Ronaldo scare for France’s title bid

Euro 2016 would be remembered as a tournament, where long standing records were shattered. Germany’s first win over Italy in a major tournament, France winning over Germany to break their losing streak and the list goes on. Going by it, can Cristiano Ronaldo etch his name in the annals of football history as the best footballer of his generation, by beating France – a feat the Portuguese haven’t managed since 1975? The Euro 2016 final, nevertheless promises to be an exciting affair. It cannot be as entertaining as France vs Germany semifinal, considering the defensive style of play of both the teams, but the very presence of stars like Ronaldo, Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann will make it an intriguing contest. Ronaldo goal exploits in the tournament tied him up with Michel Platini as the top scorer of the Euros and he will look to score against France. Despite boasting of exciting players like Renato Sanches, Joao Mario and Nani, the Portuguese played passive defensive football in the run up to the final. Coach Fernando Santos’ 4-4-2 diamond formation has proved successful and it is unlikely that they will change the system. They have brilliantly shut down the passing lines against Wales and will look to take inspiration from the semifinal performance. The return of defensive midfielder William Carvalho from suspension will be a massive boost to the Portuguese and he will be tasked with the duty of marking Griezmann. However, defender Pepe’s fitness is a concern and latest reports suggest that he will be doubtful for the final. Meanwhile, France has everything play for in the final, as it would be played in the stadium, where explosion took place in November, 2015. The scarring memories of the Paris explosions are still haunting the nation and a Euro cup win will be something that can be savoured to tide over horrific experience. Shifting from 4-3-3 to 4-3-2-1 and playing Griezmann in the hole was a tactical master stroke from Coach Didier Deschamps. They looked brilliant on the counter and Giezmann was nothing short of sensational in his previous three outings. However, he will face a tough challenge against Portuguese, who will look to man mark him. Pogba, who was much talked about in the run up to the tournament has not performed to his billing. The midfielder, who is coveted by both Manchester United and Real Madrid, was below par in his performances and will look to make impact when it matters – in the final. Both, France and Portugal play similar brand of football, dig deep defend and break on the counter. It would be an interesting contest as who will hold their nerves. France is the favourite, but Ronaldo has the penchant of playing Villain for the opposition and it remains to be seen whether he can do it at the bigger stage.

Will the wales juggernaut reach the final!

Wales have scripted history in Euro 2016 by reaching the semifinal. Will wales take one more step forward and make it to the final ? Its not just a battle between Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo. There's more to the tie than that with inspiring performances from both sides. Ashley Williams has played like a man possessed and Aron Ramsey has been in inspired form. In the Portuguese team the young Renato sanches has proved why Bayern Munich spent 80 Million euros to land him with maturity beyond his years and both Nani and Ricardo Quaresma have shined after years of under achievement. Ronaldo has drawn some criticism from his own team mates but has come to portugal's rescue in group stages and theres every chance he will come back and haunt Wales in his best form and answers the critics in the best way he always does.

Considering Ramsey is suspended for the semifinal Wales could consider a different formation and look to play a 3-5-2 instead of a 3-4-2-1 with bale playing slightly off the main striker Han robson kanu. The free role could mean bale can run riot agasinst the ageing Ricardo Carvalho and Real madrid team mate Pepe. Wales could look to crowd the midfield and stop the supplies to portuguese forwards who usually play in a 4-3-3 and the portuguese could improvise and switch to a 4-4-2 considering wales are without one of their forward players ramsey. On the other hand portugal will look to start the game with 18 year old Renato sanches and stop the passing game of wales with william carvalho and  Joao moutinho playing a key role in midfield and Valencia ace andre gomes could be deployed in a more defensive minded role to mark gareth bale on the wings. All in all i dont see this game being controlled by any one team. Portugal a few years ago were a far superior side than wales and still have recognized players plying their trade in some of the best clubs in europe but an ageing squad and the nothing to loose attitude and confidence that wales will display is what they will be up against and the prospect of not just playing a major tournament but actually reaching the final will be a big bonus for wales and they will have the mental edge over experienced campaigners portugal. I think this ficture will go down to the wire and will only be decided on penalties.

Prediction 1-1 (wales win on penalties)

Will there be another upset ?

Iceland have caused the Upset of the tournament by beating england in the round of 16. Will they add another feather in their cap by beating france ? We will have to wait and see until tomorrow. Iceland have not lost a game at Euro 2016 and they earned a draw against Portugal and an inspired Hungary and won against Austria in the last minute. The people of Iceland are supporting their team so much that they have run out of Replica shirts. If Aron Gunnarsson and his men beat France that will be a disaster for the home team. France have their fair share of  problems with Ngolo Kante and Adil Rami both suspended for the game and their main striker Olivier Giroud hasnt found the net since France's first game in the tournament. This could mean a change in formation and players for france. Considering Griezzman seems to be hitting some form hes likely to play the False 9 and Deschamps will look to replace Kante with PSGs Blaise matuidi. Pogba will play alongside matuidi in midfield and may be Yohan cabaye will return to the starting line up. Girouds scoring troubles could mean Manchester Uniteds Anthony Martial may get a game against iceland along side Dmitri Payet and Antoine griezman in the france forward line. Alternatively Deschamps could choose to start with the prolific Lacazatte as his main striker and line up griezman and payet along side him.

Iceland had 6 different scorers in the tournament and this will mean the new barcelona defender Samuel Umiti and Arsenal's Laurent koscielny have to be on  their tows. Attacking full backs are an asset to france and could create problems for the Icelandic defense. Bayern youngster Kingsley coman is another tricky customer iceland will have to handle. Iceland may not have world class players valued at 80 Million pounds like Pogba and griezzman but they have nothing to loose and can play with confidence. If iceland manages to score the first goal its game on and it will be very difficult for france win the game. However, i think france are too strong and having more creative players on the pitch in cabaye and martial will help them just overpower iceland and progress to the semifinals

Prediction : 2-1 to france.

Clash of the titans

The World champions Germany, have never won against Italy in major tournaments since 1962. This would be playing on the minds of the Germans, who would be looking to settle score against the Azzuri. The Die Mannschaft lived up to their billing as the tournament favourites and hasn’t conceded a goal in the past four games. They even stepped up an ante against Slovakia in their 3-0 win in the Round of 16 and will look for a repeat performance. However, their defence is barely tested in the previous games. It was largely down to the midfield duo of Sami Khedira and Toni Kroos, who controlled the tempo of the game. The Italians, who will defend deep and attack on the counter, will pose a different threat all together for the Germans. The team has no injury woes and left back Jonas Hector, who was out with cold is expected to be fit for the fixture. The side has no notable weakness except for the fact that their attacking players Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller haven’t performed to their billing. The Italians were brilliant in the tournament and produced master class against Belgium and Spain. Antonio Conte’s defensive 3-5-2 formation worked wonders for the Italians as they were not only solid in defense but fabulous on the counter-attack. Juventus’ defensive trio of Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonnuci and Andrea Barzagli were unbeatable at back and they have an additional insurance between the sticks - Gianluigi Buffon. Graziano Pelle and Eder are complementing each other well at front. But the concerns for the Italians lie in the midfield. Holdings midfielders Daniele De Rossi, Thiago Motta are injured, suspended and Conte doesn’t have like-to-like replacements in the squad. In all likelihood he would start Stefano Sturaro, who would partner Marco Parolo and Emanuele Giaccherini. Conte was spot on with his tactics against Spain but the Germans too are strong on counter and remains to be seen, what changes he would bring to his side. Though German’s remain favourites on paper, Coach Joachim Low has task cut out as his side would look to settle the score against Italians, which would undoubtedly increase the pressure on them. The match will go down to the wire.

