The round of 16 stage at Euro 2024 kicks off on Saturday and on the first evening, the hosts Germany are in action. They face Denmark after topping Group A, going up against one of the second placed teams, and will be looking to build on the success they have in the group round of the tournament.
Germany Form GuideUp until their third game, Germany were definitely one of the top couple of teams that had impressed me in the tournament, but they let themselves down a little in their final game against Switzerland and need to bounce back from that. A late equaliser gave them a point from the game, and with that, ensured they won the group.
Before that, it was much better. An opening day thumping of Scotland really kick started the tournament with a bang and they followed that up with a comfortable 2-0 success over Hungary in game two. There's plenty to like, a lot of talent showing up well, and with home advantage, Germany are one of the most feared sides going into the knockout phase.
Denmark Form GuideDenmark are in the bizarre situation of coming second in Group C, but not actually winning a game so far in the competition. Three games in, they're unbeaten with three draws. They drew 1-1 with Slovenia to start the tournament, then drew 1-1 with England after that before a 0-0 draw with Serbia in their most recent game. It was enough to come second and get into this phase, but of course, we need to see a lot more.
The disappointing fact for Denmark though is that they've just not been good enough at killing games off. Group c has been a tough watch, they've not really faced anyone that has shown any kind of quality so far, but failed to win all three games, and they're taking on much better opposition here.
Match PredictionWhile Germany were not as good in their last game, they made a lasting impression in the first two and I think they can win here. Football gets serious now, but they've shown plenty of attacking ability, and with home fans on their side, I will take them to beat Denmark here.