for Les Bleus at the moment.

They are creating chances – unlike their foes across the channel – but with their two goals across three matches coming from an own goal and a penalty, they need to be much more ruthless. Indeed, they managed an eye-boggling 47 non-penalty attempts without reward.

It was a lacklustre performance in ending as runners-up in Group D and it sees them in the toughest half of the draw; Belgium are first off the taxi rank to face them.

The Red Devils have hardly had it plain sailing themselves – they were deeply unimpressive in two of the three group games but, with experienced talents like Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne on the teamsheet, there is always a chance they outperform any opponent.

Their record against France at major tournaments is not good, though. Belgium have lost all four of their major tournament match-ups against Les Bleus – conceding 13 goals and scoring just three – while they have failed to beat them in any competitive match at all since 1981.

It will be another last-eight appearance for Didier Deschamps’ men as a result.

Prediction: France 2-1 Belgium

PORTUGAL VS SLOVENIA

Monday 1st July (20:00). Frankfurt Arena.

There is absolutely no way this Portugal team will lose to these outsiders.

At least that’s what most football fans would have asserted confidently on Wednesday when Cristiano Ronaldo and co. faced Georgia in their final group game.

But this time we mean it: there is no way this Portugal team will lose to these outsiders.

Slovenia have some interesting players, for sure, but they have drawn their way to this point so far. Against England they posed very little threat moving forward despite defending resolutely.

Unfortunately for them they face one of the most prolific goalscorers of all time in Ronaldo and an attractive supporting cast brimming with inventiveness, flicks and tricks.

Note also that Portugal have not lost consecutive competitive matches since Euro 2008 – that streak won’t end here.

Prediction: Portugal 4-0 Slovenia

ROMANIA VS NETHERLANDS

Tuesday 2nd July (17:00). Munich Football Arena.

The Netherlands come into this one aiming to avoid the ignominy of becoming only the second team after Yugoslavia to suffer four consecutive European Championship knockout defeats (2004 semi-finals vs Portugal, 2008 quarter-finals vs Russia, 2020 last 16 vs Czech Republic).

The Oranje endured a mixed group stage. A comeback victory over Poland was followed by a resolute draw with France but a 3-2 defeat to Austria in the finale spawned a lot of anger among the fanbase.

That result meant they finished third in Group D but nevertheless they managed to land a favourable tie against Romania in the round of 16.

Excluding play-offs, only Portugal’s Bruno Fernandes (seven) assisted more goals in Euro 2024 qualifying than the Netherlands’ Denzel Dumfries (five), with the Dutchman averaging an assist every 101 minutes during the campaign.

We expect Romania – who allowed the second-most shots of all teams who qualified for the round of 16 with 46 – to struggle to match the marauding Dumfries, Memphis Depay, Xavi Simmons and Cody Gakpo.

As such, it’s the Netherlands who will take their place in the last-eight draw.

Prediction: Romania 1-3 Netherlands

AUSTRIA VS TURKEY

Tuesday 2nd July (20:00). Leipzig Stadium.

Aside from Spain, there is a legitimate argument to be made that Austria have been the best team in this tournament.

It seems like everyone had Ralf Rangnicks’s side as the underdogs (which is usually a curse, just ask the Turkey squad from the 2022 World Cup, Serbia from this tournament or Ivory Coast from almost any World Cup).

There were good reasons for the tag. Since Rangnick’s first game in charge in June 2022 only three European nations – Portugal (73%), Spain (67%) and the Netherlands (64%) – have a higher win percentage than Austria (60%) after 15 wins in 25 matches under him.

The Austrians were excellent, too, against the Netherlands in their 3-2 Group E finale victory but they will surely be wary of a Turkey team that packs a punch. Only Portugal (5.8) and Spain (5.4) recorded a higher non-penalty expected goals value in the group stages than Turkey (5.2).

It will be close – and high-scoring – but this one will go to Austria.

Prediction: Austria 3-2 Turkey

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