Bale juggernaut

Gareth Bale....World record signing.....physically powerful.......a man possessed. Bale has taken Euro 2016 by storm and no one expected them to be vying for a berth in the Semifinal considering this is their first Major tournament! Wales are proving everyone wrong and arch rivals England bowing out against iceland will be extra motivation for them which will try and help their desire to beat Belgium. Aaron ramsey and bale combined to devastating effect in creating and finish off chances and their defense has so far not failed them. With star defender Ashley williams injured in their previous game the credentials of welsh defense will be called into question against the creative belgians. While Belgium started the tournament in an abysmal manner they have improved as the tournament went on and they have bamboozled an inspired Hungary side 4-0 in the round of 16 and Romelu Lukaku suddenly sprang to life after the initial criticism questioning his 65 million pound price tag.

If there is one man who can match gareth bales speed and trcikery in this tournament its Chelsea's Eden Hazard who had an in different premier league season but has come to life during the euros lighting up the stndiums. Lukaku and hazard combined with Manchester city's Kevin de bruyne and Atleticos yannick carrasco can match any attacking football team in the world on their day. The question really is will belgium be able to replicate the same form they showed against Hungary and Ireland. Thomas Meunier will have a hard day at work trying to contain gareth bales explosive runs and considering thomas is an attack minded right back and formerly a winger its going to be an extremely tricy day for Belgium and Gareth bale is more than capable to make a strong defense look idiotic any day. It will be important for the belgian defensive midfielders witsel and Nainggolan to cut out the supply from ramsey to bale which the welsh used to devastating effect against Russia and northern ireland. All in all Belgium have the better chance considering they are not a team depending on one or two individuals and they have a team full of quality players playing for elite clubs in europe and not to mention one of the best Goal keepers in Thibaut Courtois. With Marseille striker Michy Batshuayi and Liverpools Benteke available on the bench belgium has a wealth of attacking options to call on and it will be considered an upset if Wales manage to defeat them.

Prediction : 2-1 to Belgium

Will the star forwards shine

The Poles were so tight in their defence that the only goal conceded was a spectacular, acrobatic overhead kick by Xherdan Shaqiri. They are operating as a well oiled machine and it will be a daunting task for the Portuguese to find the net. Jakub Blaszczykowski and Gregorz Krychowiak are in scintillating form and will look for a repeat performance by controlling the tempo of the game. Though the Polish defence lack big names, they are compensating that with grit, discipline and determination. But, these very tenets will be tested against the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani. On the strikers front, world class forward Robert Lewandowski failed to live up to expectations. He hasn’t even managed a single shot at goal, notwithstanding the penalty taken in the shootout against Switzerland. However, coach Adam Nawalka is least worried about Lewa, who despite nursing a thigh strain will play against Portugal. On the other hand, the Portuguese were insipid and lackluster in their outings and has luck riding with them. Star man Ronaldo, only shined in the goal glut against Hungary but cut a lone figure in other outings. Despite boasting exciting players in the lineup, they looked clue less in all their games. They looked exciting only when 18-year-old Renato Sanches was on pitch. However, coach Fernando Santos for reasons best known to him is reluctant start the box-to-box midfielder. Moreover, he failed to effectively use the talents like William Carvalho, Adrien Silva, Joao Mario and Andre Gomes. He has to find a balance in his squad or else it will be easy pickings for Poles. Santos’ negative tactics of sitting back and defend might have yielded results against the Croats but he might have to revisit his strategy against the Poles, who have the likes of Lewa and Arkadiusz Milik up front. I will go for Poles to pip Portuguese.

Lions vs Minnows

Surprisingly and after sometime we may see two teams lining up in 4-4-2. For England manager Roy Hodgson this is arguably the most important game of his English managerial career considering his contract will not be renewed if he doesn't win the game. But on a positive side England are facing much less difficult opponents due to Portugal only managing a draw in their final game and only finishing 3rd in their group and iceland snatched the runners up spot with an injury time winner. Hodgson had a selection headache in fitting Jamie Vardy and Harry kane together in a line up but he may finally have a chance to do just that. Considering Iceland plays a 4-4-2 under Lars lagerback the former swedish coach : England can play with 2 strikers in Vardy and Kane andplay a midfield diamond behind them with either Deli Alli or ronney at the tip of the diamond. Personally i feel employing Alli at the tip of the diamond is the right choice considering hes been excellent all season for spurs in that position and running can pull strings from midfield with his wide range of passing.

We can almost be sure that Kyle walker and Danny rose will be back in the first team replacing bertrand and Clyne and Smalling and cahill will play in central defense. There was a slot of speculation in the press about Daniel sturridge being preferred instead of vardy but i think Vardy and kane will finally get the chance to play together with sturridge having the previous experience of playing on the wings. England will look to control thegame with Eric dier playing holding midfield with Rooney, Alli and possibly sturridge in front of him in midfield. On the other hand Iceland have been fantastic in this tournament despite being the smallest country in the tournament. 12% of iceland's supporters travelled to france which is astonishing and they will look to counter attack when they have possession. Iceland while are being called minnows by many have some decent players in Swansea city's Gylfi Sigurdsson and Captain Aron Gunnarsson orchestrating the midfield and the prolific Nantes striker Kolbeinn Sigthórsson will look to spark his Euro 2016 into life with a Goal. Arnór Ingvi Traustason has the distinction of being the top assist maker in the swedish league and will be one player to watch against england.Ragnar Sigurdsson will lead the defense against england but he and his men will have a hard job against england. While iceland has had an inspirational tournament by all means not winning this game will be a major disaster for England after the promising qualifying campaign they have had winning all their games. This and as an England supporter i expect England will go through to the quarterfinals with a win.

Prediction : England 3-0

Clash of styles

When Italy meets Spain, it will be a clash of styles. Good old sit back defend and attack on counter will meet modern possession-based tiki-taka game. Italy were dubbed as one of the weakest teams in the run up to the tournament, however, they surprised one and all with their performances against Belgium and Sweden before losing to Ireland in the last group fixture. The loss is attributed to way too many experiments and changes made by the coach Antonio Conte. He rested many key players, which is said to be one of the reasons for the loss. However, against Spain, he will recall the likes of Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini and others. Antonio Candreva was injured in the previous fixture but reports suggest that he will be fit. He and Alessandro Florenzi will be the wing backs in the Conte’s favoured 3-5-2 formation. Graziano Pelle and Eder will team up front with Thiago Motta, Marco Parolo and Emanuele Giaccherini in the midfield. Chiellini along with his Juventus teammates Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Barzagli will be the defence with veteran Buffon between the sticks. A cause of concern for the Italians is that the likes of Chiellini, Bonucci and Thiago Motta are on yellow cards, if they pick one more booking in the match, they will be suspended for the next fixture. If the Italians manage to pip Spain, they will likely face Germany in the quarters and would need the services of all the three. Meanwhile, the defending champions are reeling from the shock defeat against the Croats in the group stages. Having suffered a shock group stage exit in the World Cup, the Spaniards have their eyes set on the Euro Cup. With their veterans in the twilight and youngsters knocking o the doors, Spain has an exciting bunch of players. Coach Vicente Del Bosque barely made any changes to their playing style; they still look to control the possession and play the famed tiki-taka. With Alvaro Morata, the tournament’s joint top scorer up front and with the likes of Nolito and David Silva on the flanks, they have a potent attack. However, Silva is nowhere near his best and if not for the reluctance of the coach to rotate the team, he would have paved way the likes of Pedro. Same can be said about Cesc Fabregas, who was lackluster and dismal in the midfield for Spain in the group stages. He could have been easily replaced with the likes of Thiago or Koke. Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta were at the top of their game and they would look for a repeat performance and try and control midfield. The Achilles heel for the Spain is their defence, though Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique are world class talent, they are known to crack under pressure. The full backs Juanfran and Jordi Alba are attack-minded, leaving lots of space for the opposition to counter. Having said that David De Gea is imperious between the sticks and it would take a truly spectacular effort to beat the Manchester United talisman. I would go for the tightly contested match which would be decided in the penalties.

France vs Ireland

Honestly while france is the host nation for Euro 2016 and they have one of the best teams - France havent been dominant and have waited till late in the game to finish both the games they won and they have drawn against a decent switzerland team. But its about time they show their quality and dominate games. France is one team whos line up is hard to guess for opposition manages considering Deschamps has changed things around in every game with the last one against switzerland having an encouraging team selection. But many suspect he will select Matuidi, Pogba and Ngolo kante in a midfield 3 with Griezzman and payet supporting Oliver Giroud.

But this will mean france will play a safe and patient game again without pushing forward at every chance. Wer in for a boring game again and the first choice defense of Real madrids Rafael Varane and Laurent Koscielnt will return along with Patrice evra and Bacari Sagna. This will mean pogba and Matuidi will take midfield duties with Kante sitting back to protect the back four. On the other hand the irish have played attacking and delightful football all through the tournament. While they badly lost against Belgium they have beaten a strong Italy side 1-0 in their last game which surprised many.

With players like former Manchester united man Roby brady and Wes Hoolahan whos being dubbed the Irish Messi (hes 34 though :) ) the Irish have interesting players who can create opportunities and Southamptons Shane Long is the man i suspect will be selected ahead of the ageing Robbie keane. Evertons James mccarthy will be the midfield anchor man. The irish defense still comprises of former Manchester united man John Oshea who is well past his prime at 35 years of age. Shane duffy, Steven ward and Everton's star right back Seamus coleman wull be the irish team. At best they are a mediocre team on paper against a star studded france but the irish are perfectly capable of playing enternaiting football and giving France a run for their money. It wont be an easy win for France but i think they will nick it and make it to the quarterfinals in the end.

Prediction 2-1 to France.

Germany to pip Slovakia

Germans were underwhelming in their group stages. Their striker woes were evident and key players failed to create an impact. Mario Gotze wasn’t a natural striker and using him as a false nine backfired for the Germans. Assist master Mesut Ozil barely had an influence in the game, so was Thomas Muller. The Germans would want their top players at the best of their game against Slovakians, who showed in the group stages that weren’t pushovers. Mario Gomez isn’t Miroslav Klose but he is a decent enough striker and Coach Joachim Low doesn’t seem to trust him enough. However, his exploits against the Irish weren’t unnoticed and he would likely lead the German attack. The joy of defender Mats Hummels being fit was marred by the reports that his partner in defence Jerome Boateng was nursing an injury. Meanwhile, the German captain Bastian Shweinsteiger is fit and it remains to be seen whether he will replace Sami Khedira in the midfield. If that would be the case, he along with Tony Kroos will control the pace and tempo of the game. Marek Hamsik was one of the most exciting players to watch in the Italian Serie A, however, Jan Kozak’s all defensive tactics stifled his creativity. The very fact that he sat deep in his own half in the game against England stands a testimony as how defensive the Slovakians were. They will definitely take inspiration from their performance against England and will look to sit deep and break on the counter. However, Germans aren’t an easy team to hit on the counter, as they pride in retaining possession. The Slovakians will have will have very less opportunities and they have to be clinical in using them, if they are looking for a positive result. Martin Skrtel and Duric were imperious in the defence for the Slovakians and the Germans will have to show their lethal touch to score. I am going for a 2-0 victory with Ozil and Muller coming good for Germans.

Croatia vs Portugal

The croats have been perennial dark horses in every tournament since 1998 world cup in which they suprisingly came third. They are blessed witha fantastic midfield in Real madrid's Luka Modric, Barcelona's Ivan rakitic and Inter's Ivan perisic has been in devastating form all through the tournament marauding down the flank. With Juventus striker Mario Mandukic leading the line the croats have a good change against the portuguese. Inexplicably  the portuguese defense is likely to feature former chelsea and Real madrid man Ricardo carvalho who is now 38 and the current Real Madrid CB Pepe who has a reputation of being a dirty player. Portuguese right back Vieirinha's ability as a defender will be put to test by Ivan perisic. While Vieirinha can hold his own against the best (Like he did against Ronaldo in the champios league this year) - hes still attack minded and the speed and agility of perisic will give  him problems. And the pacy and aggressive Mario mandzukic will be a handful for Pepe and carvalho. Mandukic doesnt particularly have a prolific scoring record in the recent past with the Juventus man scoring just one goal in qualifying and none in the EURO 2016 so far. But with Rakitic and modric in form crotia can rule the roost. Crotian defense however will have their own set of problems against Ronaldo and Nani. They will have to concentrate and ensure they dont press the self destruct button like they did against Czech republic.

Portuguese captain Ronaldo seems determined to ensure his team progresses.We have seen him throw a microphone of a reporter away and surely he is having trouble in accepting the results. Monaco's Joao Moutinho is struggling with injuries and form and they were able to get some rythm in passing only once the 18 year old team sensation Renato sanchez was introduced into the field in the second half If fernando santos has any brains at all he will atleast now understand that the team plays better with sanchez and will start him. If ronaldo shows the same fire works as he did against hungary the game will most likely be decided based on penalty shootouts or in extra time.

Prediction : Win to Croatia on  Penalties

Swiss challenge for Poles

So impressive were the Poles in the group stages that their star man Robert Lewandowski’s woes in front of the goal were hardly noticed. Lewa failed to hit a single shot at goal in the previous three outings. In their round of 16 fixture against Switzerland, the Poles need their star man back to his best. If, Lewa finds his touch, he and Arkadiusz Milik will pose a daunting challenge to the Swiss defence. The Polish midfield was not spectacular but highly effective. Defensive midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak was superb in the group stages, not only he broke the opposition attack but he had all the time in the world to pick out passes. In short, he controlled the tempo and will look for a repeat performance. Adam Nawalka found success with short and effective use of winger Jakub Blaszczykowski. Nawalka didn’t start the winger but used him as a substitute. Kuba’s pace, movement and trickery gave nightmares to the opposition full backs. Coming fresh in to the team after 60 minutes, Kuba toyed with the full backs and laid down key passes for the team mates. Against the Swiss, it would be the same. Meanwhile, the Swiss has their captain Stephen Lichsteiner at right back, who is in imperious form. Ever since, he joined Juventus in 2011, the ‘Swiss Express’ is playing at the top of his game hardly putting a foot wrong. At 32, he might not be as fit as he once was, which Kuba might look to exploit but nevertheless it would be an interesting duel. Ricardo Rordriguez on the left is the one of the most sought after left wingers, it will be very difficult to beat him. Moreover, the full backs complement Swiss wingers Xherdan Shaqiri and Admir Mehmedi, who will tear down the flanks at every opportunity. It will be a contest in the midfield as the trio of Granit Xhaka, Valon Behrami and Blerim Dzemaili would look to control the proceedings in the midfield. Krychowiak might be tasked to mark Dzemaili, who plays in the hole. However, Xhaka who plays deeper poses more potent threat as he picks out wingers with immaculate ease. Breel Embolo, who is one of the most sought after strikers in the transfer window will start for the Swiss. The 19-year-old showed glimpses of his raw talent in the previous games and will look to make a name in the do or die match. Poles will likely pip the Swiss. The match will not be a tightly contested one, with Nawalka’s tactical nous being the difference.

Wounded Portugal vs Inspired Hungary

There is only one word to describe the run of Hungarians in Euro 2016 - Inspirational! A win against a decent Austria team and then the draw against the smallest nation at the Euro's Iceland facing 12% of icelanding population in the stadium. Not bad at all from Hungary. With no major stars and a good group of players plying their trade in Polish, Turkish and German leagues - they have proven many wrong and qualified for the last 16. Will they now be able to stop portugal again and top the group remains to be seen.

On the other hand Ronaldo and co have been facing a lot of criticism about not just the performances but also the remarks Ronaldo made against Iceland looking at their celebrations. What Ronaldo said may be honestly true that Iceland over celebrated but the world expects a global star to be humble. I personally do not see anything wrong with Ronaldo being frank but the world sees it differently. Matters were made worse when Ronaldo failed to convert a penalty against Austria and a 0-0 draw followed. Its true that portugal had a decent game but they were the overwhelming favorites to top the group and we will have to see if they can achieve that with a win over hungary. Portugal have everything with decent players over the park. Their young defensive midfielder William carvalho is much sought after by many clubs in europe and its only a matter of time before he makes the big move with Super agent Jorge mendes trying to find a buyer. Along side carvalho Monaco's Joao Moutinho is expected to play as a play maker. these two combine with explosive Joao Mario who is also expected to move to a big club after a stellar season with sporting lisbon and Valencia's Andre gomes (whos being extensively linked with manchester united) form a fantastic midfield clubs in europe are willing to pay atleast 100 million pounds for with fee of 40 million pounds being mentioned for each of Mario and gomes.

At some point bayerns new signing Renato sanches is expected to show his trickery and pace which lead to him being dubbed the new ronaldinho. Sanches's fee could rise to an astonishing 88 million euros and that kind of money being spent on an 18 year told tells something about loads of talent hes got. Portugal are expected to line up in 4-4-1-1 formation with Ronaldo leading the line and Nani supporting him. Nani came to Old trafford in the summer of 2008 being hailed as a wonder kid and as the air to Ronaldo's throne but never could quite live up to the expectations. But he had a decent season at Fenerbarce and is expected to move to a bigger club this season.But Nani is certainly a better choice than a 32 year old Ricardo quaresma who was famously signed by Mourinho at Inter Milan and ended up a flop in the end. Portugal have always had problems with having a quality striker but this time out they neither have their old war horses Helder postiga and Nuno gomes so Ronaldo will have to fill in.But the wounded Portugal with bundles of talent will look to trounce Hungary whom they have beaten on every occasion they played them in a major tournament. Portugal will look to repeat that and move forward to round of 16 and avoid a major debacle in the tournament they played and lost the final against greece in 2004. It will be an interesting game to see how the hungarians handle a hungry portugal. I think portugal will come out on top finally. Heres my prediction

Prediction 2-0 to Portugal

A real dare to Zlatan

Ibrahimovic a world-class striker cut an isolated in the first two games in the group stage. Moreover, the fact that the team hasn’t even managed a single shot at goal says volumes about the poor performance of the Swedish. There is no one to play a foil to Ibra. At 33, Kim Kallstrom fails to adapt to the rigours of box-to-box play. He was solid defensively, but failed to control the midfield and was dismal in attacking. Emil Forsberg was also talked about in the run up to the games but he failed to exert any influence in the matches. The Swedes managed a single point in the first two games and they need to win the match against in-form Belgium to qualify to round of 16. They do qualify even if they salvage a draw only if results in other game go in their favour. 4-4-2 formation employed to make best use of their tall forwards Ibra and John Guidetti is not working, sadly they do not have much depth in the squad to make a tactical change. Ibra, who is probably playing his last international tournament, has to produce something truly spectacular, to keep the team in contention. On the other hand, the Belgians need a draw to qualify to the round of 16. After, facing a lot of flak from press and pundits after dismal performance in the first match, they bounced back in a truly spectacular fashion. Much of this was down to tactical tweaks and a resurgent Romelu Lukaku. They will look down to take inspiration from the previous fixture. Coach Marc Wilmots will retain the line up, Axel Witsel and Moussa Dembele will look to control the proceedings in the midfield and they have a fabulous attacking trio of Hazard, De Bruyne and Carassco to aid Lukaku in his goal scoring exploits. The inclusion of Meunier in place of Ciman at right back added much needed bite to the back four and the centre half pairing of Toby Alderweireld and Thomas Vermaelen were as solid as they get. With Thibaut Courtois between sticks, it is hard for the Swedes to score. The match might produce Ibra special moments but the Belgians have more in them to overcome any threat.

Advantage England

England managed a last grasp winner over Wales, courtesy Sturridge. The win should give the Three Lions much needed boost against Slovakia. Even though, England is topping the group they need a point to secure qualification to round of 16, which makes the fixture all the more interesting. With substitutes Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge scoring against Wales, they will replace underperforming Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane. It is expected that Jack Wilshere will replace Adam Lallana and Roy Hodgson might revert his formation to 4-4-2 diamond with Captain Wayne Rooney at its tip and Vardy, Sturridge upfront. Eric Dier has been a revelation as a holding midfielder; not only is he shielding the back four but has been chipping in with dipping free kicks. He will have his task cut out against the Slovakian play maker Marek Hamsik, whose movement will be hard to track. The English defence was solid in the last two games and the back four will look to repeat the performance. Wilshere and Dele Alli pairing will give the England much needed energy in the middle. In all probability, England will look for a win as they will qualify for the Round of 16 as group toppers. If they drew, at worst they will drop down to second place and will secure qualification. However, if they lose to Slovakians, their qualification will depend on the outcome of the Wales – Russia match, in which the Welsh has to lose. Slovakians, who were impressive against the Russians, will look for a repeat performance. However, they are battling with striker woes as their strikers are injured. Hamsik was imperious in the previous match, his runs, movement and passes gave Russians a nightmare. While Dier will be tasked to mark the playmaker, the Central defence duo of Gary Cahill and Chris Smalling will have to be on their toes against Hamsik. The Slovakians are also counting on the pace and direct running of winger Vladimir Weiss, who was on the score sheet against Russians. The English full backs were tested much and Weiss will love to try to outpace them. Martin Skrtel is the main stay for the Slovakians in defence and he will have to be in top form to contain Vardy and Sturridge. The Slovakians will look to attack from the word go as they need a victory to ensure qualification. It will be a tightly-contested affair, with England having an edge.

Russia vs Wales an even match

Russia may have historically beaten wales 3 times out of 4 but wales never had the players with the talent of the current crop not to mention the man real madrid spent a world record 85 million pounds for. That changes things and that means Russia will not be the automatic winner. Russia drew its first game with England (the game they almost lost) and then had a bad game against Slovakia. But they will look to win tomorrow against wales and that means they will attack and try to keep possession. Wales on the other hand will look to earn a point and hope England beat Slovakia to ensure they proceed to the next round and their strategy will be to counter attack and use the speed of their attackers gareth bale and hope ramsey can send pin point crosses Bale's way.Russia attacks do not have a lot of variety and if Wales can manage to hold their own against russian attacks thats going to mean a pass through to the round of 16 for wales their first in a major tournament.

Payet!

Every Major tournament produces new champions - Both teams and individuals. This tournament already has one in its first few games and its Dmitri Payet! Not that hes a stranger to those who watch the English premier league. Payet had a fantastic season with West ham and is even selected in the seasons best 11 in the English premiership considered by many as the best league in the world. If someone thought this is a one off season then they were proven wrong in France's first few games in Euro 2016 with Payet scoring in either of them and its him whos lead france into the last 16 despite common opinion that it will be Antoine griezzman or Paul Pogba. France are heading into their last group fixture against switzerland tomorrow and this could be another fantastic outing for the french.

While switzerland has good players like new arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka , Wolfsburg left back Ricardo rodriguez and former Bayern winger Xherdan Shaqiri : The french are a better unit than the swiss. Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny , Valencia defender Adil Rami  are supported by Ngologo Kante, Blaise matuidi and Paul Pogba making them a defensive unit and the creative outlets in the team are Payel and griezzman with Giroud replying on supply lines established by these two creative forces. I feel deshamps approach has been too defensive and one more creative player introduced in the side instead of a defensive midfielder will really help avoid waiting till way beyond 80th minute to get the winning goals. Even if France are putting up defensive minded sides together - i feel switzerland perfectly have the capability to surprise them with their pace and creativity with Manchester United bound Breel embolo in their ranks and his runs combined with Xherdan shaqiris creativity and balls into the box could prove to be a problem for france. But all in all france have a better team and a clear edge on switzerland in this game and they i think will win the game even though by a narrow margin and secure an easy opposition in last 16 by topping the group.

Prediction :2-1

Tiki Taka

Its rather dubbed by some as a weird way of playing football. But its the best way to wear down the opposition 'Tiki Taka'. Pass after pass after pass and patiently wait to split open the opposition defense with a beautiful ball and score out of nowhere. Thats what spain will look to do against the turks once again...... Their patience is amazing in passing the ball around, keeping possession at all costs. Spain had a staggering 70% possession against the Czechs and will look to replicate that against the turks. Spain will line up in the barcelona esque 4-1-2-3 formation with Real Madrid captain sergio ramos and barcelona center back Gerard Pique lining up in central defense backed by the best keeper in the world at the moment david degea.

With sergio busquets bossing the area in front of the back 4 Cesc fabregas and Andres Iniesta will look to create chances for spain. With Juventus center froward Alvaro Morata surely leading the line (considering half the world is trying to sign him for huge sums of money no wonder hes the only out and out striker in the squad) will be supported most likely by David silva of manchester city and it will be interesting to see if Vicente delbosque will select Nolito (Whos apparently wanted by Pep Guardiola at manchester city) or the more pacy Koke / Thiago alcantra.

On the other side of the pitch we have the turks lead by the barcelona winger Arda turan. Not to mention he was horrendous in his first game at the euros and even apologized to fans for it. Hakan Calhanoglu  will be a vital cog in the team who will play behind the striker along with Arda. A year ago Hakan was linked to every major club in europe including Manchester United and his passing ability and eye for long range goals will come in handy for the turks considering they will hardly have possession.Ozan tufan the youngster will have a lot of responsibility on his shoulders to orchestrate the passes in midfield and intercept Spain's passing rythm, Alongside him will be the Turkish beckham Selcuk Inan whos briliant free kick was the reason Turkey qualified for the european championships. With solid attacking three and decent midfielders Turkey's ageing defense is the real issue and they will all they can to stop spain which i suspect will not still be enough and spain will come out on top. Especially if Turkey goes fro false 9 formation with Arda at the helm then  they may end up flopping just like the last game. All in all i feel spain will continue their unbeaten streak since 2004 in the Euros and can progress to the next round with a win in this game.

Prediction : 2-0

Ibra vs Italy

Sweden had their hopes pinned on their charismatic striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic to guide them through the group stages. However, the six-and-a-half foot Swede looked lacklustre in the opening game against Ireland. Pundits singled him out to have underperformed and Ibra should be back to what he does best – tormenting defenders. Sadly, Ibra will have to do all on his own against the inform Italians, as rest of his team are nowhere near his calibre. Kim Kalstrom’s left foot was once dreaded and he made a name for himself in set piece deliveries, but he is now a shadow of his former self. The Swedish will still need him in the midfield to try and control proceedings of the game. It will have to be seen whether his set peice deliveries are still as good as they once were? The team which plays a 4-4-2 formation will see Berg partnering Ibra up front. However, they have an injury concern with Lustig picking up injury in the previous game. His replacement will have task cut out against the pace of Italian full backs. Pundits ruled out Italy as strong contenders but they surprised everyone with their 2-0 victory over Belgium. Antonio Conte’s side played a defensive 5-3-2 formation and it has brilliantly shutdown the attacking menace of the Belgians. The Azzuri will look for a repeat performance against Sweden. The striker duo Graziano Pelle and Eder were a perfect foil to one another. Pele’s aerial prowess and Eder’s explosive pace will be challenge for the Swedish defence, which at best can be described as mediocre. In the midfield, De Rossi who seems tired in the previous fixture might give way to Thiago Motta. Parolo and Giacherini will look to repeat their performance in the midfield. Manchester United’s Mateo Darmain, who played as left wing back was injured and will most probably be replaced by Di Sciglio. However, if Conte wants to inject more bite in his attack, he might play Florenzi. The defence trio of Bonucci, Chiellini and Barzagli were superb against the Belgians, who barely tested them. However, things might be different against the Swedish, as Ibra on his day is unstoppable. Bonnuci will have his task cut out to contain the marauding Swedish striker. It will take an Ibra special for Sweden to win.

Who will have the last laugh ? England or Wales ?

Wales will look to trounce England and heap more misery on them as their illustrious neighbours have flopped in recent Major tournaments. It is wales's first major tournament and with Chris coleman and the best group of players they ever had they do have a chance. However, the formation wales employed in their first game may not work against england considering they may play again in 4-3-3 but with different players.England played well against russia but didnt finish the job. Having Adam Lallana in the front 3 was a rediculous decision from Mr. Hodgson and i really hope we can see Jamie Vardy along side Harry Kane in this game. It is obvious that the men who fired all cylinders in the premier league will need a man behind them to unlock wales defense and deli alli should be pushed forward from the midfield 3 to do the job. Rooney has performed superbly in midfield against russia and slotting in Jack wilshere who is fresh from another injury prone season alongside rooney or the industrious Ross barkley are the options hodgson will be thinking about. With Eirc dier anchoring the midfield and rooney given a free role can spray paul scholes esque 40 yard diagonal balls to stretch the 3 man defense wales is likely to employ. I really hope to see Markus rashford gracing the arena at some stage as a subtitute and this could prove very useful considering he scored within 2 minutes of his england debut a few weeks ago.

Wales will look to defend and counter attack when they have the ball with Real madrids world record signing Gareth Bale and his explosive pace. Passing range of Arsenal's Aron ramsey will be cruitial and it will be interesting to see how he picks gareth bales runs (considering they once played for north london rivals spurs and arsenal this would be an interesting sight :)).Wales may not have star names apart from Bale, Ramsey and liverpool's Joe allen but Ashley williams performed admirably in swansea defense last season and the defense lead by him will look to continue their good form from qualifiers in which they kept 7 clean sheets and rub salt in englands wounds from their russia game. But with right player selection from Roy hodgson and with vardy and kane as the front two it will be difficult for wales to stop england with their current 5-4-1 formation unless coleman comes up with a few tricks up his sleeve. With both teams playing their hearts out to beat their neighbour it will be a mouth watering clash to watch :)

Prediction : 2-1 to England

Can germans contain Lewa, Milik

Pundits and fans were so focused on Robert Lewandowski that his partner-in-crime Arkadiusz Milik was largely ignored even by the opposition, which worked in the favour of the Poles. Milik not only scored the only goal of the match, he posed many a question to the Northern Irish side. He and Lewa (Lewandowski) tormented the Northern Irish defence and they will look for a repeat performance against the World Champions Germany. Kirchowiak had all the time in the world against the Northern Irish and controlled the tempo of the game effectively. However, in all likelihood he will be looking to cut out passes and through balls against Germans, as their high-pressing game wouldn’t give him time on the ball. Moreover, he will have the task to see off the menace of assist master Mesut Ozil and it will be an interesting battle. Polish keeper Wojceich Szczesny picked up an injury in the previous game and is doubtful to start against Germans, he will be replaced by Lukasz Fabianski. The Pole will look to their winger Jakub Blaszczykowski to interject much needed pace in their attack. The Adam Nawalka side having won a physical battle in their opening fixture will look to consolidate against the Germans and it will not be an easy task by any stretch of imagination. Germany were handed a much needed boost going into the game, as their defensive lynch pin Mats Hummels was fit. He will replace the goal scorer Shkodran Mustafi. Hummels and his partner Jerome Boateng will have their task cutout in controlling Lewa and Milik. Joachim Low played a 4-2-3-1 formation in their opening game against Ukraine with Mario Gotze operating as a false nine. Even though they scored two goals, the lack of out-and-out plagued them. While Ozil found form, Thomas Muller was not effective and Low will need Muller at his top form against the Poles. The German midfield will be marshaled by Sami Khedira and Toni Kroos, Khedira in all probability will be handled the task of marking Milik, who will be playing just short of striker. Though the Germans are the favourites against the Poles, it will be a tightly contested match.

It is time to deliver for Pogba, Griezmann

Prior to the France-Romania kickoff on last Friday, experts were confident that in-form Antoine Griezmann and Juventus playmaker Paul Pogba will rule the roost for the Les Blues. They even said that free kick specialist Dimitri Payet, will pave way to Manchester United hotshot Anthony Martial. However, over the course of 90 minutes they were proved wrong. It was Payet, who ensured victory for French, who otherwise were lackluster. The match also exposed France’s vulnerabilities in defence. Their midfield too didn’t boss as it was expected and considering the diminutive stature of holding midfielder N’Golo Kante, Rami and Koscielny had to rush to deal with aerial deliveries leaving gaps in defence. All said and done, the Albanians don’t have the fire power to pose any question to the Les Blues. The Gianni Di Biasi’s side will sit back tight and look to attack on the counter. In the recent press conference the coach said that they would not be mere tourists, he might look to draw inspiration from 2015v friendly, where they beat France 1-0. However, an upset is unlikely. Pogba and Griezmann would be riled up as they were singled out to have underperformed in the previous fixture. Des Champs would be better served if he picks Martial ahead off the Olivier Giroud, as the youngster’s pace and movement will be a threat to an ageing Albanian defence marshaled by their captain Lorik Cana.

Intriguing match up Italyvs Belgium

Belgium are on paper one of the best squads present in Euro 2016. But football is certainly not played on paper ad the Belgians form is unpredictable.Marc Wilmots is likely to pick a 4-2-3-1 formation that he has used for the most part of his tenure but his team is expected to be slightly different atleast in midfield. Wilmots has a wealth of options and hes likely to pick Axel witsel and Roma's Radja Nainggolan who his opposite number Antonio conte badly wants to sign for chelsea when he takes over next season.In front of witsel and Nainggolan they have a wealth of attacking talent in Eden Hazard their captain who won the premier league player of the year award one year ago but looked indifferent this season for chelsea. But he seemed to find some form towards the end of the season which wilmots will hope he will carry it forward for the euros. Alongside hazard will be Kevin debruyne who had a fantastic season since his 55 million pound move last year. It remains to be seen whether wilmots will deploy mertens or the young yannick ferreira carrasco who lit up the san siro with a goal in champions league final recently. In defense Belgium has established players in Toby Alderweireld who had a solid season with spurs and barcelona's Thomas Vermaelen and another spurs player Jan Vertonghen. All in all the belgians look solid but their form has been dwindling in the run up to the Euro's and so many times they have been named the dark horses recently but have not lived up to expectations and something tells me this tournament will not be different for them despite the talent they have.

Outgoing coach of Italy Antonio conte is expected to field a 3-5-2 formation crowding the midfield to stop the passing game of Belgium and will look to counter attack. Italy have established and experienced defenders in Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Barzagli all of whom play for Juventus along with the all conquering Gian Luigi Buffon. This will mean they will have a far better understanding and can effectively stop the opposition. Roma hardman Daniele derossi is expected to line up in midfield along with Thiago Motta and Alessandro Florenzi. They are midfielders who any team would like to have but are now on the wrong side of thirty and may find it find it difficult to come up against the pacy belgians. But the italians base their game plan on tactics and darmian and candreva are expected to play either side of the midfield 3 to defend when needed and contribute actively in attack from the flanks. Southampton target man Graziano Pelle will live the dream as Italy's main striker and i suspect Napolis insigne will be preferred alongside him. On paper teams are evenly matched but conte has more experience of coaching huge clubs in europe and i think he will out fox wilmots and Italy may come out on top in a low scoring game

Prediction 2-1

It is up to Spain to lose

Defending champions Spain had to deal with a rude shock of losing to minnows Georgia in the friendly before the start of the tournament. Even though they qualified with ease, one can say that they are still rankling from group stage exit in 2014 World Cup and are still in transition. Coach Vicente Del Bosque will look to play 4-3-3 formation, however with reports of Alvaro Morata not being fit Cesc Fabregas might operate as false nine, ahead of Artiz Aduriz. Busquets and Iniesta will be paired along with Koke in the midfield and they will look to retain possession ala ‘tiki-taka’ style. While Nolito will partner Fabregas up front one more place will most likely be filled by David Silva, who hasn’t had the best of outings in recent times. While the players are all technically gifted, the La Furia Roja suffers from lack of out and out strikers. Valencia’s Paco Alcacer, who was the top scorer for the Spanish in the qualifiers, was not picked in the squad for the reasons best known to Del Bosque and he will be missed. Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos will form the heart of Spanish defence they will aided by Juanfran and Jordi Alba on the left. While the defence looks solid on paper, they are prone to make mistakes, which the Czechs looks to cash on. David De Gea, was poised to take over the mantel of custodian between the sticks from Iker Casillas, however the allegations of sex scandal might have changed equations. Even though the player denied the allegations and the coach threw his weight behind him, can he replicate his form at Manchester United? Czech though not being much talked topped the qualifiers and will pose a tough challenge to the Spanish. Even though their defence is mot strong, they play like a close knit bunch and will have ever reliable Petr Cech between the sticks. Holding midfielder Vladimir Darida will play a key role in changing the course of play. He will be tasked with marking and keeping Iniesta at bay, which is a daunting task. Tomas Rosicky has been an influential player for the Czechs, the 35-year-old is in his twilight but his services will be needed. Necid will be the lone striker and he has to up his game by more than couple of notches to trouble the Spanish defence. The match will be the Spain’s to lose; they will look to stamp their authority and lay down marker for the group that has the likes of Croatia and Turkey.

Bavarian revolution!

World cup champions Germany have a rather unique distinction as  a team which is likely to have as many as 5 members from the same club playing in the starting 11. The club is naturally Bayern munich. Bayern's Manuel Neuer , Hummels, Jerome Boateng, Muller and Mario Gotze are all expected to start vs Ukraine. With only Podolski and Mario Gomez as the recognized strikers in the squad Joachim Low is expected to play in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Thomas Muller upfront but in reality only Sami Khedira is expected to play holding midfield with Kroos orchestrating the play to creative players Ozil, Gotze, Draxler and Muller all playing as attacking midfielders and with most likely a false 9 formation with no out and out strikers.

Speaking of Strikers Ukraine no longer posses a striking Master class like Andriy Schevchenko who terrorized opposition defenses for 2 decades. Andriy Yarmolenko and Yevhen Konyplyanka are the most recognized players in the ukraine squad. They will both be looking to cement their reputation in this tournament and are expected to move to bigger clubs this summer. Ruslan rotan the Ukranian captain is expected to be a lynchpin in their midfield around whom ukraine team is expected to organizedly park the bus and make life difficult for the germans. Rotan's free kicks are dangerous for the germans and will mean germans will be careful not to give away free kicks around the area and will keep them on their toes when they eventually concede one. The experience and knowhow of former Bayern midfielder Anatoliy Tymoschuk has will be vital for the ukraine in handling the german's passing game.

Overall Germany is widely expected to reach the final or even win the tournament and while ukranian's may be put in a valiant effort the germans will just nudge it and are expected to win the game.

Prediction : Germany 2-1 Ukraine

Battle of set plays

Croats have been the dark horses ever since their famous place three run in the 1998 World Cup and it is no different in Euro-2016. But will they better the World Cup performance; it will be down to how they start their opening fixture against Turkey. Coach Ante Cacic has turned the fortunes of the Croats after taking over the reins from Nico Kovac. They have a dream run up to the tournament, remaining unbeaten since September 2015; their 10-0 win over San Marino in a recent friendly is a testament to their fire power. However, it will not be a walkover or an easy game against Turkey. The Croats will play a 4-2-3-1 formation with the tall Mario Mandzukic up front. Perisic and Brozovac will support him from flanks and the Turks will have their task cut out as one hugs the line and the other cuts in. Cacic’s success in the qualifiers is down to the way he paired midfield generals Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic. With Milan Badelj protecting the back four, Modric and Rakitic will have freedom to attack and lay down passes. While the diminutive Modric looks to control the tempo, Rakitic aerial passes coupled with Mandzukic heading ability means, the Turks will have to be on their toes. Defence is the Achilles heel for the Croats, the central defence pairing of Vedran Corluka and Domgoj Vida are more than susceptible to leak. While Sime Vrsalkjo on left will look to complement Perisic on the wing, questions are the 35-year-old Croat captain Darijo Srna. He is well past his prime and will have problems against the pacey Turkish wingers. Turkey on the other hand will look to capitalise on the defensive woes of the Croats. Arda Turan will love to test himself against aging Srna, his pace and trickery will pose way too many questions. But, the star of the team is their captain Selcuk Inan. He along with Calhanoglu will be controlling the mid field battle with the likes of Oghuzan Ozyakup and Burak Yilmaz to latch on the passes. While the Turkish defence is pretty sturdy, coach Faith Terim has to come out with a solution to deal with Mandzukic’s aerial threat. Terim’s ploy of playing midfielder Mehmet Topal in the defence has worked for them in the qualifiers but will he be able to contain the tall Croat, is to be seen. However, with dead ball specialist Calhanoglu in his side, Terim would want his team to make most of set plays and weak Croat defence will make it all the more tantalising. Turkey are no pushovers, however they do not have an exciting bench as Croats. Cacic has the likes of Kovacic, Coric and Rog on bench and are more than capable replacements for the team on the field. Having said that I have a strong feeling that Turkey might pull a surprise.

Wales favourites in battles of nerves

Welsh players will have to battle their nerves on the pitch, as they will be playing in the Euro group stages for the first time and so is Slovakia.The Welsh team had a great run in the qualifiers losing only match. However, in the run up to the group stages they failed to win four matches in row and two of them ending up in the defeats. As it was evident in the qualifiers the Welsh are heavily dependent on their talismanic player Gareth Bale. He will like play in the hole behind the striker in the Chris Coleman’s much favoured 5-3- 2 formation. Nevertheless, the Real Madrid player will look to tear down the flanks on any opportunity.Even though Bale is singled out, he will have help from midfield with the likes of Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen. While, Allen will be protecting the three man defence, Andy King and Ramsey will look to dictate the game and control the tempo. But, they will face a daunting task of containing Marek Hamsik, the talismanic Slovakian. His runs are difficult to track so is his movement of the ball. It remains to be seen, whether Coleman would deploy a midfielder to mark Hamsik.

The Welsh defence will be marshalled by Ashley Williams and he will be supported by Collins and Davies in the centre, while Gunter and Taylor will don the role of wing backs. With Robson-Kanu struggling for fitness, Voakes will be the lone striker. As Hamsik said in one of his interviews the team are excited over taking part in the Euro for the first time. Their qualification to the group stages has been good winning seven, losing two and one ending in draw. While they look up to the Napoli playmaker to create chances and score, they can also depend onVladimir Weiss, whose pace on the wings will pose questions for Welsh wingbacks.

The Slovakians are lauded for their organised defence in the qualifiers and would like to continue the good work. Martin Skrtel will be the main stay of the defence and he will have protection from midfield in form of Juraj Kucka. The holding mid fielder will be a hard nut to crack and it will be exciting to see him marking and tracking Bale. The Jan Kozak coached side will look to play 4-2- 3-1 formation with Hamsik behind the striker Nemec. Their worry though is that they do not have out and out strikers to convert half chances. While the Welsh are slight favourites, the team that battles the nerves better will prevail - By Aditya Parankusam

Young Lions poised to come out on top

England vs Russia on paper would have been an intruguing battle 4 years ago with Russia featuring a number of star players in their prime back then like former Arsenal midfielder and one time record signing andrei arshavin, Chelsea left back Yuri Zhirkov and CSKA moscow midfielder Alan dzagoev in the team and former Spurs striker Roman pavluchenko made his name in the tournament back in 2008 which prompted spurs to snap him up. 4 years down the line its the england team that has young lions knocking on the euro door to confirming their start status on the world stage in france.

This game is probably the most interesting of the lot considering the formations both teams like to play in. Leonid Slutsky the russian coach prefers to play a 4-2-3-1 formation and roy hodgson has a selection problem in fitting Jamy Vardy , Harry Kane and Captain Wayne rooney all in the same team. While rooney can play anywhere across midfield or in the front 3 : Kane and Vardy are target men. It will be interesting to see whether roy hodgson plays 4-3-3 or a 4-4-2 with a midfield diamond with Eric dier in front of the back four and rooney at the other end of the diamond. Diamond formation served them well back in march against world champios germany whom they beat 3-2 but this formation may not work as well against the russians who will look to over power england in the midfield by employing 2 defensive midfielders and 3 attacking midfielders in front of them. Employing a diamond will mean eric dier alone may not be able to shackle Russia's Aleksandr golovin and Denis Glushakov. On the other hand 4-3-3 with Eric dier playing in front of the back four and wilshere and rooney playing either side of him will give the team some much needed energy in midfield and England can hold their own and rooney and wilshere can be the creative outlets of the team. With vardy as the target man , id play kane and deli alli slightly off him which will give england 5 men in midfield but a 4-3-3 in attack.

Russia on the other hand has its weaknesses and will dearly miss the injured Alan Dzagoev and Yuri Zhirkov. Ageing center backs gnashevich and Berezutski are a worry for the russians as its almost certain they will flip flop against the pacey Vardy and kane who have lit up the premiership this season. The only obstacle england have to overcome is Igor Akinfeev the CSKA moscow captain who is the only truly classy player russia can boast of in their ranks. England therefore are clear favorites and this time i dont think the pressure is on the England team as they are no longer the golden generation nor the favorites which will allow them to perform better outside the media spotlight. Introduction of the pacey  18 year old manchester united striker Markus rashford at some stage of the game could mean further trouble for russia considering the ease with which rashford beat Martin demichelis the 35 year old manchester city center back in the premier league this season. Raheem sterling will certainly play some part who is equally trickier to handle for russia. As long as hodgson doesnt take rash decisions by playing Liverpool captain jordon henderson making it a 2 man defensive midfield and sacrificing a creative player england should easily win the game!

Prediction England 3-Russia 1

France All The Way

Kick off to Euro 2016 is barely hours away. The hosts France will take on Romania in the opening fixture at Stade de France. The French team coached by Didier Deschamps has some exciting players to boast. Antoine Griezmann is in the form of his life and he is the man to watch out. He and West Ham’s Dimitri Payet will tear down the flanks and will pose a plenty of challenge to opposition full backs. Even more, the opposition has to deal with Payet’s vicious free kicks. The French midfield is marshalled by Blaise Matuidi, N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba. While Matuidi will city back and protect the defence Kante and Pogba will spray passes and look to dictate the terms. Defence is France’s weakest link and full backs Bacary Sagna and Patrice Evra are in the twilight of their career and might not have the legs to move up and down the pitch. Moreover the central defence pairing of Adil Rami and Laurent Koscielny is not solid as it looks. Koscielny is impetuous and mistake prone. Olivier Giroud is an impressive striker but he is no Benzema, who controversially not selected. While Martial is an exciting prospect, he won’t start at the expense of Giroud. Romanians are underdogs and but their defensive organisation is solid and difficult to penetrate. Vlad Chiriches is the main stay in the defence and his battle with Giroud will have to be watched. It is fair to say that Romanians will sit back, defend and look to score on the counter. However, lack of pace on the wings haunts them. Left back, Razvan Rat is 35, and French wingers will be licking their lips, as he might not have the pace to contain the marauding runs. The hosts are overwhelming favourites for this fixture and coupled with the vociferous support of the fans, the Romanians will have a tough time on the field. However, the pressure is on French as they look to win big and set a marker for the group.

Euros Again!

The european championships begin tomorrow amid tight security but there's nothing in this mortal world that brings down the level of interest and enthusiasm around a football extravaganza like this one :)

Without wasting time lets get to the contenders. I think the winner will be between Germany, France with my logical brain edging towards the germans :) While both teams have arguably a fantastic midfield and forward line for me : germans have a better defense for the first time in years :) Yes you heard it right. Thew new bayern munich center back pairing boateng and hummels are indeed the best in business with valencia's mustafi highly regarded by a lot of top clubs in europe. If i were Joachim low id play a 4-2-4  with no striker as i feel the quality germans have in Muller, Ozil, Draxler, Sane, Schurle is amazing. I wasnt surprised to know manchester united bid a world record fee for muller last year. I will never forget how he tore england apart and humiliated them with his brace in the 2010 world cup.  This when coupled with pass master toni kroos and khedira as the midfield would be a hard combination to break. And lets not forget whos between the sticks (Manuel Neuer). But its true that they no longer have the same young team as 2014. Mario gotze is no longer the player he once was since moving to bayern and Low knows why bastian schweinsteiger and podolski are even selected :) But the germans are still well balanced as long as Low doesnt go for the madness of playing bastian in the starting 11

Coming to france - first and foremost ramond domenech is no longer coach :P and that in itself gives them a big chance :D . Well the forward line is simply world class with Antoine Griezmann who had a stellar season with Atletico Madrid and Anthony martial of manchester united both capable of generating magic moments and easily getting past no matter who stands guard at the opposition goal. Lets not forget what dmitri payet did in the premier league this season. Hes a danger for any defense from set pieces and he gave Man United the taste of their own medicine with a beautifully curled free kick against david degea whos arguably the best goal keeper on the planet right now. While Sir alex ferguson sarcastically remarked in his book 'Before i die, someone please tell me whats the west ham way of playing football' Payet and Slaven Bilic seemed be defining exactly that this season. Coming to midfield they have the best holding midfielders in the premier league and Serie A with Ngolo Kante and Paul Pogba pulling the strings. Adil Rami and Koscielny are decent defenders but atleast  koscielny is certainly prone to errors. While manchester city  paid a fortune to buy Mangala from porto he didnt turn out to be the defender he was hailed as . France however have better full backs than germany in Sagna and evra who can terrorize defenses on their day but we will wait and see how their ageing legs will carry them and how they do n defense as they are both attack minded. The french camp is however marred by the valbuena scandal and not having a world class forward like benzema is certainly not something theyd want. Giroud had a decent season but fans made their intentions clear by booing him. I guess france will just have to make do.

I listed Belgium as the dark horse in the world cup in 2014 but despite all the talent in their ranks i somehow feel they will flop considering they have no balance in the side  This however is not based on any logic but just gut feel. I however name England as the dark horses of this tournament with the class of 2016 in their ranks. Deli alli, Eric dier and harry kane have proven they can produce great performances consistently and would have won the league if not for leicester city's heroics. These young lads and the strike force with leicester city golden boy vardy and pacey rashford is a headache for any defense. England have a stable defense too in Chris (Mike :P if u understand what i mean)Smalling whos had a fantastic season in a mediocre manchester united side and johnstones can hold their own. Whats beyond me is why hodgson prefers cahill over stones. With theatrics and heroics from teams like portugal and sweden who feature cristiano ronaldo and Zlatan ibrahimovic in their ranks - this will certainly be an interesting tournament over the next few of weeks. Every such tournament brings forth some new stars that clubs will want to pay millions for and lets see who comes out on top :) Keep watching this space for more posts - Phani Manthena